How to Learn About the Metric System of Measurement
Every nation on the globe except for three have adopted the International System of units (SI), also called the modern metric system, according to the Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook. Although the U.S. Congress approved its use, it has not received formal adoption in the United States. Learning more about the metric system of measurement is easy, thanks to government, association and educational resources.
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Metric System is Easy
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The metric system is actually rather simple. You don't have to remember relationships such as: 12 inches to a foot or 3 feet to a yard. Instead, you can think of the metric system in terms of 10. You can change one unit to another by adding or reducing a 0, which for a given measurement means moving the decimal point.
The metric system uses prefixes to indicate units larger or smaller than a given base unit. Each prefix is a multiple of 10. -
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The names of the units give you a precise number equivalency meaning. The prefixes and what they stand for are as follows:
kilo = thousand 1000
hecto = one hundred 100
deka = ten 10
deci = one tenth 0.1
centi = one hundredth 0.01
milli = one thousandth 0.0001By adding these prefixes to a measure of length or weight you are expressing how many of those units of length or weight you have. The basic measure of length is the meter, and for weight is the gram. So if you have 1,000 meters, you have 1 kilometer. If you have 1,000 grams, is the same as having 1 kilogram.
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The Greeks developed the "foot" as their fundamental unit of length. Legend has it that this Greek unit was based on an actual measurement of Hercules' foot. People measured a yard of cloth by the distance between the end of the outstretched arm and their chin. The Romans measured their pace steps, of about 2.5 feet, 1000 double paces formed a mile. It was evident that everyone's body was different sizes. This caused confusion in measurement.
The French created a standard unit of measurement called the metric system in 1790. This is today's international system of unit for measurement. It replaced the confusion generated by the traditional foot, yard and mile system.
The U.S. Congress sanctioned the metric system in 1866, but the United States only uses the metric system in education, agriculture and research and scientific endeavors. -
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The U.S. Metric Association is a useful resource for learning the metric system of measurement in greater depth. The USMA site features quirky facts, historical timelines, conversion tables, teacher resources and quick links for further reading.
Universities, state departments of agriculture and local school districts are good options for more information. The Michigan Department of Agriculture offers a handy reference sheet to learn how to convert between standard and metric values; the Louisiana public school system has a wealth of educational resources about the history, adoption and technical use of the metric system in the U.S.
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