Why are conversions in the metric system easier than the US system of measurements?

Answer 1

The question can be reversed to why imperial conversion is so hard. The two unit systems are just completely incompatable with each other. For instance. In metric,the meter was invented when a certain stick was used to measure things and people started replicating this stick. This was the meter stick. Similarly,the foot was invented by taking the average length of a adult foot for measurement. Thus the two lengths only have a ratio to connect them in this case 1 : 0,3048.

Answer 2

conversions in the metric system are easier to make than conversions in the US system of measurements because they are either divided or multiplied by powers of 10 for example the US Customary system is a system of measurements which is used only in the US and seldom elsewhere. Some of its measurements include: inch, yard, mile, pound, quart, pint, etc. Elsewhere, the metric system is used. This is an efficient system because it is based on powers of 10. Some metric units include: kilogram, millimeter, centimeter, and kilometer.

Answer 3

Two reasons. First, each unit is a constant multiple of the the next lowest unit. For example, it takes 10 millimeters to make centimeter; 10 centimeters to make a decimeter; 10 decimeters to make a meter, 10 meters to make a decameter, 10 decameters to make a hectometer, 10 hectometers to make a kilometer. In the US system, there are 12 inches in a foot, 3 feet in a yard, 5.5 yards to make a rod, 4 rods to make a chain, 10 chains to make a furlong, and 8 furlongs to make a mile. Second, the constant multiple in the metric system is 10, the base of our counting system. So really, you don't even have to multiply or divide - just add or delete zeros or move the decimal point. For example, 540 millimeters equal 54 centimeters, equals 5.4 decimeters, equal 0.54 meters, equals 0.054 decameters.

Answer 4

The metric system uses a base unit with a power of ten as a multiplier. Because modern society uses the decimal system in almost everything, most people already know how to convert the powers (even if they don't think they do). Thus converting millimetres, centimetres, decimetres, metres, decametres, hectometres, and kilometres is quite easy: they are all separated by a power of ten - each is ten times bigger than the one before it. The same goes for any unit. The litre and gram can both be substituted for the metre, and the conversion is still done in exactly the same way. All that is needed is to know which unit means which property or dimension, and which prefix is which power of 10. From these two scales, any unit of appropriate size can be created.

In contrast, let us use an example of the US system: there are 12 inches in a foot, there are 3 feet in a yard, there are 220 yards in a furlong, there are 1760 yards in a mile while there are 8 drams in a fluid ounce, 4 ounces in a gill, 2 gills in a cup, 2 cups in a pint, 2 pints in a quart and 4 quarts in a gallon.

These numbers are fairly arbitrary and have no reasonable way of determining; you actually have to know what the conversion is for every measurement as well as a name for every individual amount of a unit, rather than relying on one system for every unit and every conversion. Even for the units of volume, the powers of 2 are not as obvious to humans (despite being quite simple to use), just because they are not come across as often.

Answer 5

Which is more complicated (to remember and use):

Weight:

• Imperial
  • 1oz =15dwt
  • 1lb = 16oz = 240dwt
  • 1 st = 14lb = 224oz
  • 1 cwt = 8 st = 112lb
  • 1ton = 20 cwt = 2240lb

• metric
  • 1cg = 10mg
  • 1dg = 10cg = 100mg
  • 1g = 10dg = 100cg = 1000mg
  • 1kg = 1000g
  • 1 tonne = 1000kg = 1000000g

Volume:

• US
  • 1 gill = 4 fl oz
  • 1 pt = 4 gill = 16fl oz
  • 1 qt = 2 pt = 32 fl oz
  • 1 gallon = 8pt = 128 fl oz

• Imperial
  • 1 gill = 5 fl oz
  • 1 pt = 4 gill = 20 fl oz
  • 1 qt = 2 pt = 40 fl oz
  • 1 gallon = 8 pt = 160 fl oz
• Metric
  • 1 ml = 1 cm3
  • 1 cl = 10ml
  • 1 dl = 10cl = 100ml
  • 1 l = 10dl = 100cl = 1000ml
  • 1 kl = 1000 l

Length:

• Imperial
  • 1 ft = 12 in
  • 1 yd = 3 ft = 36 in
  • 1 fathom = 2 yds = 6 ft
  • 1 chain = 22 yds = 66ft
  • 1 furlong = 10 chains = 220 yds
  • 1 mile = 8 furlongs = 1760 yds = 5280 ft
• Metric
  • 1 cm = 10mm
  • 1 dm = 10cm = 100mm
  • 1 m = 10dm = 100cm = 1000mm
  • 1 km = 1000m

The metric system is based on powers of 10. In all the different metric units, the prefix showing the size (as a power of 10) is the same, just the unit changes:

milli- means x 10-3, symbol prefix: m

centi- means x 10-2, symbol prefix: c

deci- means x 10-1, symbol prefix: d

[none] means x 100 or x 1 - the base unit

deka- means x 101, symbol prefix: da

hecto- means x 102, symbol prefix: h

kilo- means x 103, symbol prefix: k

And the units are:

g - grams

l - litres

m - metres

So, given an unusual metric measurement, for example "1 hm" it can easily be worked out that it is 1 h m = 1 hecto- metre = 100m.

However, the imperial measures were usually based on an observation, for example the yard was the distance between the fingertips and nose of an out stretched arm. (A cubit was half this distance: finger tips to elbow); the mile is derived from the Roman mille of 1000 paces long. Over time, each of the units being standardised.

The biggest headache with the imperial system is that there are 2 in use: US and imperial which is especially noticeable in volume: 1 pt = 16fl oz in US, 20fl oz in imperial (the fluid ounce in both being the same). meaning the US gallon is 4/5 the Imperial gallon and 1 gallon is either approx 3.785 liters or 4.546 litres.