U.S. Sets a Bad International Example—Metrically Speaking

I’ve already mentioned in this blog that I believe that the United States is not only holding itself back with regard to its lack of metric adoption but we serve as a bad example for our sister countries such as the United Kingdom and Canada. While both of the aforementioned countries use the metric system much more in daily life than we do here, the changeover has been less than complete in both. When I asked a metric authority in the U.K. why the conversion was less than 100 percent in his country, the basic answer was “Because you don’t use it.” As I heard the words escape his mouth, I not only knew he was right but I was embarrassed as an American that our country could have had such a backward influence.

Well, we’re apparently striking again.

Newspaper reports started coming out earlier this month saying that there is a move afoot to put a stronger emphasis on imperial units in the U.K. primary school system. [see notes below]

One article included the subhead: “Education minister Elizabeth Truss has announced that the new primary curriculum will put more focus on imperial measurements.”  [note A]

When I contacted the head of the U.K. Metric Association, he indicated that “The current position is that metric is the primary system in schools but a few imperial equivalents are taught to help children with shopping etc. The Department of Education has said there would be no significant change.”

Thank goodness.

But still, any shift toward imperial from metric units represents a backslide as far as I’m concerned. This wouldn’t even likely be under discussion if we, as a nation, had moved to a metric system 200 years ago when Thomas Jefferson wanted us to!

While internationally people’s gaze have started to shift from the United States to China as the world’s economic superpower (Yep, you read that right. [note B]) it is quite clear that the U.K. relies on us for revenue from exports as in “The USA has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world and is Britain’s largest single export market.” [note C]

As long as the U.K. depends on us for revenue and we continue to ignorantly stumble forward with an antiquated measurement system more backsliding is possible elsewhere in the world. This is, at least until we’re no longer a global economic superpower.

Would converting to the metric system help us economically in the world marketplace? I’m not qualified to answer that question but it seems likely to me that a complete changeover to the metric system might help us better compete.

Do we really want to find out too late that it was something we should have done? Why would we even want to take that chance?

Linda

Notes:

A: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/jan/14/imperial-measurements-maths-lessons

B: http://www.pewglobal.org/2011/07/13/china-seen-overtaking-us-as-global-superpower/

C: http://www.ukti.gov.uk/export/countries/americas/northamerica/unitedstates.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2259314/Imperial-weights-measures-classroom-radical-shake-maths-lessons.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationopinion/9790670/Modern-schools-must-teach-imperial-measurements.html

Metric Resources (A World to Share)

In the half year that I’ve been working on this project, it has been my pleasure to come in contact with a number of metric like-minded folks who have been moving in this direction far longer than I. I’d like to take this opportunity to share their sites with you in case you find them of interest. (I sure hope so or else why are you reading this thing?)

National Institute for Standards and Technology—U.S. Department of Commerce
There is tons of information on the main website at http://www.nist.gov/index.html, If you want to drill down to the metric system resources, they’re under the Physical Measurement Laboratory (http://www.nist.gov/pml/wmd/index.cfm) and then you get down to the resources for the metric system: http://www.nist.gov/pml/wmd/metric/metric-program.cfm.

U.S. Metric Association
There is a phenomenal amount of information on this organization’s pages and it’s been around since 1916. (I love people who don’t give up the good fight.) It was the extremely sad litany of information on this page (http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/dates.htm) that led me to embark on my current quest. Feel free to look around and join the organization. I’m sure they’d love for you to sign on as a member and it’s only $30 a year (see page for multi-year discounts) to help along its fine work. http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/.

The Reddit Metric Pages
Reddit, which refers to itself as “The frontpage of the Internet,” has its own metric posting pages. The metric section already has more than 5,000 members and it’s free to join in: http://www.reddit.com/r/metric. There are also now subpages devoted to metric cooking: http://www.reddit.com/r/MetricCooking. Come on in and look around. You might decide to stay for awhile.

The Metric Maven
The Maven has spent considerable thought on metric issues and shares his insights on his blog, which he adds to on a regular basis. Yes, we cross promote because we’re both heading in the same direction. Just makes sense to me. Go to http://themetricmaven.com/ to read more.

