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Metrication

Pixels per inch - Metrication
The digital publishing industry often uses pixels per centimeter instead of pixels per inch.

Pixel density - Metrication
The digital publishing industry primarily uses pixels per inch but sometimes pixels per centimeter is used or a conversion factor is given.

Pixel density - Metrication
The Portable Network Graphics|PNG image file format only allows the meter as the unit for pixel density.

Metrication in Australia
Australia's largely successful transition to the metric system contrasts with the ongoing opposition to metrication Metrication in the United States|in the United States, and Metrication in the United Kingdom|the United Kingdom.

Metrication in Australia - History
Although there was debate in Australia's first Parliament after federation to consider adopting the metric system, metric units first became legal for use in Australia in 1947 when Australia signed the Metre Convention (or Convention du Mètre)

In 1968, a Select Committee of the Australian Senate examined metric weights and measures and came to the unanimous conclusion that it was both practical and desirable for Australia to change to the metric system

By 1968, metrication was already well under way in Australian industry

In 1970, the Parliament of Australia passed the Australian Metric Conversion Act|Metric Conversion Act, which created the Metric Conversion Board to facilitate the conversion of measurements from imperial to metric. A timeline of major developments in this conversion process is as follows:

* 1971 – the Australian wool industry converted to the metric system.

* 1972 – all primary schools were teaching the metric system alone. Many had been teaching both imperial and metric and later, metric alone since Australia changed to the Decimalisation|decimal currency system in Horse racing converted in August 1972 and air temperatures were converted in September 1972.

* 1973 – all secondary schools were now using the metric system.

* 1974 – large scale conversion across industries, including packaged grains, dairy products, egg (food)|eggs, building, timber, paper, printing, meteorology|meteorological services, postal services, communications, road transport, travel, textiles, gas, electricity, surveying, sport, water supply, mining, metallurgy, chemical industry|chemicals, petroleum and automobiles|automotive services

* 1977 – all packaged goods were labelled in metric units, and the air transport, food, energy, machine tool, electronic engineering|electronic, electrical engineering and appliance manufacturing industries converted.

* 1987 – The Real estate industry converted to metric.

* 1988 – Metrication completed, with the metric system becoming the only system of legal measurements in Australia.

The Metric Conversion Board spent A$5.955 million during its 11 years of operation, and the federal government distributed $10 million to the states to support their conversion process. The cost of metrication for the private sector was not determined but the Prices Justification Tribunal reported that metrication was not used to justify price increases.

Opposition to metrication was not widespread. The Metric Conversion Board did not proceed with education programmes as polling revealed that most people were learning units and their application independently of each other, rendering efforts to teach the systematic nature of the metric system unnecessary and possibly increasing the amount of opposition.

The Metric Conversion Board was dissolved in 1981, but the conversion to the metric system was not completed until Between 1984 and 1988, the conversion was the responsibility of the National Standards Commission, later renamed the National Measurement Institute. In 1987, real estate became the last major industry to convert, and, in 1988, the few remaining imperial units were removed from general use.

Restrictions of volume and weights that had previously compelled manufacturers to package products to rounded imperial sizes despite metric labelling, for example packaging a soft drink can as a rounded 13 imp fl oz but labelling it as 375 ml, were removed in 2008.

Metrication in Australia - Metrication of horse racing
An early change was the metrication of horse racing. This was facilitated because the furlong (one eighth of a mile) is close to 200 m. Therefore the Melbourne Cup was changed from 2 miles (about 3,218 m) to 3,200 m. The first metric Melbourne Cup was raced in November 1972.

Metrication in Australia - Metrication of the road signs
An important and very visible sign of metric conversion in Australia was the change in road signs and the accompanying traffic regulations; M-day for this change was 1 July Because of careful planning, almost every road sign in Australia was converted within a month. This was achieved by installing covered metric signs alongside the imperial signs before the change and then removing the imperial sign and uncovering the metric sign during the month of conversion.

Except for bridge-clearance and flood-depth signs, dual marking was avoided. Though people opposed to metrication expressed the fear that ignorance of the meaning of metric speeds would lead to slaughter on the roads, this did not happen as most drivers under the age of 25 had been taught metric units at school and through them, their parents were familiar with metric speeds if not metric units as a whole.

It was believed that public education would be the most effective way of ensuring public safety. A Panel for Publicity on Road Travel, made up of the various motoring organisations, regulatory authorities and the media, planned a campaign to publicise the change. The resulting publicity campaign cost $200,000 and the Australian Government Department of Transport paid for it.

The Board also produced 2.5 million copies of a pamphlet, Motoring Goes Metric. This was distributed through post offices, police stations and motor registry offices.

For about a year before the change, motor car manufacturers fitted dual speedometers to their vehicles and, after 1974 all new cars were fitted with metric-only speedometers. Several kinds of speedometer conversion kits were available.

As a result of all these changes, conversion on the roads occurred without incident.

Metrication in Australia - Extent
Metrication is mostly complete. Road signs are totally metric, as are the speedometers and odometers in motor vehicles and the sale of oil and petrol is by the litre. Vehicle tyre pressures are still commonly talked about in pounds per square inch.

Fruit and vegetables are advertised, sold and weighed by the kilogram, groceries are packed and labelled in metric measures

In some cases goods manufactured to pre-metric standards are available, such as some bolts, nuts, screws and pipe threads and there are some instances where pre-metric measures may still be used:

* Weight is referred to in kilograms, and baby nappy sizes are specified in kilograms only but some parents give their baby's birth weight in pounds and ounces, however this has become less common.[ An example where some birth weights are given in pounds and ounces.]

*Heights for official and sporting purposes are given in centimetres. In informal and private contexts a person's height is sometimes stated in feet and inches.At least one [ Australian internet dating service] uses imperial units for height (with metric equivalents in brackets) but people are unable to select height in raw metric figures.

* Domestic and commercial real estate is advertised in square metres or hectares but though crop yields are described in tonnes per hectare, rural land areas are sometimes advertised in acres.

* Weather reports are always in metric terms but some specialised surf reports give wave heights in feet and there are occasional references to the old century, meaning 100°F, when describing temperatures of 38°C or more.

Imperial measurements are used in preference to metric usually where the product originates or is intended for an American market (printers, hard-disk drives) or when the size increment for a product is a multiple of an inch (televisions and tyres). A few examples are:

* Scuba diving uses metric measures but the altitude for sky diving is routinely given in feet.

* Aviation, as in many other metric countries, uses horizontal distances in nautical miles and horizontal speed in knots, but horizontal distance for visibility or clearance from clouds is in kilometres or metres, as are runway dimensions. (The QNH|pressure and temperature are also metric, in hectopascals and degrees Celsius respectively). Height or altitude is always in feet and vertical speed (rate of climb or descent) is in feet per minute.

* Australia uses metric paper sizes for printing but the term dots per inch (dpi) is still used in printing pictures. The photo printing industry usually uses imperial sizes for photo dimensions (e.g. 4 × 6 inch rather than 10 × 15cm).

* Historical writing and presentations may include pre-metric units to reflect the context of the era represented.

* Vehicle tyres mark the rim diameter in inches and the width in millimetres. A car tyre marked '165/70R13' has a width of 165mm, an aspect ratio (profile) of 70% and a 13-inch rim diameter. Tyre pressures are often given in both kilopascals and pounds per square inch.

* TV screens and LCD monitors may use inches as well as centimetres, e.g., a Plasma screen may be advertised as 42inches (106 centimetres), and a computer monitor screen may be advertised in inches.

The cultural transmission of British and American English in Australia has also been noted to be a cause for residual use of Imperial units of measure.

Metrication Metrication began in France during the 1790s, and it spread widely during the following two centuries

Metrication - Overview
The 2006 CIA Factbook stated that the U.S. is the only industrialized nation that does not mainly use the metric system, (in addition to the nonindustrialised countries of Burma and Liberia).

Some countries, however, have residual usage of non-metric units. In the United Kingdom, for example, metric is the official system for most regulated trading by weight or measure purposes, but miles, yards, and feet remain the official units for road signage—though road design is metric. The Imperial pint (expressed in metric units) also remains a permitted unit for milk in returnable bottles and for draught beer and cider in British pubs.

Visiting advocates of metrication have stated that they use metric units for many things internally with exceptions such as old petrol pumps in Burma, calibrated in British Imperial gallons

for example, Sierra Leone switched to selling fuel by the litre in May The United States mandated the acceptance of the metric system in 1866 for commercial and legal proceedings, without displacing their customary units.

