The United States is so unique—but in some ways, I wish it was a little less so. We are one of the only three countries in the world that have yet to adopt the International System of Units, also known as the metric system. The International System of Units is beautifully thought-out, based on invariant natural constants, and agreed upon by nearly every country in the world. The entire planet has chosen wisely to utilize it as a standard. So why has America resisted it for so long?
Before we examine the resistance to metrication in America, let’s take a moment to explain why the vast majority of the world’s nations rely on the metric system. The metric system is a decimal system of weights and measures, meaning conversion between units is often effortless and simply involves moving a decimal point, i.e. multiplying or dividing by powers of ten, skills that most of us learned in elementary school. In addition, multiples of units have standard prefixes such as kilo-, centi-, and milli-. This makes it easy to determine how many base units of something you are talking about and also ensures that there are very few base units to learn. In fact, every base unit that constitutes the metric system is defined by an invariable scientific constant. The U.S. still relies on the Imperial system, which was originally based on completely arbitrary measurements, such as the lengths of human body parts, which differ from person to person.
There seem to be two main arguments for the Imperial system. Firstly, a wholesale transition to the metric system would simply cost too much money and be time-consuming. Secondly, our use of this arbitrary measuring system sets us apart from other countries and solidifies our status as a leader rather than a follower. As for the first argument, I say that the economic benefits of going metric outweigh the costs because having a standard system of weights and measures will greatly facilitate international trade as well as share crucial scientific information. Besides, the United States has already “given an inch” when it comes to metrication—most rulers show inches down one side and centimeters down the other. We, the students, learn to express quantities using metric units in our science classes. It is not as hard as it seems to just take that extra step and go metric. It’s 2019 now and we’ve already arrived at a hybrid system.
Some claim that the U.S.’s capricious system of measurement is a testament to our nation’s uniqueness and to our status as a leader rather than a follower. Do we really need to break the mold in this specific area, though? When nearly every single country in the world agrees on one logical, standardized system of weights and measures, resisting it does not make the United States look like a powerful, innovative leader. Instead, it makes our nation look like a stubborn child, clinging to an archaic system of measurement for no good reason other than our own nostalgia and short-sightedness. Sometimes, we just need to accept that we’re not doing things as efficiently or as logically as we could be and be willing to make a compromise for the good of the world economy and our own nation’s future. There is no need to keep on complicating things. Let’s join the rest of the world and go metric!