Metric Pioneer
Another advocate, this site describes itself as “MetricPioneer.com is dedicated to United States President Andrew Johnson and to Metric Pioneer Antoine Lavoisier (1743–1794 CE) Father of Modern Chemistry, who helps construct the metric system during the French Revolution while working alongside Benjamin Franklin in France.” Metric products are for sale here. As far as I know, he’s currently got this market cornered. Check it out: http://metricpioneer.com/.

M Power
One of the first people to reach out to me, the lady behind this site states: “Our goal is to empower K-12 students to succeed in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Military (STEMM) by preparing them to think in STEMM’s occupational language.” Find out more at http://www.helpmpower.org/. Another nonprofit organization, help out if you can.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
While this might seem like a niche organization, these are the folks are the keepers of National Metric Week (the week in which November 10 falls [as in 10/10]). Its mission: “The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics is the public voice of mathematics education, supporting teachers to ensure equitable mathematics learning of the highest quality for all students through vision, leadership, professional development, and research.” More at http://www.nctm.org/.

U.K. Metric Association
This organization has been supportive of my efforts from early on. While the U.K. is mostly metric, it’s not all the way there and we’re holding them back. Let’s stop that. For more information, go to http://ukma.org.uk/.

National Measurement Institute
I have it on good authority that Australia has embraced the metric system and Imperial units are difficult (if not impossible) to find—which is a sign of real success. This is a country we may want to emulate when our time comes. For more information, go to http://www.measurement.gov.au/.

I know less about these folks, but they’re out there so let’s cheer them on:

Go Metric USA
Its pages state: “GO metricUSA^TM is an organization dedicating to promoting the adoption of the metric system in the United States of America and to help industries cut costs.” http://www.gometricusa.org/default.html.

Go Metric America
Don’t know much about this either, but it follows me on Twitter and frequently retweets me. Its Facebook page states that its cause is to “Educate, promote and encourage daily usage of the Metric System. Make SI the only measurement standard of science, math, industry, trade, and education in the USA.” Here is its link on Twitter https://twitter.com/GoMetricAmerica and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/GoMetricAmerica.

Metricate America (Metric8America)
Don’t see a website for this one, but the Twitter page is https://twitter.com/Metric8America.

If I’ve missed you, I apologize. Let me know. Relevant ones can always go into another blog on the subject.

Linda

Introducing Millicent (my snail)

Once I had selected the snail you see at the top of this page as the mascot for this project (for more on how that process worked, go to my previous post), I knew that I would eventually want to name it.

I had thought about holding a contest at some point but when I mentioned that idea to a few people, two of them immediately suggested “Miles.” Both times I couldn’t help but cringe at the idea of naming my “metric snail” Miles. (Still makes me twitch.)

Still, I had not totally discarded the idea of a contest but then one day “Millicent” popped into my head. (Get it? “Milli” as in millimeter and “cent” as in centimeter.) It immediately felt perfect.

As I thought about it some more, it made even more “cents” to me (sorry, couldn’t resist). After all, a changeover to metric will mean adjustments in the grocery store and kitchen (yeah, another post reference) and since women are still the ones who spend the majority of time in the kitchen (love you guys who are doing the shopping and chopping, wish there were more of you), a feminine mascot made even more sense to me. So the snail’s name is now Millicent.

Then, a couple of weeks ago during a moment of boredom, I ended up researching snails. Turns out snails are just slugs with nicer packaging. (Really, the difference between snails and slugs is the shell.) While many people associate snails with slowness (as I do for this project), to leave them with only that connotation does them a disservice. Apparently, the Aztecs viewed them as a symbol of rebirth (works for this project too) and Jung saw them as representative of both the conscious (the shell) and the unconscious (the soft animal part). Some are also food and not just for fancy folks. Yeah, they can be pests in the garden but I’ll take a snail over a slug any day.

