Sometimes, the size of the SI unit is either too small or too big to measure a certain quantity. For example, a metre is too small a unit to measure the distance between two cities and too big a unit to measure the thickness of a wire. Hence, multiples and submultiples of units are required. Multiples are factors used to create larger forms whereas submultiples are factors used to create smaller forms of the SI units. For example, a centimetre is a submultiple and kilometre is a multiple of a metre.