A milligram (mg) is a unit of mass in the metric system, equal to one-thousandth of a gram (1 mg = 0.001 g). It's one of the smallest standard units used in everyday measurements and is essential when dealing with very light weights. Milligrams are especially useful for measuring things that are too small to be weighed in grams—like medication doses, vitamins, or trace ingredients in scientific experiments.
The word "milligram" is derived from Latin roots: milli-, meaning "one-thousandth," and gramma meaning "a small weight." It became part of the International System of Units (SI) as countries adopted metric standards for more precise and consistent measurements.
How is the Milligram Used: The milligram plays a vital role in fields where accuracy matters most. Because it's a tiny measurement, even slight errors can affect results—especially in health and science.
A microgram (mcg) is a metric unit of mass equal to one-millionth of a gram. It’s one of the smallest standard units of mass, commonly used in medical, nutritional, and scientific settings where extremely small quantities matter.
The term comes from the Greek word mikros meaning “small” and “gram,” the base metric unit for mass. Its official SI symbol is µg. However, in medical practice especially in the U.S. mcg is used to prevent confusion with mg (milligram), which is 1,000 times larger.
How Is Microgram Used?
1 mg = 1000 µg
Let’s say you want to convert 1.2 mg to µg.
Using the formula:
1.2 × 1000 = 1200 µg
So, 1.2 mg is approximately 1200 µg.
| Milligram (mg) | Microgram (µg) |
|---|---|
| 1 mg | 1000 µg |
| 2 mg | 2000 µg |
| 3 mg | 3000 µg |
| 4 mg | 4000 µg |
| 5 mg | 5000 µg |
| 6 mg | 6000 µg |
| 7 mg | 7000 µg |
| 8 mg | 8000 µg |
| 9 mg | 9000 µg |
| 10 mg | 10000 µg |
| 11 mg | 11000 µg |
| 12 mg | 12000 µg |
| 13 mg | 13000 µg |
| 14 mg | 14000 µg |
| 15 mg | 15000 µg |