What really surprised me was that a broad search for “snail” on Amazon brought up a host of beauty products that include “snail gel” or “snail cream” in their ingredients. Like I could leave that alone. Upon further Internet poking around, I found a site that relays, “The mucus was found to be rich in glycolic acid, collagen, vitamins A, C and E, and elastane. Each of these ingredients is already well known to contribute to healthy skin and is manufactured into many beauty products on the market.” Okay. I’m not going to run out and buy a big tub of snail mucous for my beauty regimen but apparently it’s the aloe vera of the gastropod world. Who knew? (For more information, go to http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-snail-gel.htm.)

I also got some of my information from a site called snail-world.com. At the beginning of the last paragraph on the snail culture page (http://www.snail-world.com/Snails-in-Culture.html) it states: “I mean, when was the last time you saw a business using a snail as their logo?”

Ironically, that’s exactly what I have on my business cards.

Linda

Communication, Lifelong Learning and the Metric System

While working in communications for more than 30 years (yes, I’m that old) I’ve spent time working on projects related to both training and education since both require relaying new information. Over time I came to realize that: “Communication is only needed when there is change.”

Allow me to illustrate: Imagine an older couple who are out to dinner, neither saying a word. (Who hasn’t seen that?) Why aren’t they talking to each other? Because there is nothing new to talk about.

Now, imagine that same couple and they’ve just found out that little grandson Charlie has broken his leg. Now, they’ll be chattering about his condition, what they know about the doctor’s background, recovery time, etc.

Let’s now move into the workplace and imagine that to request vacation time, you have to fill out a form, have your boss sign it and then turn it in to the office administrator. So that’s what you do.

Next, imagine that (for whatever reason) the vacation request form is changed (you can no longer use the old form and have to use the new one) and now your boss as well as the next level supervisor above your boss needs to sign the form as well. You can only follow the new process if someone communicates it to you.

Bottom line: Nothing new, no need to communicate. Something changes, you better start telling people or pay attention if you are on the receiving end.

Training and education will be vital (through all sorts of communication) in a move toward the metric system in this country. I must say, having seen some of the materials that were used during our last metrication push back in the 1970s, they looked like they were designed for children (see photo) but were not. Renewed efforts in metrication will need to take into account that people are much more sophisticated than we were 30 years ago and leverage all the media avenues and marketing knowledge now at our fingertips. (And I don’t believe for a moment that we don’t have the brains within this county to pull it off.)

I also tend to think of communication with two primary groups:

Gen X and Y: These folks have had change thrust on them pretty much every day of their lives. They’re growing up in an environment where the only constant IS change. There might be some resistance because they’d initially not want to spend the effort (verses other activities) but they’ll adapt quickly—it’s their learning style.

Baby boomers: (We currently make up a whopping 28% of the United States population. http://www.getinvolved.gov/newsroom/programs/factsheet_boomers.asp): My cohort should actually welcome the change to metric since research has found that continuing to learn increases neural plasticity and can help fend off mental decline as we age. See http://www.egyptianaaa.org/healthsuccessfulaging2.htm. (Yeah, some sites  will charge you to help keep your neural plasticity but transitioning to metric system can help you stay sharp for free!) We’ll also provide a tremendous service for the generations that follow. Forever!

Let’s face it, for my mother’s generation, there was change but NOTHING like the way it takes place now. We constantly have to learn new media, software, and equipment, not to mention changing gender roles, customer service via live chat and a host of things our parents never even imagined. It’s now part of daily life—adapt or perish. We can’t let the mumpsimuses (see previous post) in this county hold us back.

So if there is one thing I’ve learned during my years working with education and training programs, it’s that we now truly have to be prepared to be lifelong learners or we’ll end up in the dust with regards the metric system and lots of other things.

(And you thought I’d never get back to my title, did you?)

Here’s hoping that 2013 is 10 times better than 2012!

Linda

Not the End of the World

Well, the end of the world did not occur as some predicted, which means we’ll need to continue to toddle along, hopefully toward a metric future.

