They didn't. Metric Units were developed independently of Imperial units.
Originally each country, and sometimes different parts of the same country, had different sets of units.
The Metric System was invented to solve the confusion of different units used in different parts of France.
Gradually other countries adopted Metric and abolished their own units. The British Imperial units were one of the last to be abolished.
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Stones are units of weight in the Imperial Weights & Measures System.
imperial system * * * * * The Metric and Imperial systems are alternative systems! The metric system is properly known as the International System of Units, abbreviated, from its French name: Système international d'unités to SI units.
They are both systems of measurement in which there are sets of 7 units for measuring physical attributes of objects and derived units for measuring other attributes. For example, Basic units for mass: Kilogram (metric) or Pound (Imperial) Derived units for area: Square Metre (metric) or square inch (Imperial) Derived unit for pressure: kg / sq metre = Pascal (metric) or pounds / square inch = psi (Imperial).
Both imperial and metric is currently used in the UK. The metric system is exclusively taught in UK schools. So, eventually, as children become adults, the metric system will become the norm. Resistance to using the metric system is usually from adults who were taught the imperial system when they were schoolchildren.
Scientific notation is scientific notation - whether it is used for metric units, Imperial units or simply for numbers.