In 1971 the National Bureau of Standards completed a 3-year study of the impact of increasing worldwide metric use on the U.S

A number of jurisdictions have laws mandating or permitting other systems of measurement in some or all contexts, such as the United Kingdom, which still uses many Imperial units|imperial measures, such as miles and yards for road-sign distances, road speed limits in miles per hour, pints of beer, and inches for clothes.

Most countries have adopted the metric system officially over a transitional period where both units are used for a set period of time. Some countries such as Guyana, for example, have officially adopted the metric system, but have had some trouble over time implementing it.

Antigua and Barbuda, also 'officially' metric, is moving toward total implementation of the metric system, but slower than expected. The government had announced that they have plans to convert their country to the metric system by the first quarter of Other Caribbean countries such as Saint Lucia are officially metric but are still in the process toward full conversion.

The European Union used the Units of Measure Directive to attempt to achieve a common system of weights and measures and to facilitate the Single European Act|European Single Market. Throughout the 1990s, the European Commission helped accelerate the process for member countries to complete their metric conversion processes. The United Kingdom secured permanent exemptions for the mile and yard in road markings, and (with Ireland) for the pint (Imperial) of draught beer sold in pubs

(see Metrication in the United Kingdom). In 2007, the European Commission also announced that (to appease British public opinion and to facilitate trade with the United States) it was to abandon the requirement for metric-only labelling on packaged goods, and to allow dual metric-imperial marking to continue indefinitely.

Other countries using the imperial system completed official metrication during the second half of the 20th century or the first decade of the 21st century. The most recent to complete this process was the Republic of Ireland, which began metric conversion in the 1970s and completed it in early 2005.

In January 2007 NASA decided to use metric units for all future moon missions, in line with the practice of other space agencies.

The United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada have some active opposition to metrication, particularly where updated weights and measures laws would make obsolete historic systems of measurement. Other countries, like France and Japan, that once had significant popular opposition to metrication now have complete acceptance of metrication.

Metrication - Before the metric system
The Ancient Roman units of measurement|Roman empire used the pes (foot) measure. This was divided into 12unciae (inches). The libra (pound) was another measure that had wide effect on European weight and currency long after Roman times, e.g. lb, Pound sign|£. The measure came to vary greatly over time. Charlemagne was one of several rulers who launched reform programmes of various kinds to standardise units for measure and currency in his empire, but there was no real general breakthrough.

In medieval Europe, local laws on weights and measures were set by trade guilds on a city-by-city basis

When Isaac Newton wrote Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica in 1687, he quoted his measurements in Parisian feet so readers could understand the size

However, revolutionary France was to produce the definitive International System of Units which has come to be used by most of the world today.

The desire for a single international system of measurement came from growing international trade and the need to apply common International standard|standards to goods

Metrication - Forerunners of the metric system
Decimal numbers are an essential part of the metric system, with only one base unit and multiples created on the decimal base, the figures remain the same

The names that he proposed for decimal multiples and subunits of his base units of measure were the names of units of measure that were in use at the time.Reproduction (33MB):[ Transcription: Wilkins]

In 1670, Gabriel Mouton published a proposal that was in essence similar to Wilkins' proposal, except that his base unit of length would have been 1/1000 of a minute of arc (about 2.04m) of geographical latitude. He proposed calling this unit the virga. Rather than using different names for each unit of length, he proposed a series of names that had prefixes, rather like the prefixes found in SI.

In 1790, Thomas Jefferson submitted a Plan for Establishing Uniformity in the Coinage, Weights, and Measures of the United States|report to the United States Congress in which he proposed the adoption of a decimal system of coinage and of weights and measures

Metrication - Conversion process
The metric system was officially introduced in France in December 1799

Metrication - Chronology and status of conversion by country
Links in the 'country' point to articles about metrication in that country.

There are three common ways that nations convert from traditional measurement systems to the metric system

The Big-Bang way is to simultaneously outlaw the use of history of measurement|pre-metric measurement, metricate, reissue all government publications and laws, and change education systems to metric. India's changeover lasted from 1 April 1960, when metric measurements became legal, to 1 April 1962, when all other systems were banned. The Indian model was extremely successful and was copied over much of the developing world.

The phase-in way is to pass a law permitting the use of metric units in parallel with traditional ones, followed by education of metric units, then progressively ban the use of the older measures

Resistance to metrication in post-revolutionary France convinced Napoleon to revert to mesures usuelles (usual measures) and to some extent the names remain throughout Europe

1 zeste de citron par livre (500g) de rhubarbe In Denmark, the re-defined pund (500g) is occasionally used, particularly among older people and (older) fruit growers, since these were originally paid according to the number of pounds of fruit produced

However unlike in the rest of Canada, metrication in the Francophone province of Quebec has been more implemented and metric measures are more consistently used in Quebec than elsewhere in Canada.

Metrication - Exceptions
As of 2014, in most countries of the world the metric system officially dominates; but traditional units are still used in many places and industries. For example:

* Automobile Tyre-pressure gauge|tyre pressure is measured as Pound-force per square inch|psi in countries such as Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Australia and Metrication in Chile|Chile which are otherwise completely metric.

* Automotive engine power is usually measured in horsepower (rather than in kilowatts) in Russia and most other ex-USSR countries.

* In Hong Kong units of measurement|Hong Kong, traditional Chinese and British imperial units are normally used instead of metric units in particular types of trade.

* Amongst construction workers in Northern Europe, planks and nails are often called by their old inch-based names.

* The length of small sail boats is often given in feet in popular conversation.

* Office space is often rented in traditional units, such as square foot in Hong Kong and India, tsubo in Japan or pyeong in Korea.

* In plumbing the diameters of pipes are still measured in inches in some countries (in the United Kingdom all new pipes are metric); some pipes can be have nominal diameters in inches which are actually measured in millimetres.

* Automotive wheel diameters are still set as whole inch measurements (although tyre widths are measured in millimetres).

* Dots per inch and Pixel density|pixels per inch continue to be used in describing graphical resolution in the computer and printing industry.

* Television and monitor screen diagonals are still commonly cited in inches in many countries; however, in countries such as Australia, France and South Africa, centimetres are often used for television sets, whereas CRT computer monitors and all LCD monitors are measured in inches.

* Many large format computer printers, commonly known as plotters, have carriage widths measured in inches. Common widths are , , and . While metric media sizes are often quoted (e.g. A0, A1), rolls of film, plain paper or photographic paper are normally sold in these widths, giving rise to wastage when they are trimmed. Rolls lengths are variously quoted in feet or metres.

* In the Electronics|electronic industry, the dominant spacing for components is based on intervals of , and a change would lead to compatibility issues, e.g., for connectors.

* Within the mechanical industry, inch based spare parts can occasionally be kept, e.g., to service American or pre-World War II machines, but at maintenance, screws may be exchanged to metric thread.

* In Ireland, the only legal exception to the metrication process was the pint in bars, pubs, and clubs; although alcohol sold in any other location is in metric units (usually 330ml (bottled beer), 500ml (canned beer), 750ml (wine), or 1L or 700ml (spirits)). In practice Metrication in Ireland is not entirely complete in other areas as well.

* In Australia, a pint of beer was redefined to 570ml (see Australian beer#Beer glasses|Australian beer glasses).

* In both metric and non-metric countries, racing bicycle frames are generally measured in centimetres, while mountain bicycle and other frames are measured in either or both.

* In Spain and former colonies i.e. Americas and Philippines certain pre-metric units are still used, e.g., the quiñón for land measurement in the Philippines, the fanega, ferrado and atahúlla to name three used in Spain and other former possessions.

** The pulgada (inch) is 23mm, 2mm shorter than the English inch.

* In many long-time metric countries, when non-metric units are used, it is often to give rough estimates in a short form, while accurate measures always are metric, e.g., 6feet may feel less exact and shorter to say than 1,8metres or 180cm

* The Imperial gallon is used as a unit of measure for fuel in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Burma, the Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis and St Vincent and the Grenadines.Gasoline and diesel usage and pricing

* The U.S. gallon is used in the Bahamas, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Liberia, Peru, Turks and Caicos Islands and the USA, especially for pricing.

* In Latin America, as SI units are standard, litres are used as well, e.g., often regarding fuel economy (km per liter), and the Spanish word galón may occasionally refer to a portable fuel container, often 5-20L.

* Road distances and speed limits are still displayed in miles and miles per hour respectively in the USA, UK, Burma and various Caribbean nations.ChartsBin, [ Road Distance and Speed Units by Country]

In some countries (such as Antigua, see above), the transition is still in progress. The Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia announced metrication programmes in 2005 to be compatible with CARICOM.

