Why Metric?

Commodity Number of Pounds

Wool 14, 15, 24

Wax 12

Sugar and spice 8

Beef and Mutton 8

Stone as measure of weight

How many inches in a mile?

Length

• 12 lines = 1 inch • 12 inches = 1 foot • 3 feet = 1 yard • 1760 yards = 1 mile • 36 inches = 1 yard • 440 yards = quarter mile • 880 yards = half mile

Distance

• 100 links = 1 chain • 10 chains = 1 furlong • 8 furlongs = 1 mile • 4 inches = 1 hand • 22 yards = 1 chain • 5.5 yards = 1 rod, pole or perch • 4 poles = 1 chain • 40 poles = 1 furlong

Volume

• 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon• 3 tablespoons = a jigger• 2 tablespoons is 1 fluid ounce• 8 fluid ounces = 1 cup• 2 cups = 1 pint• 2 pints = 1 quart• 4 quarts = 1 gallon• 55 gallons = 1 barrel of oil• 63 gallons = 1 hogshead

Keys to “Why Metric?”

A pint’s a pound the world around….

Only in the U.S. as the British pint is really 20 ounces.

Length

• 10 millimeters = 1 centimeter• 10 centimeters = 1 decimeter• 10 decimeters = 1 meter• 10 meters = 1 decameter• 10 decameters = 1 heptameter• 10 heptameters = 1 kilometer

1 Meter

• 1000 millimeters • 100 centimeters• 10 decimeters• 1 meter• 0.1 decameters• 0.01 heptameters • 0.001 kilometer

Words Having Meaning (in Latin)

• Milli = one thousandth• Centi = one-hundreth• Deci = one-tenth• Meter = Measure• Deca = ten• Hepto = one hundred• Kilo = one thousand

10n Prefix Short scale Long scale Decimal

1024 yotta Septillion Quadrillion 1000000000000000000000000

1021 zetta Sextillion Trilliard 1000000000000000000000

1018 exa Quintillion Trillion 1000000000000000000

1015 peta Quadrillion Billiard 1000000000000000

1012 tera Trillion Billion 1000000000000109 giga Billion Milliard 1000000000106 mega Million 1 000 000103 kilo Thousand 1000102 hecto Hundred 100101 deca Ten 10100 (none) One 110−1 deci Tenth 0.110−2 centi Hundredth 0.0110−3 milli Thousandth 0.00110−6 micro Millionth 0.00000110−9 nano Billionth Milliardth 0.00000000110−12 pico Trillionth Billionth 0.000000000001

10−15 femto Quadrillionth Billiardth 0.000000000000001