Tag: converting to Metric measurements

L is for Liter

There are only three countries in the world that use the English system of weights and measures. It was called the British Imperial System.  

Most common are the weight in the pound divided into 16 ounces (oz) and the ounce into 16 drams.

The basic unit of length is the yard (yd); fractions of the yard are the inch (1/36 yd) and the foot (1/3 yd), and commonly used multiples are the rod (5 1⁄2 yd), the furlong (220 yd), and the mile (1,760 yd). The acre, equal to 4,840 square yards or 160 square rods, is used for measuring land area. For liquid measure, or liquid capacity, the basic unit is the gallon, which is divided into 4 quarts, 8 pints, or 32 gills.

The three countries still on the English system – the U.S., Liberia and Myanmar – still (mostly or officially) stick to the imperial system.

The rest of the world has adopted the metric system and there is a reason.  It functions like the decimal system much like the United States dollar.  Ten pennies equal a dime.  Ten dimes equals a dollar.

We just bought a new trash can that came in a box marked “10 L.”  Further examination I determined it has a 10 liter capacity.  We also buy 2 liter bottles of soda (pop).

The biggest reasons the U.S. hasn’t adopted the metric system are simply time and money.  That is the excuse that is provided by Encyclopedia Britannica and repeated on other internet sites.  

None of these countries did not offers excuses.  They simply made the switch including Great Britain (United Kingdom) at the end of 1994 under a directive of the European Union. 

There is a US Metric Association but it was founded in 1916. As the United States has become ever more reliant on goods from other countries.  That new trash can says the USA will join the world on weights and measures.

(In the US) Why is soda sold in liters while milk and other drinks sold in gallons? By coincidence, the large plastic soda bottle was invented right around the time that the US was seriously flirting with a conversion to metric. So it was introduced in a 2 liter size instead of a half gallon size. My 16.9 FL. OZ. bottle of water is 500 ml.

Metric is coming to America. It’s not a plot and it’s not part of an invasion.

Metric System Vs. Imperial (British) System

One of the age-old arguments a majority of the world has with the United States is why the country insists on staying with the imperial system of measurement. Aside from Liberia and Myanmar, the rest of the world, as you can see by the gray masses, use the metric system.

In America’s defense, they can actually blame the British on the unit of measurement. Hundreds of years ago, when the British colonized America, they brought with them the imperial system. Ever since, Americans have used that system.  Great Britain developed that Imperial system of measurement.   A formal UK government policy to support metrication was agreed by 1965.

But change is slowly happening in the United States.

Some U.S. consumer products come in rounded metric sizes. This appears to be increasing because of the international nature of manufacturing, distribution, and sales. Many items are produced in rounded metric quantities and some manufacturers opt to display the metric quantity first or more prominently (e.g., Oral-B Glide dental floss is available in 35-, 40-, and 50-meter packages).

Perhaps the most common metric item sold is the two-liter bottle. Some supermarket chains also make their store brand soft drinks available in 3-liter sizes. Soft drink containers of 1 and 0.5 liters (and more recently 1.25 liter bottles) are increasingly sold alongside 12 fl oz, 16 fl oz, 20 fl oz, and 24 fl oz (355, 473, 591 and 710 mL) sizes.

The half-liter water bottle (16.9 fl oz) has nearly replaced the 16 ounce size. 700 mL (23.6 fl oz) and one-liter sizes are also common, though 20 fl oz, and 24 fl oz sizes remain popular, particularly in vending machines.

People are stubborn. 30% of the world’s population drives on the left side of the road with steering wheels on the right side of their cars.  They are not likely to change their cars and Americans are not likely to give up the Imperial measurement system.