Metrication - United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom some of the population continue to resist metrication to varying degrees. The traditional imperial measures are preferred by a majority and continue to have widespread use in some applications. The metric system is used by most businesses and is used for most trade transactions. Metric units must be used for certain trading activities (selling by weight or measure for example) although imperial units may continue to be displayed in parallel.

British law has enacted the provisions of European units of measurement directives|European Union directive 80/181/EEC which catalogues the units of measure that may be used for economic, public health, public safety and administrative purposes.[ Weights and Measures Report ] National Weights and Measures Laboratory

Metric units could be legally used for trading purposes for nearly a century before Metrication in the United Kingdom|metrication efforts began in earnest.

The government had been making preparations for the conversion of the Imperial unit since the 1862 Select Committee on Weights and Measures recommended the conversion

and the Weights and Measures Act of 1864 and the Weights and Measures (Metric System) Act of 1896 legalised the metric system.

No plans were made to make the use of the metric system compulsory, and the Metrication Board was abolished in 1980 following a change in government.

The United Kingdom avoided having to comply with the 1989 European Units of Measurement Directive (89/617/EEC), which required all member states to make the metric system compulsory, by negotiating derogations (delayed switchovers), including for miles on road signs and for pints for draught beer, cider, and milk sales.

In popular conversation, the stone (unit)|stone unit is still used for body weight and feet and inches are used to describe height.

Metrication - United States and Canada
Over time, the metric system has influenced the United States through international trade and standardization

A 1992 amendment to the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act|Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA), which took effect in 1994, required labels on federally regulated consumer commoditiesU.S

At least two states, Kentucky and California, have even moved towards demetrication of highway construction projects.Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (1998)

Metrication - Air and sea transportation
Air and sea transportation commonly use the nautical mile. This is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian arc and it is precisely defined as 1852metres (about statute miles). It is not an International System of Units|SI unit (although it is accepted for use in the SI by the BIPM). The prime unit of speed or velocity for maritime and air navigation remains the knot (unit)|knot (nautical mile per hour).

The prime unit of measure for aviation (altitude, or flight level) is usually estimated based on air pressure values, and in many countries, it is still described in nominal feet, although many others employ nominal metres. The policies of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) relating to measurement are:

* there should be a single system of units throughout the world

* the use of the foot for altitude is a permitted variation.

Consistent with ICAO policy, aviation has undergone a significant amount of metrication over the years. For example, runway lengths are usually given in metres. The United States metricated the data interchange format (METAR) for temperature reports in 1996.

Metrication is also gradually taking place in cargo weights and dimensions and in fuel volumes and weights.

Metrication - Accidents and incidents
Confusion over units during the process of metrication can sometimes lead to accidents. One of the most notable examples was during metrication in Canada. In 1983, an Air Canada Boeing 767, nicknamed the Gimli Glider following the incident, ran out of fuel in midflight. The incident was caused, in a large part, by the confusion over the conversion between litres, kilograms, and pounds, resulting in the aircraft receiving 22,300pounds of fuel instead of the required 22,300kg.

During the reconstruction of Ypres after World War I, British Army engineers drew up the plans for rebuilding a bombed house in feet. However, the Belgian builders interpreted the numbers in metres. As a result the house had enormous doors and windows. It still exists today.

While not strictly an example of national metrication, the use of two different systems was a contributing factor in the loss of the Mars Climate Orbiter in 1998

On September 25, 2009, the British Department for Transport published a draft version of legislation to amend its road signage legislation (UK)|road signs legislation for comment

Metrication in New Zealand
New Zealand started metrication in 1969 with the establishment of the Metric Advisory Board (MAB) and completed metrication on 14 December 1976.[ Consumer Affairs, November 2006] accessed 28 August 2013

Metrication in New Zealand - Strategy toward metrication
To give metrication a human face, a baby girl whose parents agreed to co-operate was named Miss Metric. News and pictures of her progress were intermingled with press releases about the progress of metrication

Metrication in New Zealand - Current exceptions
Although New Zealand completed metrication in the 1970s, a study of university students undertaken in 1992 found a continued use of imperial units for birth weight and human height alongside metric units.[ Human use of metric measures of length]. Dignan, J. R. E., O'Shea, R. P. (1995). New Zealand Journal of Psychology, '24', 21–25.

Metrication in New Zealand - Current exceptions
The aviation industry is one of the last major users of the old imperial system: altitude and airport elevation is measured in feet. All other aspects (fuel quantity, aircraft weight, runway length, etc.) use metric.

Metrication in Canada Canada has converted to the metric system for most purposes with some use of non-metric units and standards remaining in some sectors of the Canadian economy. This is mainly due to historical ties with the United Kingdom (before metrication), the traditional use of the Imperial unit|imperial system of measurement in Canada, and close proximity to the United States.

Metrication in Canada - Before conversion
For example, before 'metrication in Canada', gasoline was sold by the Imperial units|imperial gallon (about 4.55 litres) whereas, south of the border in the U.S., it was sold by the U.S

Metrication in Canada - Conversion process
During this period, a few government employees lost their jobs for their opposition to metrication

Metrication in Canada - The changeover
Since 1976 the law requires that all prepacked food products must declare their mass or their volume in metric units, though Canadian imperial units are still legally permitted on packaging. Milk has been thoroughly metric since 1980

Metrication in Canada - Metrication stalled
After the election of Ronald Reagan as President of the United States in 1980, his administration de-funded the U.S. Metric stalling metrication in the U.S. (although prior to leaving office, Reagan in 1988 signed legislation declaring the metric system to be the nation's preferred

system of measurement for trade and commerce). The election of the Progressive Conservative government of Brian Mulroney in 1984 similarly slowed, and ultimately stalled, metrication in Canada. The Metric Commission was abolished on March 31, 1985, and many regulations requiring metric measurements have either been repealed or are no longer enforced. As a result, Canadians today typically use a mix of metric and imperial measurements in their daily lives.

Training on metric conversion was not universal. Poor metrication training was a contributing factor to Air Canada Flight 143, the so-called Gimli Glider, running out of fuel mid-flight on 23 July 1983.

Notwithstanding the end of officially-sanctioned metrication in Canada, most laws, regulations, and official forms exclusively use metric measurements. However, imperial measures still have legal definitions in Canada and can be used alongside of metric units.

Metrication in Canada - Daily usage
Canadians typically discuss the weather in degrees Celsius, purchase gasoline in litres, observe speed limits set in kilometres per hour (km/h), and read road signs and maps displaying distances in kilometres

Metrication in Canada - Daily usage
Today, Canadians typically use a mix of metric and imperial measurements in their daily lives

Metrication in Canada - Experience
The use of imperial units is more common in rural areas in the rest of the country, where opposition to metrication was strongest, rather than in urban areas.

Metrication in Canada - Experience
Canadians are exposed to both metric and imperial units, and it is not unusual for there to be references to both metres and feet, acres and hectares, or grams and ounces, in the same conversation.

Metrication in Canada - Temperature
Despite the virtually exclusive use of degrees Celsius in weather reports, some older Canadians still use Fahrenheit

Metrication in Canada - Products and retail
Many food and retail products are sold according to metric units, though this is not always the case

Metrication in Canada - Products and retail
Some of these package sizes have been introduced since Canadian metrication began; for example, the traditional Canadian soft drink can was 10 imperial fluid ounces (284mL), later marketed as 280mL

Metrication in Canada - Commercial usage
Supermarkets will often advertise foods such as meats and produce per pound, and small businesses are exempt from having metric scales and legally sell by the pound. However, virtually all supermarket scales are metric, and the products advertised by the pound in a supermarket Flyer (pamphlet)|flyer are inevitably weighed and sold to the customer in the store based on a price per 100 grams or per kilogram.

Similarly, residential floor space is usually measured in square foot|square feet, as a 1,500-square-foot house may be more appealing to a homebuyer than the same size house that is advertised as 139 square metres

Free trade with the United States has resulted in continued exposure to the U.S. system. Since the United States is Canada's largest trading partner and vice versa, Canadian exporters and importers must be accustomed to dealing in U.S. customary units as well as metric.

Metrication in Canada - Agriculture
Canada uses an Avery or imperial bushel ( litres) when selling oats, wheat, and other grains. When dealing with the US oat markets though, special attention must be paid to the definition of bushel weight because US uses a Winchester bushel ( litres). In livestock auction markets, cattle are sold in dollars per hundredweight (short), whereas hogs are sold in dollars per hundred kilograms.

