No Time to Weight: The Changing US Measurement System

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A recent Santa Barbara Charter School press release puts the American measurement system in the spotlight. The charter announced a $5,000 grant secured to support an interactive metric system learning environment.

The Santa Barbara Education Foundation awarded the grant, which will go toward the school’s “Meaningful Metric Measurement for the Whole School” initiative. The program creates a hands-on learning experience combining metric education with the United States’ preferred imperial system.

Dual-Measurement Understanding

It’s the brainchild of scientist Leise Thomason, a former parent volunteer-turned-science specialist, who shared her motivation with Santa Barbara news platform NoozHawk. “We want our students to be bilingual in measurement,” said Thomason. “The metric system is simpler and more widely used, especially in science.” 

The elementary students enjoy a series of metric-based sensory learning experiences daily. A 30-meter blue whale mural, a meter-marked rainbow path, and measured animal footprints are just some of the features installed. One notable addition is a Celsius-detecting weather station that also captures rainfall, measurable in millimeters.

The Metric Factor

As Santa Barbara upgrades its learning spaces, the metric system is commonplace across most states, though implemented differently. Common Core curriculum standards generally dictate metric learning in second grade, alongside imperial measurement education. By high school, most students are familiar with using the International System of Units (SI) in science and math.

Only three countries officially use an imperial measurement system, according to Statista — this doesn’t include the United Kingdom, which combines both. Myanmar and Liberia are the only other two countries; the other 191 countries rely on the metric system. This exclusivity puts the U.S. in a unique position.

Viva la Metric Revolution

The world can thank the 1789 French Revolution for the spread of the metric system. In 1791, the French National Assembly instructed its Academy of Science to overhaul France’s dated system. By 1795, they had landed on a metric unit. 

This new unit used Greek prefixes for multiples of 10 — “kilo” for 1,000, “hecto” for 100, and “deca” for 10. Meanwhile, Latin prefixes became submultiples like millimeters and centimeters. It wasn’t for another 80 years until international use became commonplace. In 1875, 17 nations signed the Treaty of the Meter — including the United States.  

Business as Usual

Of course, in modern-day America, most people still prefer to use the imperial system. A 2022 YouGov poll asked American adults about their unit measurement preferences, showing the old system still reigns.

Poll respondents favored the imperial system for all scenarios. A clear majority (88%) measure height in feet and inches and determine weight in pounds. Fahrenheit is still king in the United States, as 85% prefer it to Celsius when measuring temperature. For short distances, 86% of Americans use yards, feet, and inches; miles are the preferred unit for long distances, with 87% favorability. Around 87% of Americans measure vehicle speed in miles per hour.

While the general population favored the old system, some adults aged 18 to 29 didn’t. Overall, roughly 30% of that demographic either were “not sure” or adopted the metric system. Unsurprisingly, U.S. imperial use grew in tandem with respondent age.

Hybrid Theory

The metric and imperial systems merge in some cases. One example is car emission standards, which adopt a gram-per-mile unit. Moreover, caffeine in drinks is measured in milligrams per ounce, and car tire classification implements millimeters for width and inches for wheel diameter. 

Calls for a strictly metric system have been ongoing since the Metric Association — now the U.S. Metric Association (USMA) — was formed in 1916. Congress has toyed with the idea of a metric future, while the system has since infiltrated many life aspects. 

Metric Pioneers Are Still Making Sounds

Today, the USMA lists its outreach activities, resources, and efforts to help guide Americans with going metric on its website. The organization’s mission statement details “the ongoing US conversion to the metric system, officially known as the International System of Units (SI).” 

Non-Americans may wonder why the U.S. hasn’t already metricized their society, especially considering how old the USMA is. Nonetheless, the organization has attempted to bring the country in line with SI for many years. 

The Dream for a Metric Future

The Metric Study Act of 1968 gave the National Bureau of Standards a license to explore a transition to a metric system. In the subsequent report, Secretary of Commerce Maurice H. Stans’ first recommendation not-so-subtly urged “That the United States change to the International Metric System deliberately and carefully … “

More poignantly, Stans’ fifth suggestion centered on education: “That early priority be given to educating every American schoolchild and the public at large to think in metric terms … ” Maybe Stans’ words carry less weight 65 years later. Still, he’d like what’s happening in Santa Barbara.

Stans could even feel encouraged there will be a day when metric becomes the default, but time will tell as to whether that dream comes true. 

This article was produced by Media Decision and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.