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The metric system is the international system of measurement. It was designed with several goals in mind. Neutral and universal Any laboratory can make a model of the base units. Starting with length, the meter was determined by the distance between two lines of latitude. This can be measured at any location on earth with the proper instruments. Once the length is established, a cube can be constructed that is 1/10 km on each edge. The volume of this cube is the liter. Everyone has access to water, so fill this cube with water and you have a kilogram of weight at 3.98 degrees celsius. Oh, yes, you also had to develop a thermometer by dividing the difference between water's freezing and boiling points into 100 equal parts. Decimal multiples The metric system is decimal. The next larger unit is always 10 times as large, the next smaller always 1/10 as large. You don't have to remember 12 inches to a foot, 3 feet to a yard, are there four pints in a quart or only two, etc. To convert, simply move the decimal point. Prefixes All derived units use a common set of prefixes for each multiple. "Kilo" means 1000 whether it is used both for mass (kilogram) or length (kilometre). A few units such as the tonne (megagram) and quintal (100 kilograms) survive from old units but have been rounded to metric. The prefixes which come from the Greek language (kilo, mega, giga) are multipliers and those with Latin origins (centi, milli) are divisors.

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15y ago
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11y ago

The metric system was designed to be a complete and integrated system, where each unit is derived from a combination of seven base units. There is only one unit for each measurement, eg. length is always measured in metres, shorter or longer distances use fractions and multiples of metres, not different units.

The English system evolved over time with no real guidance. There is no standard relation between units, and there are multiple units for the same measure, eg, length is inches, feet, yards, and miles, each a separate unit, that convert in random ratios.

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6y ago

The metric system is superior is very many ways.

1. The measurement units are internationally agreed as standard. Not like a gallon which can mean one amount in the US and different amount in the UK.

2. Orders of magnitude for measuring the same attribute are related by simple multiples or fractions of powers of ten conversions and only a handful of prefices are required (although there are a lot more available for very big and very small amounts). By way of contrast, the Imperial system uses:

  • 2 pints in a quart
  • 3 feet in a yard
  • 4 quarts in a gallon
  • 6 feet in a fathom
  • 8 furlongs in a mile
  • 9 square feet in a square yard
  • 12 inches in a foot
  • 14 pounds in a stone
  • 16 ounces in a pound
and so on, and on and on. The decimal structure also makes it simple to use scientific notation for very small and very large quantities.

3. There are many simple relations between measures for one characteristic to another. For example, the force required to accelerate a mass of 1 kilogram by 1 metre/second^2 is 1 Newton. The pressure exerted by 1 Newton over an area of 1 Square metre is 1 Pascal.
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14y ago

They aren't the same.

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Q: How does the metric system differ from the customary system of measurement?
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Related questions

What is the 2 system of measurement?

metric and customary


In which measurement system is easier to convert units customary or metric?

metric


How is metric measurement different than customary measurement?

They are both systems of measurement except that the metric system is simpler and used by the majority of the world.


What are the two types of system measurement?

The MKS-ISO metric system and the CGS-ISO metric system. The American, Imperial, or customary units of measurement are not a system at all, they are an accumulation of antique units.


What measurement unit is used to find the width of a class room?

Metric system: meters; customary system: feet


Is a gallon metric or customary?

Gallon is an Imperial measurement. It originated in England.


Is Foot 'unit of measurement' in the metric system?

No, Foot belongs to the Imperial and US customary units (according to Wikipedia)


Definiton of Customary Unit?

A Customary Unit or non-SI unit is a measurement unit that is not part of the metric system. Customary units are mainly units of the Imperial system but they could be localised customary units - such as Gaj (for area) is South Asia.


What country in Asia uses the customary system of measurement?

Myanmar formerly known as Burma uses the imperial system of measurement. It used to be a British colony and has not yet adopted the metric system.


If a person tells you she is 6 feet tall, is she basing that measurement on customary units or metric units?

Feet are a measurement in the Imperial system. If she was using Metric it would be in meters, not feet.


Do scientists use the customary system or the metric system of measurements?

They use the metric system.


What countries use both the metric and customary system?

In many European countries the metric system IS the customary system!