Metrication in Canada - Health care
In the health care system, SI units dominate (for example, for measurements of blood cholesterol, the units are millimole per litre, whereas they are milligram per decilitre in the United States)

Metrication in Canada - Engineering
Because most fasteners, machine parts, pumps, piping, and all building materials are sold in imperial or U.S. customary units, many mechanical and civil engineers in Canada mainly use imperial units.. On the other hand, many chemical, nuclear and electrical engineers and engineering physicists employ metric units. As in the United States, Canadian engineers are educated in both systems and are keenly aware of the differences between the imperial, metric and U.S. customary systems.

Metrication in Canada - Trades
Trades associated with machine work, such as machinists, automotive, and heavy duty technicians, frequently use both metric and imperial. Machines made in Canada often incorporate parts from other countries and thus the finished product may have both metric and imperial parts. Farm and industrial equipment manufactured in Canada will most often use imperial fasteners and structural steel, but fluid capacities are always listed in metric.

Building trades such as plumbing and carpentry often use imperial units. Rough timber, drywall, plywood, fasteners, pipes, and tubing are all sold in imperial units. Nails in hardware stores are measured in inches but sold in metric weight packages.

Electricians in every country use metric units such as volts and amperes, but motors and engines are still quoted in horsepower (of which several definitions exist)

Metrication in Canada - Firearms
Imperial units also remain in common use in firearms and ammunition

Metrication in Canada - Print
Canada uses the Paper size#North American paper sizes|inch-based paper standard e.g. the US Letter, rather than the metric-based A4 paper size used throughout most of the world. The government, however, uses a combination of ISO paper sizes, and CAN M Paper Sizes for Correspondence specifies P1 through P6 paper sizes, which are the U.S. paper sizes rounded to the nearest 5mm.

Metrication in Canada - Air transportation
Luggage restrictions and limits at Canadian airports are in metric values with soft imperial conversion values. Altitude is measured in feet, and speed in knots.

Metrication in Canada - Air transportation
Fuel is nowadays measured in metric units. A kilogram-pound mistake in the calculation of the amount of fuel in a passenger airplane with malfunctional fuel gauge, caused the plane to run out of fuel mid-flight, the serious Gimli Glider incident 1983.

Metrication in Canada - Education regarding the imperial system
In 2005, the Ontario government announced changes to the secondary school mathematics curriculum that would allow imperial units to be taught along with metric units

Metrication in the United Kingdom
'Metrication in the United Kingdom' is the process of introducing the metric system of measurement in place of imperial units in the United Kingdom.

Metrication in the United Kingdom remains equivocal and varies by context. Most of government, industry and commerce use metric units, but imperial units are officially used to specify journey distances, vehicle speeds and the sizes of returnable milk containers, beer and cider glasses. Imperial units are also often used informally to describe body measurements and vehicle fuel economy. At school, the use of metric units is the norm.

By the time the Metrication Board was wound up, all the economic sectors that fell within its remit except Road signs in the United Kingdom|road signage and parts of the Retail|retail trade sector had metricated

The Treaty of Rome|treaty of accession to the European Economic Community (EEC), which the United Kingdom joined in 1973, obliged the United Kingdom to incorporate into National law|domestic law all EEC directives, including the use of a prescribed SI-based set of units for many purposes within five years

British scientists, philosophers and engineers have been at the forefront of the History of the metric system|development of metrication – in 1668 John Wilkins first proposed a coherent system of units of measure, in 1861 a committee of the British Science Association|British Association for Advancement of Science (BAAS), including William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin|William Thomson (later Lord Kelvin), James Clerk Maxwell and James Prescott Joule|Joule among its members, defined various electrical units in terms of metric rather than imperial units, and in the 1870s Johnson Matthey|Johnson, Matthey Co manufactured the international prototype metre and kilogram

Metrication in the United Kingdom - Before 1799
When James I of England|James VI of Scotland inherited the English throne in 1603, England and Scotland had different systems of measure

This period marked the Age of Enlightenment, when people started using the power of reason to reform society and advance knowledge. Britons played their role in the realm of measurement, laying down practical and philosophical foundations for a decimal system of measurement which were ultimately to provide the building blocks of the metric system.

One of the earliest decimal measuring devices, developed in 1620 by the English clergyman and mathematician Edmund Gunter, introduced two new units of measure— the chain and the link—and a new measuring device: Gunter's chain

In 1670, John Wilkins, the first president of the Royal Society, published his proposal for a decimal system of measure, in his work An Essay towards a Real Character and a Philosophical Language

Having difficulties in communicating with German scientists, the British inventor James Watt, in 1783, called for the creation of a global decimal measurement system

The French continued alone and created the foundations of what is now called the Système International d'Unités and is the measurement system for most of the world.

Metrication in the United Kingdom - 1799–1965
In 1799, the French created, and started to use, a new system with the metre and the kilogram as the units of length and mass

An early supporter of the Decimal Association was the mathematician Augustus de Morgan whose articles supporting the metric system had been published in the Penny Cyclopeadia (1833) and The Companion to the Almanac (1841)

In 1863, a bill which would have mandated the use of the metric system throughout the British Empire, and which had passed its Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom#First reading|first and Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom#Second reading|second readings in the House of Commons, was rejected at its Commons Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom#Committee stage|Committee stage as impractical, and so did not pass into law

However, ambiguous wording in the 1864 Act meant that traders who possessed metric weights and measures were still liable to arrest under the Weights and Measures Act ° 6° William IV. Cap. 63.

While the politicians were discussing whether or not to adopt the metric system, British scientists were in the forefront in developing the system. In 1845, a paper by James Prescott Joule proved the equivalence of mechanical and thermal energy, a concept that is vital to the metric system – in SI, Power (physics)|power is measured in watts and energy in joules regardless of whether it is mechanical, electrical or thermal.

In 1861, a committee of the British Science Association|British Association for Advancement of Science (BAAS) including William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin|William Thomson (later Lord Kelvin), James Clerk Maxwell and Joule among its members was tasked with investigating the Standards of Electrical Resistance

In the second report (1863), they introduced the concept of a coherent system of units whereby units of length, mass and time were identified as fundamental units (now known as SI base unit|base units).

All other units of measure could be derived (hence SI derived unit|derived units) from these base units.

In 1873, another committee of the BAAS that also counted Maxwell and Thomson among its members and was tasked with the Selection and Nomenclature of Dynamical and Electrical Units. They recommended the Centimetre gram second system of units|CGS (centimetre-gram-second) system of units. The committee also recommended the names dyne and erg for the CGS units of force and energy. The CGS system became the basis for scientific work for the next seventy years.

In 1875, a British delegation was one of twenty national delegations to a convention in Paris that resulted in seventeen of the nations signing the Metre Convention on 20 May 1875, and the establishment of three bodies, the CGPM, CIPM and BIPM, that were charged with overseeing weights and measures on behalf of the international community

In 1896, Parliament passed the Weights and Measures (Metric System) Act, legalising metric units for all purposes but not making them compulsory.

In 1904, scientist Lord Kelvin led a campaign for metrication and collected 8 million signatures of British subjects

This Select Committee reported in 1907 and a bill was drafted proposing compulsory metrication by 1910, including decimalisation of coinage.

The matter was dropped in the face of wars and depression, and would not be again raised until the White Paper of 1951, the result of the Hodgson Committee Report of 1949 which unanimously recommended compulsory metrication and currency decimalisation within ten years

The following year a poll by the British Standards Institute (BSI) revealed that the majority of its members favoured a transition to the metric system and two years later (1965), after taking a poll of its members, the Confederation of British Industry informed the government that they favoured the adoption of the metric system, though some sectors emphasised the need for a voluntary system of adoption.Metrication Board Final Report: para1.7Metrication Board White Paper: para 42–43

In 1966 the Government announced the Decimal Day|adoption in 1971 of a decimal currency.

Metrication in the United Kingdom - 1965 onwards
In 1965, the then Federation of British Industry informed the British Government that its members favoured the adoption of the metric system. The Board of Trade, on behalf of the Government, agreed to support a ten-year metrication programme There would be minimal legislation as the programme was to be voluntary and costs were to be borne where they fell.Metrication Board White Paper: para 45

Work on adapting specifications started almost as soon as the government first gave its approval in 1965

*'Hard metrication' which resulted in new products based on rational metric units – for example A4 paperA sheet of A4 paper has an area of m2, A3 an area of m2 ..