I envision for most of us regular folks, one of the biggest shifts toward metric would take place in the kitchen and the grocery store. When I mention that people would need get rid of their volume (not liquid) measuring cups and teaspoons and buy a scale, that alone is enough for some to throw up their hands. They also don’t realize it, but they’ll be better off measuring their ingredients by weight anyway. (More on this below)

That said, allow me to try and frame this with the things I’ve learned so far that might make switching over a little easier. (Being inherently lazy means I try to find the easiest way to do everything.)

Most of us already have most of the tools we’d need, so the biggest shift would just need to be in our brains, and even that will take fewer adjustments than most people think. After all, the system was expected to be easy for illiterate French peasants to learn and use. (You don’t really want to admit you can’t learn something they could, do you?)

Short of just chucking everything we have now and attempting to start over from scratch (not likely), we’ll need to use some approximations until the new system becomes more engrained. (This applies to me as well since I’m not working in a metric world currently either.)

Meters: Most cars in this country are already equipped with a second set of numbers in kilometers that have been there for decades. (There might be a couple of exceptions, but I expect they are few.) Getting used to using them shouldn’t be any more difficult than learning to read a new dashboard when we acquire a different car.

Going to buy cloth or other things of that ilk? There really isn’t much difference between a yard and a meter. After all, a meter is just 3.3 inches longer. As you look around you, just imagine a slightly longer yardstick and you’re there.

Liters: Most people in this country are already familiar with two-liter bottles of soft drinks, so that should help make things a little easier, but there are almost four liters to the gallon (3.78541 according to the calculator I just used). That means that volumetrically it shouldn’t be too difficult to conceptualize one quarter of a gallon, but pricing changes might trip people up at first. HOWEVER, stores could really help speed this along if they get their labeling act together and get those “cost per unit” stickers up so it’s easier to make price comparisons. (Something we might think about specifically asking for.)

The metric way

In the kitchen, I can’t image there are many people who don’t already have measuring cups with milliliters already on them. I have several and I wasn’t even trying. In those rare cases where people don’t and are truly too poor to buy a new one, maybe we can chip in and bring them along into the previous century (yes, the last one, we’re way behind). Mutual support will go a long way in speeding implementation.

Grams: This would probably be one of the biggest shifts in the kitchen since everything needs to be weighed if it isn’t liquid. Allow me to quote Alton Brown, of the Food Network, and one of the nicest, smartest people I’ve ever had an opportunity to spend time with: This is as he references flour, brown sugar, etc. [and I can’t control how the “block quote” works in this thing]

 It is impossible to measure these ingredients with consistent accuracy by avoir dupois—that is, volume. Heck, I’ve seen a cup of flour weigh anywhere from 3 to 6 ounces. If you want to measure flour, you have to do so by weight. End of story.

That’s from I’m Just Here For More Food, Alton Brown, Introduction, page 14.

In fact, he continues to praise the metric system for its ease of use in the kitchen on that same page. Check it out for yourself.

Of course, post conversion would entail other measurements in grams. To make the transition easier, a little rounding means that recipes that once needed one pound of chicken, beef, shrimp, or whatever, now need a little less than half a kilogram (one pound=.45 kilograms). Remembering .45 shouldn’t really be that difficult.

I’m still working through the best way to convert my recipes and I’ll share my thoughts once they are better formed.

I also need to address temperature and some other basic measurement issues, but as Alton might say, that’s another blog.

Happy holidays,

Linda

On Sending Mixed Measurements

As I’ve gone forward with my research on the metric system, I’ve come across more twists and turns than I could have ever expected. I’d always thought of numbers as a dispassionate construct used to describe the world and relativistic amounts. I’ve never been very good where math was concerned and so I’ve always tried to internalize what a friend (who was a mathematician) told me back when I was in college: “Numbers just show the relationships between things.”

On one level, say as in the fact that 26 is a larger number than 18, and it’s larger by 8 units, that makes sense to me, but when I think about the sorts of formulas scientists use to express unseen relationships in thing like quantum mechanics   (the formula for the uncertainty principle), I’m glad someone else can do that in their heads, because I sure can’t.

