Metric system
The metric system, also known as the Systeme Internationale is a methodical, standardized system of measure.[1]
One of the metric systems most important difference between the earlier systems of measure it replaced was that instead of having a series of different units for each kind of measure, where the user picks a unit of the appropriate magnitude, the metric system has one basic unit, for example the metre, for length, and the gram, for weight. The metric system then uses a series of standard prefixes to adjust for the magnitude. In the Imperial System the pound, ounce and ton are all units for measuring mass, replaced in the metric system, by the gram, kilogram and the tonne, which is 1000 kilograms.
Some of the metric system's standard prefixes
[edit | edit source]| prefix | meaning | examples |
|---|---|---|
| micro | 1/1000000th | micrometre, microgram |
| milli | 1 / 1000th | millilitre, millimetre, milligram |
| centi | 1/100th | centilitre, centimetre, centigram |
| kilo | 1000 | kilolitre, kilometre, kilogram, kilowatt |
| mega | 1000000 | megawatt |
Due to human nature some units are not widely used. Millilitre and litre are widely used for measuring volume, while a centolitre, on the other hand, is usually called a cubic centimetre.
Equivalent measures
[edit | edit source]The Imperial System of measures, originally used in England, and the United Kingdom, but mainly used in the United States, is the last remnant of a network of confusing units. Prior to adoption of the metric system every nation had its own set of incompatible units. Many of them were roughly based on parts of the human body, like the foot, for measuring distance. But each nation that used the term "foot" used slightly length. The yard, another unit of distance, was, originally, the distance between the King's nose and his finger-tips, when his arm was outstretched.
| point | 0.35 millimetres | a unit used in typography |
| barleycorn | 0.8467 centimetres | the barleycorn was 1/3 of an inch |
| inch | 2.4 centimetres | the inch was originally the distance between the end of a thumb and its knuckle |
| link | 20.12 centimetres | a unit traditionally used in land surveying -- 1 / 100th of the traditional chain |
| foot | 30 centimetres | the foot was originally the length of a man's foot |
| yard | 0.91 metres | |
| stride | 1.5 metres | traditionally the distance traveled when a man takes two steps |
| fathom | 1.8288 metres | the fathom was a unit of distance used in navigation -- 6 feet long |
| chain | 20.1168 metres | a unit traditionally used in land surveying -- 66 yards |
| furlong | 201.168 metres | a unit traditionally used in land surveying -- 10 chains |
| mile | 1.609 kilometres | 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet |
| nautical mile | 1.852 kilometres | the traditional nautical mile was a unit of distance used in navigation, and was 6120 yards long |
| league | 4.83 km kilometres | varied -- from approximately 3 miles, or approximately 3 nautical miles |
| ounce | 28.3495 grams | unfortunately the Imperial System also uses ounce as a measure for volume |
| pound | 0.4535 kilograms | |
| short ton | 1016.05 kilograms |
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑
Madhvi Ramani (2018-09-24). "How France created the metric system". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2021-09-17. Retrieved 2026-06-11.
Today, the metric system, which was created in France, is the official system of measurement for every country in the world except three: the United States, Liberia and Myanmar, also known as Burma. And even then, the metric system is still used for purposes such as global trade.