*'Soft metrication' where existing standards were rewritten using metric units, but the underlying products remained unchanged: one typical example is that the standard rail gauge was changed from to 1435mm, a reduction of 0.1mm, but well within the allowable tolerance of 5mm. This approach was used where any radical changes would have been impractical.

*'Revision of measurement techniques' were introduced in cases where the concepts behind the existing standard or practice were found to be archaic. One such revision was to define the strength of alcoholic drink as a percentage alcohol by volume rather than, in the case of whiskey, in degrees proof (described by Lord Brown as being based on a test that involves the burning of a given quantity of gunpowder).

Metrication in the United Kingdom - The Metrication Board
By this time much of the groundwork, especially rewriting of many British Standards using metric units, had been done and many of the industries that stood to benefit from metrication had already metricated, or had a metrication programme in progress.

Metrication in the United Kingdom - Policy review
During the debate when the announcement was made, Conservative MPs complained that metrication was being introduced by stealth

Metrication in the United Kingdom - Policy review
It also reiterated the previous government's policy that metrication should be voluntary and hoped metrication would be mostly complete within ten years

Metrication in the United Kingdom - Progress
Shortly after the publication of the White Paper, the Minister of Transport announced postponement of the metrication of speed limits, which had been scheduled for 1973.Metrication Board White Paper: para 107 The rest of the metrication programme continued, with the following completion dates:Metrication Board Final Report: Appendix A

*1970 Electric Cable Makers Confederation, British Aerospace Companies Limited drawing and documentation, London Metal Exchange, flat glass

*1971 Paper and board, National Coal Board designs, pharmaceuticals

*1972 Paint industry, steel industry, building regulations

*1974 Textile and wool transactions, leading clothing manufacturers adopt dual units

*1976 Bulk sales of petroleum, agriculture and horticulture

*1977 Livestock auctions

*1978 Solid fuel retailing, cheese wholesaling, bread, London Commodity Market

Yet the target of completion by 1975 in concert with the Commonwealth was not achieved; Australia, New Zealand and South Africa all completed their metrication processes by 1980.Final Report of the Metrication Board, Appendix A

Metrication in India This process of metrication is called big-bang route, which is to simultaneously outlaw the use of pre-metric measurement, metricise, reissue all government publications and laws, and change education systems to metric.

Metrication in India India's conversion was quicker than that of many other countries, including its coloniser, the Metrication in the United Kingdom|United Kingdom. This was helped by low popular literacy and the fact that there was previously no nationwide standard measurement system—British Imperial units were used by the upper class, while various regional systems were used by the poor. The Indian model was extremely successful and served later as a model for metrication in various African and Asian countries.

Metrication in India The National Physical Laboratory of India, located in New Delhi, is designated the maintainer of SI units in India. It also calibrates the national standards of weights and measures.

Metrication in India - History
Before metrication, the government of India followed the Indian Weights and Measures Act passed in 1870 which used the British Imperial system. However, many other History of measurement systems in India|indigenous systems were in vogue in other parts of the country and this was a constant problem with government officials and the public at large.

Mr. P. N. Seth was the founder and secretary of the Indian Decimal Society, whose aim it was to push for the introduction of the metric system in India. Mr. P. N. Seth was assisted by others in the society, such as Professors Dr. H. L. Roy, Dr. S. K. Mitra, and P.C. Mahalanobis, and other leading Indian scientists. Since 1930, they advocated for discarding the old chaotic system by writing in newspapers, journals, participating in debates and distributing literature.

During the interim government of post-WWII, there were attempts to introduce some standarisation in weights and measures but the conservative section of the ruling party never allowed it to be passed. Then outstanding scientific personalities and public figures were mobilised by the Indian Decimal Society. Mr. P. N. Seth secretary, Indian Decimal Society, put forward a scheme for metrification of currency on 17 January 1944, which was finally adopted in Indian Parliament in 1955.

Metrication in India - Common usage today
Today all official measurements are made in the metric system

Outline of the metric system - History of metrication
History of metrication ndash; metrication is the process by which legacy, national-specific systems of measurement were replaced by the metric system.

* Metrication in Australia

* Hong Kong units of measurement|Metrication in Hong Kong

* Metrication in the United Kingdom

**Plan for Establishing Uniformity in the Coinage, Weights, and Measures of the United States|Plan for Establishing Uniformity in the USA, Thomas Jefferson's report (1790) which included a proposal for decimal system based on a decimal foot

** United States Metric Board

Metrication in Chile Chile adopted the metric system in Previously, the Spanish customary units|Spanish system of measures was used.Ensayo sobre Chile, [ Prólogo]

Metrication in Chile - History
Since colonization, Chile had always used a unit system based on the Spanish customary units. In 1843, a lawLey de Medidas y peso de 15 de diciembre de 1843; published in the 1 January 1844 edition of the Boletín de Leyes y Decretos de Gobierno. was passed formalizing it, and defining its fundamental unit, the Spanish customary units#Vara (unit of length)|vara, as a fraction of a metre.

Metrication in Chile - History
Later, during the presidency of Manuel Bulnes, a law was passed on 29 January 1848Gabriel Rodríguez, [ Sistema Internacional de Unidades. A tomar medidas], Bit Revista Técnica de la Construcción was passed, adopting the Metric System. Finally, Chile signed the Metre Convention in 1908.

Metrication in Chile - Exceptions in the 20th century
For a long time, all refrigerators were labeled in cubic foot|cubic feet. This changed around 1990, and since then they have since been labeled in litres.

Metrication in Chile - Current exceptions
*Lumber and Pipe (material)|pipes are sold in metric length, but their width, thickness and diameter are measured in inches.

*Nail (fastener)|Nails are measured in inches, but weighed by the kilogram.

*Paint|Paint cans are usually sold in gallon|American gallons and fractions of it.

*Television sets and displays of any kind have their diagonal measures stated in inches.

*Cold inflation pressure|Tire pressure is measured in pounds per square inch|psi.

*The most common paper size is letter (paper size)|letter (carta). A4 paper is seldomly used.

*The price of copper, Chile's main export, is usually quoted in dollars per pound (mass)|pound.

*In the Chiloé islands, the almud (a Spanish unit) is used as a volume measurement for drys (between six or eight litres).Chiloe Island.com, [ Customs]

*McDonald's sells its Quarter Pounder with cheese literally translated as cuarto de libra con queso.La Cuarta, 29-Sep-2010, [ Cuarto de libra con queso desató mañana de furia] YouTube, [ Quiero Un Cuarto De Libra AHORA!! (I want my quarter of pounder with cheese NOW!!)]

Metrication in the United States
Metrication is the process of introducing the International System of Units or SI, commonly known as the metric system, to replace the traditional or customary units of measurement of a country or region

Metrication in the United States
However, recent evidence from visitors and trading partners indicates that there is widespread use of the metric system in both Liberia and Myanmar, and in October 2013, a Myanmar government minister announced that his country was preparing to formally adopt the metric system. This leaves the USA as the only country in the world that has not adopted the system.

Metrication in the United States - 19th century
Although the constitution gave the authority to dictate standards of measure to United States Congress|Congress, it was not until 1832 that the customary system of units was formalized.

In the early 19th century, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (the government's surveying and map-making agency) used meter and kilogram standards brought from France. In 1866, Congress authorized the use of the metric system and supplied each state with a set of standard metric weights and measures.

In 1875, the United States solidified its commitment to the development of the internationally recognized metric system by becoming one of the original seventeen signatory nations to the Metre Convention or the Treaty of the Metre

Under the Mendenhall Order in 1893, metric standards, developed through international cooperation under the auspices of BIPM, were adopted as the fundamental standards for length and mass in the United States. The U.S. customary units such as the foot and pound have been defined in relation to metric units ever since.

The 1895 Constitution of Utah, in Article X, Section 11, originally mandated that: The Metric System shall be taught in the public schools of the State. This section was, however, later repealed.

The General Conference on Weights and Measures is the governing body for the modern metric system and comprises the signing nations of the Metre Convention|Treaty of the Metre. The General Conference on Weights and Measures approved an updated version of the metric system in 1960 named Le Système international d'unités (International System of Units) and abbreviated SI.

On February 10, 1964, the National Bureau of Standards (former name of National Institute of Standards and Technology) issued a statement that it will use the metric system except where this would have an obvious detrimental effect.

Metrication in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth nations, particularly Metrication in Canada|Canada, in the following decade increased the need for metrication in the United States.