One concept that’s starting to bubble down into my consciousness is the idea of mixed measures as in 5’7” tall and 1.5 hours long. I’m no expert, but on the surface (to me at least) such mixing presents problems. Let’s set aside that I just expressed my height in U.S. Customary Units and delve into the real issues I see: 1) I just used a fraction of the foot measurement and a foot measurement together, and 2) if I wanted to further manipulate these numbers I’d need to perform a conversion. (Why introduce a step if you don’t have to?)

Note: I’ll continue to use U.S. measures to help my fellow Americans more easily follow my thoughts though the overall concepts apply elsewhere as well. I’m also using numerals throughout rather than follow Associated-Press style and spelling out numbers smaller than 10—for consistency’s sake.

Why not just say I’m 91” tall?  Because that’s not our habit, but perhaps it should be.

It’s tough to express 7 inches in addition to the 5 feet because it doesn’t represent a nice decimal unit as in the metric system. The original height numbers mashes together units that somewhat relate to each other (after all, an inch is a subunit of a foot) but it doesn’t work readily since an inch represents 1/12 of the foot unit and not 1/10 of a unit as in the metric system (in that case you could use “.” followed by the remainder).

Now let me progress to the 1.5 hours. Why not just say 90 minutes? Some do.

So now let’s say (for some reason) that I knew of a movie that contained a swear word every 3 minutes and I wanted to figure out how many swear words there were in the 1.5 hour movie.

Of course, first I’d have to convert the 1.5 hour-long movie in only minutes to get my answer. (No, I won’t do the math. This is a hypothetical example.)

So, what I’m suggesting is that mixing units for the purpose of describing things might make them more complicated than necessary. Or, put another way, perhaps it would be best to use units that avoid fractions of any sort and rely solely on integers. (That was a word I hadn’t used since elementary school, but it just means whole numbers.)

As we move toward metric system adoption (my sincerest hope) it’s probably good to think about using grams as a measure and not fractions of kilograms or (God forbid) a mixed measure like 1 kg, 25g, as we currently use for things like height.

If we’re going to adopt new ways of doing things, let’s at least adopt them a way that makes the most sense and doesn’t introduce new problems.

But, even if one person decides on a measure in centimeters while avoiding fractions and another uses millimeters—and also avoids fractions—at least the conversions would be easier.

A case could be made (and has been) to avoid any measures that would result in fractions (as in measure everything in millimeters, milliliters and grams for us ordinary folks [while scientists work in different realms]) But if the above discussion has me swimming in deep philosophical water, I’m not well versed enough to argue that case and could possibly drown.

Discuss among yourselves……

Linda

Words on a Word

And the word is: mumpsimus.

That’s right, mumpsimus. If you are pro-metric, you REALLY need to learn this word. You’ll find a few slightly different definitions on the Web, but the one I like best is the one in the wikitionary:

“A person who obstinately adheres to old ways in spite of clear
evidence that they are wrong; an
ignorant and bigoted opponent of reform.”

 (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mumpsimus Includes a pronunciation aid.)

I just came across this word for the first time (I think) earlier this week since I subscribe to the Oxford English Dictionary’s “Word of the Day.” It arrived Wednesday. Should have had a pretty bow on it.

As soon as I saw what it meant I was thrilled. A perfect word to describe those who understand the metric system and still don’t believe we should adopt it as a country.

Granted, there are lots of folks who don’t really understand what happened to the metric system in the United States and why the impact of our getting behind the curve on this issue is so egregious. I don’t blame them. You don’t know what you don’t know. I’m also relatively sure that once they realize what’s happened, they’ll want to do something about it.

It’s the people who understand that they are holding themselves and others back and don’t care (or actually like being obstinate) who deserve the word mumpsimus.

Mumpsimus.  Mumpsimus. Mumpsimus.

(I’ll readily admit that I had to practice to get it right…Totally worth it.)

Another thing I really love about it is that since it is mostly unknown, it could be disarming under the right circumstances.

Witness the following dialogue that is taking place in my head:

Anti-metric individual: “There’s no reason we should abandon a measurement system that’s served us for more than 200 years.” [Or feel free to insert the anti-metric reference of your choice.]

