Earth Explorer
02-01-1995
Why Scientists Use the Metric System
In the United States, track stars still run the mile relay, carpenters still build with two-by-fours, and shoppers still go to the store to buy a pound of butter and a gallon of milk. But all over the rest of the world, the metric system--meters, kilograms, and liters--is the standard system of measurement.
Scientists in the United States use the metric system, just as scientists do worldwide. Using the same system makes it easier for scientists to communicate, to repeat others' experiments, and to check each other's work. Metric is part of a common scientific language.
The metric system was developed in France during the ...