Under the Hood, We’re Metric

Celebrating 100 years of the U.S. Metric Association

Published: Tuesday, November 1, 2016 - 16:32

This year, 2016, marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Metric Association (USMA). Our mission is to help the United States complete its transition to the metric system. Although we’ve always expected that the adoption of the metric system here was just around the corner, all these years later we find we’re still working for the metric cause.

I joined the USMA in the early 1980s. Like many citizens, I had been mostly unaware of the worldwide move to metric, mainly in the former British Commonwealth countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, etc. At the time, metric-adopting countries followed through on their planned transitions without a hitch, according to schedules and deadlines for national metric changes. The United States considered following suit but didn’t exclusively adopt metric to the extent necessary to complete the job.

Although many companies and certain industries have recognized the benefits of converting to metric, such as its simplicity and the streamlined access it gives them to global markets and supply lines, no one would really consider the United States to be a metric country.

But metric usage in the United States is more common than most citizens realize. From automobiles and machinery and medical fields, to nearly everything made in China or the rest of the world, which is a lot these days, metric is everywhere.

It’s true that much of our metric usage is behind the scenes, but it’s not completely hidden from the observant citizen. Take a typical car speedometer that gives readings in both miles and kilometers per hour (in smaller font). While this feature gives you the impression that the car is standarized through and through, the truth is that the car was designed and built using metric measurements. This is a good metaphor for the state of metric in the America: Under the hood we’re metric; it’s the part that people see that isn’t.

What I think we need to do is bring metric out of the shadows, stop converting and start conversing in metric. We need to begin using metric in the way that metric countries do, e.g., on road signs, in weather reports, and at the grocery store.

Image: Overdosing can be dangerous, and underdosing is ineffective. For the most accurate dosing, ask for and use metric measures. Credit: Koerty van Ittersum/Brian Wansink/Cornell University

While we’re not there yet, opportunities exist for people like you and me who want to see more metric use in everyday life. Let’s ask for more metric units in media. Let’s simplify product packaging labels to list only metric quantities. Let’s prevent medical dosage errors by using only milliliters, not tablespoons or teaspoons. Let’s help children build familiarity in metric by providing daily opportunities to practice using metric measures as much as they can, at both home and school.

USMA has a number of programs to help in the U.S. metric transition. Besides basic metric information, our website has a section on the laws related to the metric system covering the past 100 years, showing where the United States stands legislatively. We also have a ton of information showing metric use in food and other product labeling.

As far as tools and suggestions for members and the public, we have a metric guide , as well as just the basics. If you want to teach metric or consult with businesses, we offer training to make you a metric expert. There’s a large science fair award program to honor students who use metric units especially well in their science projects. Teachers can also download materials for them to use in their classrooms.

We regularly publish a newsletter, Metric Today, that keeps our members informed of metric advances in the United States, as well as stories of metric use that otherwise are not apparent to the average citizen.

The adoption of the metric system in the United States is inevitable. Many advances are taking place, slowly but surely. The metric system is not something that was tried here and failed: It’s just taking longer than most metric advocates would like. We can’t predict when we’ll see metric road signs and weather reports, and those may be among the last things to change, but we can quicken the pace of that change by conversing in metric. In the meantime, my colleagues and I at the USMA and our supporters will continue to pursue a metric United States because we believe that the adoption of the metric system is in the best interests of this country and its citizens.

First published Oct. 13, 2016, on NIST’s Taking Measure blog.

About The Author

Donald Hillger

Donald Hillger, research scientist, is president of the U.S. Metric Association and a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) meteorologist stationed at the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State University. He’s also a philatelist with numerous publications on postage stamps, the metric system, and amateur radio. Hillger has a bachelor’s degree in physics, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in atmospheric science. Hillger specializes in satellite meteorology from geostationary and polar-orbiting platforms, as well as satellite instrument calibration/validation, satellite data/image quality, and planning for advanced and future instrumentation.