Metric Study, a three-year study of systems of measurement in the U.S., with emphasis on the feasibility of metrication

The U.S

The ending of the USMB increased doubts that metrication would really be implemented. Public and private sector metrication slowed even while competitiveness between nations and demands of global marketplaces increased.

metrication by maintaining a voluntary and orderly process that minimizes costs and maximizes benefits, and to provide information, forums, individual assistance, and other services for its subscribers

Congress included new encouragement for U.S. industrial metrication in the Omnibus Foreign Trade and Competitiveness Act. This legislation amended the Metric Conversion Act of 1975 and designated the metric system as the Preferred system of weights and measures for United States trade and commerce. The legislation states that the federal government has a responsibility to assist industry, especially small business, as it voluntarily converts to the metric system of measurement.

This legislation required most federal agencies to use the metric system in their procurement, grants, and other business-related activities by the end of 1992

Some members of Congress attempted to ban use of the metric system on federal highways in 1992 and These bills were not popular in the House of Representatives and failed before a vote.

Metrication in the United States - Mars orbiter
The use of two different unit systems was the cause of the loss of the Mars Climate Orbiter in 1998

Metrication in the United States - 21st century
The effort toward national metrication is based on the premise that the U.S

On December 31, 2012, a petition was created on the White House's We the People (petitioning system)|petitioning system, petitioning the White House to Make the Metric system the standard in the United States, instead of the Imperial system

Early in 2013 a bill was introduced by state Representative Karl Rhoads of Hawaii that seeks to make the metric system mandatory within his state

Metrication in the United States - Daily life
While most Americans have studied metric units at school, metric use remains low in daily life

Metrication in the United States - Weather
Televised weather reports are given in Fahrenheit for dew point and air temperatures, miles per hour for windspeed, inches of mercury for atmospheric pressure (millibars are used only when reporting tropical phenomena such as hurricanes), and other customary units

Metrication in the United States - Consumer and retail
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. A few products display the metric quantity first or more prominently. Some items are produced and sold in rounded metric quantities (e.g., Crest Glide dental floss is available in 35-, 40-, and 50-meter packages).

Perhaps the most common metric item sold is the two-liter bottle

Household products such as shampoo, mouthwash, and dental floss have begun to be sold in metric sizes, and PowerBars and similar products have always been sold (but not marketed) by the gram

Sometimes metric and non-metric are combined on the same product

Nutrition facts label|Nutritional food labels typically report serving sizes in both systems but only list metric values (g or mg) for the breakdown of individual nutrients.

Metrication in the United States - FPLA issues
states have adopted laws permitting labeling in only metric units, with the two exceptions being New York and Alabama.[ Forum Report: Permissible Metric-Only Labeling] New York was reportedly examining a shift to allow metric labeling in 2008, but had not done so by According to the European Community (now the European Union|EU) Directive 80/181/EEC issued on December 20, 1979, the European Union would have only allowed dual-unit labels to appear on products until December 31, 2009, but problems experienced during metrication efforts in the UK forced the EU to abandon this deadline.Office for Official Publications of the European Communities (2000)

Metrication in the United States - FPLA issues
Pending the EU deadline, an amendment to the FPLA to allow metric-only labeling would allow manufacturers, both importers and exporters, to avoid the significant costs associated with having to produce two distinct types of package labels

Metrication in the United States - Construction
This tendency in construction is similar to Japan, an otherwise metricated country where traditional construction still uses Japanese units of measurement|Japanese units predating metrication

Metrication in the United States - Aviation
Aircraft heights for air traffic control and related purposes are measured in feet in the U.S

Metrication in the United States - Education
Most students are taught the metric system in elementary, middle, and high school

Metrication in the United States - Education
use only the metric system without giving conversions in order to promote metrication.

Metrication in the United States - Electricity and energy
There are no U.S. customary units for electric current, potential difference, or charge since these concepts were developed after the international adoption of metric in science. The metric units ampere, volt, ohm and coulomb are the only units used. The SI term hertz has replaced the term cycles per second as a unit of frequency.

Metrication in the United States - Electricity and energy
Energy is often measured in watt-hours, BTUs, therms or calories rather than the SI joule

Metrication in the United States - Financial services
The United States was one of the first nations to adopt a decimal currency

Metrication in the United States - Firearms
The U.S. uses both the inch and millimeter for caliber on civilian and law enforcement firearms.

Metrication in the United States - Firearms
Historically, rounds designed in the United States were denoted by their caliber in inches (e.g., .45 Colt and .270 Winchester.) Two developments changed this tradition: the large preponderance of different cartridges using an identical caliber and the international arms trade bringing metric calibers to the United States

Metrication in the United States - Gaming Industry
In the gaming industry various video games, PC games and game apps use the metric system. For example racing games for the XBOX and Playstation allow drivers to switch between mph and km/h. The popular iPhone and Android app Temple Run uses meters only when measuring the distance of the runner.

Metrication in the United States - Manufacturing
Globalization of manufacturing has led to wide adoption of metric standards, although this is not yet universal

Metrication in the United States - Manufacturing
The electronics and computer industries largely converted to metric standards as new technologies were introduced toward the end of the 20th century, also driven in part by a shift in manufacturing from the U.S

Metrication in the United States - Military
The U.S

Metrication in the United States - Illegal drugs and controlled substances
Illegal drugs and controlled substances are often measured in metric quantities. The federal law prohibiting them defines the penalties in metric masses.[ DEA, Title 21, Section 841]

Metrication in the United States - Illegal drugs and controlled substances
In everyday use within its subculture, marijuana is sold using a combination of metric and American customary units

Metrication in the United States - Science and medicine
In science, metric use is essentially universal, though additional specialized units are often used for specific purposes in various disciplines (such as the parsec in astronomy), consistent with worldwide use

Earth sciences, such as hydrology and geology, continue to use customary units for field surveying. This due both to the legacy of many decades of data collection and to the need to work with the construction industry, which has not adopted the metric system. American irrigation engineers, for example, talk in acre-feet and cubic feet per second, whereas their Australian counterparts would refer to gigaliters and cubic meters per second.

Atmospheric vorticity is typically measured in full rotations per 100,000 seconds (a rough metric time|metrication of the day) but does not use the SI-recommended radian

Use among veterinarians varies, but because of the heavy emphasis on public interaction, animal weights (e.g., for cats or dogs) are nearly always recorded and reported in pounds and ounces. Usage at veterinary teaching hospitals, by contrast, favors the SI units.

In early 2007, NASA announced that it would use metric units for all operations on the lunar surface when it returns to the Moon, then projected for However, NASA's lunar return program was canceled in 2010.[ White House won't fund NASA moon program], LA Times, January 27, 2010

Metrication in the United States - Sports
U.S. citizens are frequently exposed to metric units through coverage of international sporting events, particularly the Olympic Games.

While the track and field United States Olympic Trials (track and field)|Olympic Trials have always been conducted in metric distances, in order to duplicate the competition the selected athletes are destined for, the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships|National Championships changed to metric in 1974

Running races in the U.S

Measured distances as used in events such as shot put, high jump, and discus throw are, however, often in feet and inches, except at the national and international levels

A novelty American football game was attempted in metric in That trend failed to gain a foothold.

Bicycles, especially at the high end, are increasingly being sold and sized in metric (for example, a frame described as 21 inch size in the past is now often labeled as a 53cm frame instead). Some Bicycle wheel#Types|bicycle wheels are labeled in metric as 700c for a nominal 700mm diameter road bike tire, but mountain bikes tend to use 26-inch wheels.

Common swimming pool dimensions are 25-yard, 25-meter, and 50-meter. High schools and the NCAA conduct 25-yard competitions. USA Swimming (USA-S) swims in both metric and non-metric pools.

The long-distance trail Mid State Trail (Pennsylvania) has used metric units exclusively in its trail guide since 1973.

Metrication in the United States - Transportation
Highway speed limits are posted in miles per hour and distances are largely displayed in miles, yards, or feet, although a few dual mile/km signs can be found, mostly left over from demonstration projects that are no longer supported

The 2000 and 2003 editions of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices were published using both metric and American Customary Units

Newer signs on state highways on the island of Kauai|Kaua‘i in Hawaii|Hawai‘i also include distances in both miles and kilometers

Gasoline and diesel fuel are sold by the U.S

Domestic airline flights are assigned altitudes in feet and measure speed in knot (unit)|knots

Metrication in the United States - Hybrid units
Some measurements are reported in units derived from both customary and metric units. For example:

* Power per unit length of a nuclear reactor fuel rod: kilowatts per foot

* Federal automobile exhaust emission standards: grams per milehttp://iaspub.epa.gov/otaqpub/display_file.jsp?docid=14287flag=1

* Caffeine in beverages: milligrams per ouncehttp://

* Running load limits specified in Boeing airplane flight manuals: kilograms per inch

* Seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER), which is the ratio of an air conditioner's cooling capacity in BTU and its input power in watt-hours. It is used instead of the coefficient of performance, which is a dimensionless ratio that is the same in any system of units as long as they are consistent.

