“All kidding aside, the metricization of America has clearly begun, and the day of full conversion is coming. The experts won’t put a deadline on when this will happen because they know it’s hard for us to give up our quaint, comfortable ways”
… of course it is. Martha is wright!
As of 2006, 95% of the world’s population live in metricated countries.
Only the U.S. and parts of the United Kingdom (UK) are still using a (complicated) imperial non-metric system.
Today, the Empire can’t strike back anymore …
Some Americans even don’t recongize they’re already using the metric system.
Let’s compare some values.
Can you see some similiarities?
| Quantity | Metric | Imperial |
| Area | square kilometer | square mile |
| Area | hectar | acres |
| Audio equipement power rating | Watt | Watt |
| Audo Plugging standards | 2.5 mm and 3.5 mm | 2.5 mm and 3.5 mm |
| Automobile tires tread width | Millimeter (mm) | Millimeter (mm) |
| Light | Lux (lx) | Lux (lx) |
| Bicycles frame height | Centimeter (cm) | Centimeter (cm) |
| Camcorder Tape | Millimeter (mm) 8 | Millimeter (mm) 8 |
| Camera lenses | Millimeter (mm) | Millimeter (mm) |
| CD/DVD diameter | Millimeter (mm) 120 | Millimeter (mm) 120 |
| Cigarettes length | Millimeter (mm) | Millimeter (mm) |
| Construction equipment | numerous metric units | numerous metric units |
| Current (flow of electricity) | ampere (A) | ampere (A) |
| Electricity Batteries | 12 Volt | 12 Volt |
| Electric Voltage | Volt (V) | Volt (V) |
| Electric resitive load | Ohm (Ω) | Ohm (Ω) |
| Eenergy | Joule (J), Kilowatt hour (kWh) | Joule (J), Kilowatt hour (kWh) |
| Eyeglass lenses | Millimeter (mm) | Millimeter (mm) |
| Farm equipment | numerous metric units | numerous metric units |
| Firearms bullets diameter | Millimeter (mm) | Millimeter (mm) |
| Freight containers | CubicMeters (70m3) | CubicMeters (70m3) |
| Frequency | hertz (Hz) | hertz (Hz) |
| Highway drawings, specification | meter (m) | meter (m) |
| In-line skates wheel diameter | Millimeter (mm) | Millimeter (mm) |
| Jewelery size | Millimeter (mm) | Millimeter (mm) |
| kitchen Granite counter top building material | Millimeter (mm) | Millimeter (mm) |
| Length | meter (m) | yard |
| Length | centimeter (cm) | inch (in) |
| Length | kilometer (km) | mile (mi) |
| Light bulbs | Watt (power consumption) | Watt (power consumption) |
| Luggage weight (interntl.) | Kilogram (kg) | Kilogram (kg) |
| Marathon | 42.195 kilometer (km) | 42.195 kilometer (km) |
| Mass | kilogram (kg) | pound (lb) |
| Mass | kilogram (kg) | quarts (qt) |
| Mass | milliliter (ml) | teaspoon (=5 ml) |
| Meteorological pressures | hectoPascal (hPa) | hectoPascal (hPa) |
| Nuclear weapon, Atom Bomb | Megawatt | Megawatt |
| Nutrition facts on food packages like fat | gram (g) or milligram (mg) | gram (g) or milligram (mg) |
| Olympic sports | height: cm; length: m; mass: kg | height: cm; length: m; mass: kg |
| Paper size | A4 (210mm by 297mm) | Letter (8.3 by11.7 inches) |
| PC memory | megabyte (mb), gigabyte (gb), terrabyte (tb) | megabyte (mb), gigabyte (gb), terrabyte (tb) |
| PC speed | megaherz (mHz), gigaherz (gHz) | megaherz (mHz), gigaherz (gHz) |
| Pharmaceuticals doses | mikrogram (µg), milliliter (ml) | mikrogram (µg), milliliter (ml) |
| Pin connectors (Electronic) | pin size in mm | pin size in mm |
| Postage stamps | Millimeter (mm) | Millimeter (mm) |
| Power | Watt | Watt |
| Running Event | 100m, 200m, 400m | 100m, 200m, 400m |
| Sailplanes dimensions | Meter (m) | Meter (m) |
| Shortwave radio frequencies | kilohertz (kHz), megahertz (mHz) | kilohertz (kHz), megahertz (mHz) |
| Sience in general | metric | metric |
| Skis, snowboards length | Centimeter (cm) | Centimeter (cm) |
| Speed | kilometer pe hour (km/h) | miles per hour (mph) |
| Temperature | kelvin (K), clesius (C ) | farenheit |
| Time | second (s) | second (s) |
| Volume | liter (l) | gallon (gal) |
| Volume | Cubic Meter | cubic yard |
| Watches water resistend depth | Meter (m) | Meter (m) |
Ok, most of them do recongize …
And surely, there are Hectomillionaires!
Here are some good and informational links to the metric system:
WIKI - the metric system.
USMA - U.S. Metric Association
PLANETARY - NASA: Going metric on the Moon
Bob’s World - Open Source and the metric system
Quarter Life Crisis - Here comes the metric system
The Flagrancy - Raptors Trade Rose, Metric System
… and as read in many blogs there are also …
- 1 million microphones = 1 megaphone
- 1 million bicycles = 2 megacycles
- 10 cards = 1 decacards
- 1 millionth of a fish = 1 microfiche
- 1 trillion pins = 1 terrapin
- 1 million billion picolos = 1 gigolo
- 10 rations = 1 decoration
- 10 monologs = 1 dialog
- 2 monograms = 1 diagram
- 100 Senators = Not 1 decision
J said,
8-27-2007 in 12:59:53 at 67.138.55.18The yield for nuclear weapons is measured in Mega TONS, not megawatts - based on how many tons of TNT it is related to, I believe that is also international convention. Also, luggage weight and marathon distances I wouldn’t necessarily agree with anywhere in the US that I know of.