You: “So, I take it you’re a mumpsimus?” [I’ve seen it listed variously as both a noun and a verb.]

Anti-metric individual: [You should at least get a moment of stunned silence.]

Here’s why: odds of knowing the word—almost nil. If the person has any intelligence he or she will be hesitant to either agree or disagree with your supposition since it’s an unknown. And even any if individuals on the other side of the argument know what the word means, I conjecture that rare is the person who would want to admit to being “ignorant and bigoted.”

Of course, the REALLY ignorant and bigoted people will most likely continue with their anti-metric rant since they weren’t really listening to you anyway: that’s how they got ignorant and bigoted in the first place.

I really think the pro-metric movement should embrace this word. It’s perfect for our cause.

It even comes in a giant economy size for your larger anti-metric-type gatherings: mumpsimuses.

Happy wording,

Linda

All A-Twitter

All A-Twitter

I have to say that as soon as I started using Twitter, I really liked it. Very straightforward. You get 140 characters to say what’s going on and if any of it is interesting, people just might listen. When I had my own personal account, I followed more people than followed me.

Once I started my “branded version” I’m STILL following more people than are following me, but it’s a very different sort of interaction.

When I began with it, I’d read that “if you want people to follow you, you should follow them first.” Okay. Seemed reasonable. So, that’s what I started doing. Science, math, film and allied fields made apparant sense.

Unfortunately, when looking up “metric system” within Twitter the sad, frequent thread was (and I’ll go capture some right now) [Boldface was already in these.]

“WEED. Helping Americans learn the metric system. One gram at a time.”

and

“Drugs have taught an entire generation of American kids the metric system.”

There are too many of these types of comments to count. It’s a pathetic situation, in my opinion.

(Yeah, international trade uses the metric system and drugs are an international commodity. So, if you want to buy drugs you usually use the metric system.)

I also see that the also see that the Wall Street Journal (which I’ve been told by the Metric Maven, and another source, is anti-metric) DOES seem to be reveling in anti-metric sentiments. It tweeted (11/26/12) its story from November 24, “The metric system thwarts a new generation of American chefs“ with a link to its story titled “Cooking a Poundcake in a Metric Oven Is No Easy Task.”

To be fair, the article does capture the current situation when it relates: “The keepers of America’s metric flame are the roughly 300 members of the U.S. Metric Association. By most measures, their efforts in recent decades have failed.”

True enough about past efforts.

Though, I could suppose one could question the reason for running the article in the first place. Was Thanksgiving really a reason to point out the status of the metric system?), let alone retweeting it. Was it its most stellar piece of journalism that it needed to make sure it was not overlooked? I suspect it had hundreds of other articles it could have featured. (To view the original article, go to http://t.co/VJw8bisA)

It would also be easy to say that the piece was meant to attempt to make pro-metric folks look like eccentrics who really don’t know what the real world is like.

I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.

Perhaps someone is interested enough to write justin.scheck@wsj.com to get his thoughts on the matter. I’d be interested in the answer.

But I digress.

What does make me happy is that there are so many organizations out there trying to improve our children’s education. Thank goodness. While most studies show that American students now lag behind those of other nations when it comes to math and science (this one posted on the American Psychological Association, http://www.apa.org/monitor/mar05/scores.aspx for math shows us in 24^th  place) means there is much room for improvement.

Unfortunately, I hit a ceiling with Twitter this week because it only allows me to follow 1,000 people. That makes me sad because I can only follow more people if more people follow me or I drop some of the ones I follow currently. I was pretty generous in the beginning, but now I’m going to need to cull folks so I can hold on to the more important ones. If I “unfollow” you, don’t take offense. Know that my heart is in the right place.

Of course, I would have more followers if I’d kept all those scantly-clad women with statistics like: Tweets: 0, Following: 463, Followers: 30. Thank you, no.

Two things kind of surprised me as I started down this road. First, there is a lot of interest on the subject of the metric system in England. The U.K. Metric Association started retweeting me right away. Frankly, I thought our metric status would be of interest mostly to us U.S.-types.