Any measurement that combines customary units with electrical units is necessarily hybrid, since there are no U.S. customary electrical units. An example can be found in Table 8, chapter 9 of the National Electrical Code Handbook (8th ed.) where resistance of conductors per unit length is given in ohms per thousand feet.

Other units are based on customary units but use metric prefixes

Metrication in the United States - Cultural impact
customary units or have neglected to take metrication into account

A Saturday Night Live sketch titled Decabet, released at the height of the metrication movement, lampooned the different metric measurements by introducing a new alphabet consisting of only ten letters.

In the 1994 film Pulp Fiction, Vincent Vega (John Travolta) tells Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) that Europe is a little different, because for example in Paris, they don't call it a Quarter Pounder with Cheese but a Royal Cheese|Royale with Cheese as they've got the metric system, they don't know what (...) a Quarter Pounder is. Later, Jules compliments the intelligence of one of their victims, because he knows they don't call it a Quarter Pounder in France because of the metric system.

Popular Science's September 2003 edition listed NIST's Metric System Advocate on its list of Worst Jobs in Science.

Metrication in Sweden Sweden adopted the metric system in 1878, using a ten-year transition period from 1879 to 1888.[ Metersystemet] in Nordisk familjebok (1913)

Metrication in Sweden - History
The metric system was adopted by law on 22 November This law stated that the introduction should take place progressively from 1879 to 1888, and that the metric system should be used exclusively from the beginning of 1889.

Metrication in Sweden - Current exceptions
*Textile is normally sold in metres but the thread count is in threads per square inch.

*The price of gold, is quoted in US dollars per ounce.

*The number of teeth on a saw is measured in teeth per inch (TPI)

*Hammers are measured in millimetres but weighed in ounces.

*Watering hoses' length are measured in metres, but the diameter is measured in inches.

*Distances larger than 10 kilometres is informally given in mil (Scandinavian mile|Swedish mile=10km), however on road signs etc., km is used.

*World oil price is quoted in US dollars per Barrel (unit)|Barrels

*The metric yardstick is called tumstock, instead of the recommended meterstock or måttstock

*The power of fuel powered engines is given in horse power instead of watt, but electrical engines in watt.

Metrication Board The 'Metrication Board' was a non-departmental public body that existed in the United Kingdom to promote and co-ordinate Metrication in the UK|metrication within the country. It was set up in 1969, four years after the metrication program was announced and wound up in 1981.

Metrication Board - Prelude to metrication
The question of whether or not to convert British trade and industry to SI|metric was the subject of a UK Government White Paper in 1951, itself the result of the Hodgson Committee Report of 1949 which unanimously recommended compulsory metrication and currency decimalisation within ten years

Although most of the Hodgson Report was rejected at the time as being premature, within a decade and a half changing patterns in British trade meant that in 1963 a poll by the British Standards Institute (BSI) revealed that the majority of its members favoured a transition to the metric system.

Two years later, after taking a poll of its members, the Confederation of British Industry informed the government that they favoured the adoption of the metric system, though some sectors emphasised the need for a voluntary system of adoption. The metrication program in the United Kingdom was to have five phases:

:#Announcement of policy

:#Metrication of the documentation for materials, specification and engineering design

:#Metrication of engineering-related industries

:#Initiation of a national education program in the schools

:#Metrication of the wholesale, retail and consumer industries.

Metrication Board - Establishment of the Board
In March 1966 the [Parliamentary] Standing Joint Committee on Metrication was appointed and on 26 July 1968, when accepting the committee's report, the government announced that:Metrication Board White Paper: para 45

:*An advisory Metrication Board would be set up.

:*Legislation would be passed where necessary.

:*There would be no compensation – costs would be borne where they fell.

The Metrication Board was set up with a mandate to consult, advise, inform, stimulate and coordinate. Its mandate specifically excluded a campaigning role.Metrication Board Final Report: para 1.6 The board held its first meeting in May 1969 under the chairmanship of Lord Ritchie-Calder when eight committees were set up to deal with the most important sectors of British Industry:,

:*Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Land

:*Distribution, Food and Consumer Goods Industries

:*Education and Industrial Training

:*Fuel and Power Industries

:*Industrial Materials and Construction Industries

:*Transport and Communications Industries

By the time the board was set up, much of the groundwork, especially rewriting of many British Standards using metric units had been done and many of the industries that stood to benefit from metrication had already metricated, or had a metrication program in progress.

Traditionally the British Government had imposed little regulation on British industry – standards were usually defined by the industry itself, often in conjunction with the BSI Group|British Standards Institution. Legislation relating to units of measure were normally directed at trade with industry being allowed to develop its own standards.

After the general election and change of government in 1970, the incoming government announced its intention to continue to encourage these voluntary developments, including the use of metric specifications for public purposes as soon as consultation with the suppliers shows this to be practicable.Metrication Board White Paper: para 47

Metrication Board - White paper
The report emphasised that unlike currency Decimal Day|decimalisation, the [remainder of] the program would be on a phased basis with no M-Day.Metrication Board White Paper; para 12, 60 The report also emphasised the need for co-ordination between the various sectors as all were interdependent and thus that partial metrication was undesirable.Metrication Board White Paper; para 57

Metrication Board - Activities of the Board
*1971 – Paper and Board, National Coal Board designs, Pharmaceuticals.

*1972 – Steel industry, Building regulations

*1974 – Textile and wool transactions, clothing (dual units)

*1976 – Bulk sales of petroleum, agriculture and horticulture

*1977 – Livestock auctions

*1978 – Solid fuel, cheese wholesaling, LIFFE|London Commodity Market

*Metrication of retail pre-packaged foodstuffs was phased in during 1977 and 1978

Metrication Board - Winding up of the Board
The following year the Metrication Board was wound up, one of the 457 Quangos that were wound up in the Quango bonfire of 1979–81.

Metrication Board - Winding up of the Board
The report identified major areas that had not yet been metricated as being the retail petrol trade (metricated early 1980s), retail sale of loose goods (metricated in 2000) and road signs (as of 2012 not metricated).Metrication Board Final Report para

Metrication Board - Comparative institutions
Similar bodies were instituted in other jurisdictions around the world:

* Australia – Metric Conversion Board (1970)

*South Africa – Metrication Advisory Board (1967)

*United States of America – the United States Metric Board

Metrication in Jamaica
Jamaica started metrication in the 1970s. However, it was not completed until the 2000s.

Since the 1970s, metric units were introduced into the curriculum of the primary and secondary school systems. The Common Entrance and CXC examinations syllabus use metric units. The Ministry of Education also supports a policy of procuring metric-only textbooks for use in the school system. The informal sector involving vocational, adult literacy and retraining facilities were also being transformed.

A main objective of the Bureau of Standards, a targeted area of work of its Metrication Department, is to have outlets supplying everyday breakbulk items trade in metric units

Metrication in Jamaica - Current non-metric usage
Most locally packaged goods and export commodities, traditional and non-traditional, are labelled in metric units, although US labelling regulations pose a constraint with their requirement for the use of dual units on goods exported to the country. A sticker is often used to denote the US customary units on products exported to the United States

Anti-metrication All countries except Burma (Myanmar), Liberia, and the United States of America have officially adopted the metric system, although Liberia has seen some introduction of metric units, and in 2013 Burma formally announced the beginning of its metrication program

Anti-metrication - Natural evolution and human scale
One argument used by opponents of the metric system is that traditional systems of measurement were developed organically from actual use

Some opponents of metrication cite an evolutionary basis for considering the difficulty of conversion between non-metric units to be an advantage rather than a disadvantage of resistance to metrication: To a degree, the use of a system in which conversions are difficult benefits persons with high mathematical aptitude at the expense of persons with lower mathematical aptitude

The British Weights and Measures Association has argued that metric led to a greater complexity for consumers because, unlike the ounce, a single gram is too small a measurement in everyday life and that transition from one system of measurement to another can aid profiteering if manufacturers downsize packages during the process.[ The Great Metric Rip-Off]

Anti-metrication - Divisibility
Metric opponents cite easier division of customary units as one reason not to adopt a decimalised system. For example, the customary units with ratios of 12 and 16 have more proper factors than the metric and vs. .

