2. Metric System The metric system is a decimalized system of measurement.
3. Metric System Since the 1960s the International System of Units (" Système International d'Unités " in French, hence "SI") has been the internationally recognized standard metric system.
4. Metric System Metric units are widely used around the world for personal, commercial and scientific purposes.
5. Metric System A standard set of prefixes in multiples of ten may be used to derive larger and smaller units.
6. The Metric and Customary Systems of Measurement In today’s global environment, metric measurements are prominent in workplaces, consumer products, and news reports.
7. Almost every other country in the world uses the metric system of measurement. Three nations have not officially adopted the International System of Units as their primary or sole system of measurement: Burma, Liberia, and the United States.
8. The European Union, Japan, and Korea have passed legislation limiting international commerce to products measured in metric units. Countries by Date of Metrication
9. The Metric and Customary Systems of Measurement If the United States is to continue to play a leading role in international business, using metric measurement is imperative and U.S. workers at all levels must be knowledgeable about the Système Internationale (SI), the international name for the metric system.
10. Importance of Conversion… Cargo errors - The confusion between pounds (mass) and kilograms sometimes means that aircrafts are overloaded. "the shipper's weights had been in kilograms, not pounds, and that, as a result, the aircraft was more than 30,000 pounds overweight".
11. Importance of Conversion… Gimli Glider — In 1983 a Boeing 767 jet ran out of fuel in mid-flight because of two mistakes in figuring the fuel supply of Air Canada's first aircraft to use metric measurements.
12. Importance of Conversion… Medical errors - Medical errors in the US are sometimes attributed to the confusion between grains and grams. A patient received phenobarbital 0.5 grams instead of 0.5 grains (0.03 grams) after the prescriber misread the prescription.
13. Importance of Conversion… Mars Climate Orbiter — In 1999 NASA lost a $125 million Mars orbiter because one engineering team used metric units while another used US customary units for a calculation.