Second, about half of the people following me found me first. There are lots of ways to find people to follow, but somehow these folks approached me.

I thank everyone who follows this on Twitter and while my ability to post things (I do try to make them somewhat interesting after all. Drivel is easy. Interesting is harder.) waxes and wanes depending on workload. I’m learning interesting things from it.

Thanks for your kind attention. (It would have taken more than 500 tweets to relate all that!)
Linda

Why I Like the Metric System

I must like the metric system or I wouldn’t be at work on a documentary on the subject of its history here in the United States. However, that doesn’t explain why I like the metric system.

It’s not because I like numbers, in fact, math has never really been one of my strong suits. I’m more of a words kind of gal.

Over time, I found that I was getting involved in activities outside of work that used metric units. One was beading and jewelry making, which frequently had supplies  listed in millimeters. I ended up asking my daughter to buy me a caliper as a gift to use for things like figuring out just how big a 14mm by 10mm stone really was.

That metric use was forced on me.

At about the same time that I starting beading, I started working with essential oils for their medicinal properties. (Must have been in a creative period back then.) Again, many times I was forced to deal with metric units since many of my supplies used milliliters for quantities and I’d have to perform conversions so I knew how much I might be buying.

When making mixtures, I began by using my familiar units of teaspoons, tablespoons and partial cups. I suspect at one point, while I was measuring in one of my liquid measuring cups,  I ended up using those little milliliter lines already on the container since they were closer together and seemed a little more precise. And then, over time, I began to realize that it was easier to figure out percentages of essential oils to other ingredients using milliliters and grams.

I don’t know about you, but I can conceptualize a milliliter much easier than I can 1/5 or .20 of a teaspoon. (Technically, a teaspoon is 4.9289ml.) [*Please see note below] When dealing with essential oils, you’re usually dealing with very small quantities so milliliters were just much easier to work with in my mind (and on paper) than the much larger units used in our traditional system.

I just kind of evolved into it naturally and once I’d decided it was such a better system, I incorporated it into the essential oil classes I had started teaching. I guess that’s when I originally went on record as pro metric. That was about four years ago.

I’ve come across statements that say our students waste two years of their school lives since they don’t use the metric system. I suspect that number includes both having to learn both systems (most students learn metric units at some point in their education) but also having to use a system that isn’t very easy to manipulate since the units don’t logically relate to each other.

Isn’t it time that we reconsider how we are handicapping our children not only in how they relate to the rest of the world’s population but also how they relate to the world itself?

Note: An astute reader brought to my attention that the Food and Drug Administration defines a teaspoon as 5 ml so not even our government can agree what we mean by our own measures! For more, see the comments. [Amended 11/20/12]

Top 10 Reasons the United States Should Use the Metric System (or SI)

Few people know that Thomas Jefferson gave us our decimal money (10 dimes and 100 pennies)

(Check out this Vox podcast on the new kilogram standard. I’m interviewed during the second half of the segment.)

1) It’s the system 95 percent of the world uses
(It’s not standard in the U.S.,  Burma, and Liberia)
2) It’s easier to make conversions
(You just move the decimal point right and left)
3) Teaching two measurement systems to children is confusing
4) It’s the language of science
5) It’s the language of medicine
6) Human conversion errors are inevitable
(We lost a Mars orbiter that way and pharmacy mistakes are common)
7) It’s the language of international commerce
8) Many hobbies and sports use the metric system
9) Its use is necessary for travel outside of the United States
10) So we look less foolish and ignorant to the rest of the world
 
And a few more for good “measure..”

11) Less clutter since you don’t need liquid and dry measuring cups and teaspoons and tablespoons
(Just a scale and liquid measuring cups)
12)  It’s much easier to conceptualize 1 gram verses 1/28th of an ounce or 1 milliliter verses 1/29 of a liquid ounce (rounded measures)
13) There are fewer measures to learn. Most people will use meters, liters, and grams verses more than 10 for liquid and dry measures alone
14) It was designed to be easy to learn and use
(In 1790s Europe the literacy rate was around 60 percent)