Anti-metrication - Divisibility
The main disadvantage cited by critics of customary measures is the proliferation of units and difficulty in remembering the ratios between them.

Anti-metrication - Industry-specific product sizing
Metric opposed artisans and practitioners may be concerned by certain dimensions being less memorable with metric units. As the table below shows, industries have adapted to such concern by rounding dimensions in metric units:

Anti-metrication - Tradition
There are conservatism|conservatives who label anti-metrication as a form of Traditionalist conservatism|traditionalism, looking to historic usage spanning centuries and sometimes millennia.

The non-metric units have had different values in different times and places. At the time of the French revolution there were over 5000 different foot measures. The current UK imperial system is based on the Weights and Measures Act 1824, about 30 years after the founding of the metric system.

By contrast, the metric system has remained unchanged since it was first defined

Anti-metrication - Government compulsion
The adoption of metric units has required some government compulsion[ ] and some have argued that such policies are wrong in principle. However, compulsory standards of weights and measures go back as far as Magna Carta

The Board of Trade initiated metrication in 1965, with a target completion date of 1975 and the Metrication Board was established in 1968, five years before the UK actually joined the European Economic Community (on its second attempt)

More recently, anti-metrication supporters have asserted that the (Weights and Measures Act#Controversy|claimed) legal compulsion to adopt the metric system instead of their traditional weights and measures is an infringement of a right to freedom of speech, though this claim has been consistently rejected by the courts

On 8 May 2007, several British newspapers including The Times[ The Times], 9 May 2007 used correspondence between Giles Chichester|Giles Chichester MEP and Verheugen|EU Commissioner Günter Verheugen to report that the European Commission had decided to allow meat, fish, fruit and vegetables to continue to be sold in pounds and ounces

:The legal position on the use of imperial measures has not changed. Pre-packed goods and goods sold loose from bulk, such as fruit and vegetables, are still required to be sold in metric quantities and weighing scales must be calibrated in metric units of measurement. Suggestions that goods can now be sold in pounds and ounces are incorrect.

In the US, there is also government compulsion with weights and measures

On 29 March 2010, NASA, the United States' space agency, decided to avoid making its proposed Constellation program|Constellation rocket system metric-compliant, especially due to pressure from manufacturers; ultimately the program was discontinued

Anti-metrication - High modernism and legibility
286 However, it was largely used in France and Metrication#Chronology and status of conversion by country|in other countries by July 1837 when the decimal metric system was finally decided upon and considered the only official measurement system to be used in France.

Anti-metrication - Price inflation
The British Weights and Measures Association argues that adopting metric measures in shops, especially in supermarkets, gives an opportunity for traders to increase prices covertly. They give numerous examples of packaged groceries to back up this contention.

However, common metric units are larger than their nearest US/imperial counterparts: half a kilogram is more than a pound (0.5kg= 1.102lb), one metre is more than a yard (1m= 1.094yd), one litre is a little more than a US quart (1L= qt) (though a little less than an imperial quart, at 1L= qt)

The move to smaller units (e.g. millilitre vs fluid ounce, gram vs ounce) allows manufacturers to move sizes of packaging up and down with more precision. For example, a 2 oz bag of chips may be moved to 50 grams, then 45 grams. Likewise, strange packaging sizes may arise, such as 690 grams (about 24oz) or 1200 grams (about 42oz), usually resulting from conversion and rounding of customary units.

The Australian experience of metric conversion showed no evidence of price inflation caused by metrication.

Metrication in Peru Peru adopted the metric system in Before, the Spanish customary units|Spanish system of measures was used. Proyecto Historia UNI, Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería, Edward Jan Habich|Eduardo J. de Habich, chapter 12: [ Comisión de Pesos y Medidas]

Metrication in Peru - History
In 1862 the Peruvian government decreed the metric system to be official in Peru. However, several years later the old measurements were still used. In 1869 a new law made the metric system compulsory.

In 1875 Peru adhered to the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Sèvres, France.

The most current law regarding the measuring system is Law 23560, of 1982.[ Sistema legal de unidades de medida del Perú, Ley 23560]

Metrication in Peru - Current exceptions
Television sets have their diagonal measured in inches.

Metrication in Peru - Current exceptions
Coca leavesLa República, [ “Mamacoca recorre sus dominios...] and potatoesLa República, [ En Feria de la Mujer Emprendedora presentan antibióticos naturales saludables] are sold in arrobas.

Metrication in Guatemala
In Guatemala the metric system is official but it uses a mixture of U.S., metric and Spanish customary units.

Metrication in Guatemala - History
In May 1910 most of Central America adopted a common system of measurements.Ministerio de Economía de Guatemala, [ Sistema Internacional de Unidades]

Metrication in Guatemala - History
In May 1921 Guatemala became officially metric.

Metrication in Guatemala - Non metric units used today
Among the Guatemalan units of measurement some are based on old Spanish units; they include the vara and cuadra linear measurements; the vara cuadrada, the manzana and the cuerda units of area; and the libra, arroba, quintal and garrafón units of weight and volume.

The vara cuadrada or square vara is commonly used in land transactions in Guatemala and 10,000 square varas equal one manzana.

One square vara equals , while one manzana equals .

The term cuerda can refer to areas of different sizes

Some United States customary units are also used. These include inches, feet, miles, gallons, pounds (note the Spanish pound is also used) and ounces.

Metrication in Ireland
Ireland inherited the imperial System of measurement from Britain, and these units continued to be used after Irish independence. Due to Ireland's membership in the European Union (EU) metric units were introduced.

Metrication in Ireland - Metrication
Metrication began in Republic of Ireland|the State in the 1970s and by 2005 was almost completed; the only exception being that the imperial pint (568ml) is still used in bars

All other places must sell liquids measured in millilitres and litres.

Most people use feet and inches for their height, and Stone (Imperial mass)|stones and pound (mass)|pounds for their weight, with their metric equivalents commonly known.

Metrication in Ireland - Road signs
Distance signs had displayed kilometres since the 1990s but Road speed limits in the Republic of Ireland|road speed limits were in miles per hour until January 2005, when they were finally changed to kilometres per hour. Since 2005 all new cars sold in Ireland have had speedometers that displayed only kilometres per hour; odometers generally became metric as well.

Metrication in Ireland - Other
The metric system is the only system taught in schools. Beginning in 1970, textbooks were changed to metric. Goods in shops are labelled in metric units.

Metrication in Ireland - Retail items
Household items such as bathroom scales, wash soap, clothing, and measuring tapes are sometimes in dual units.

Metrication in Ireland - References in Oireachtas debates
* That the Government be asked to appoint a Commission, with power to examine voluntary witnesses, to inquire into and report on the desirability or otherwise of adopting the Metric System in Irish Free State|Saorstát Eireann,

Metrication in Ireland - References in Oireachtas debates
* In the area of prepackaged goods the changeover is virtually complete,

Metrication in Barbados
The process of metrication in Barbados started in the early 1970s with an initiative by the government to push for industrialisation of the economy. The process has progressed slowly but the metric system has now replaced the previous imperial units.

Metrication in Barbados
Although the Metric system is the official of system of weights and measures of the country, both metric and US customary units (similar to or identical with imperial units in many instances) must be used on commodity labels which are exported to the American market

Metrication in Barbados - History
The establishment of a Barbados Industrial Development Corporation, stimulated the advent of a local Barbados National Standards Institute (BNSI) in The BNSI was a joint collaboration of the Government of Barbados along Mr. Davis and Mr. Gordon Watson from UNIDO. As part of the BNSI's approach, it sought to implement standards to replace the former Imperial Standards for Weights and Measures in Barbados.

Metrication in Barbados - History
The process was undertaken with the help of a Metrication Board established within BNSI.

Metrication in Barbados - BNSI
The BNSI similarly was further spurred by the creation of the Caribbean Free Trade Association CARIFTA, and trade within this block and external markets created a realisation of benefits to be derived from a transition to metric.

1970s in Hong Kong - Metrication
The Metric system|Metric System was adopted under the 1976 Metrication Ordinance. Subsequently many of the wet markets and traditional Chinese medicine shops used the Chinese units of measurement|old Chinese system for at least another decade.

Frank Mankiewicz - Anti-metrication
Mankiewicz and Lyn Nofziger were major players in halting the 1970s Metrication in the United States|metrication effort in the U.S., largely by convincing President Ronald Reagan to shut down the United States Metric Board.

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