The Metric system and the
American standard measurement system are very different. One way that they
differ is that the metric system is all bases of ten, and the American Standard
system does not have a specific base.
When it
comes to length, for small distances, such as the length of a nail, in the
American Standard system, we use inches. In the metric system, the centimeter
is used for small distances. These can give very different ideas of how long
something is, because an inch is about 2 ½ centimeters. For longer distances,
such as the length and width of a building, in the American Standard System, we
use feet. The metric system uses meters for longer distances. This causes measurements
to seem very different, because a meter is about 3 feet. In the really long
distances, such as how far two cities are from each other, the American Standard
system uses miles and the metric system uses kilometers. A mile is
approximately 1 ½ kilometers.
For mass
and weight, three commonly uses units in the American Standard system are the
ounce, the pound and the ton. In the metric system, three commonly used units
are the milligram, the gram, and the kilogram. The most similar of these units
are the gram and the ounce which are often used for weighing small objects. Tons
and kilograms are often used to measure large objects, such as cars. Milligrams
are used to measure the weight of very small objects. Pounds are used to
measure the weight of larger objects, such as humans.
In volume, there is volume of solid matter and
also the volume of liquids. For the volume of solids in the metric system,
there are cubic centimeters, cubic meters, and cubic kilometers, with cubic
centimeters representing the smallest volume, and cubic kilometers representing
the largest volume. For liquid volume there are milliliters, liters, and kiloliters,
with milliliters representing the smallest liquid volumes and kiloliters
representing largest liquid volumes. In
the American Standard system, for solid volume,
there are cubic inches, cubic feet, and cubic yard. For liquid volume
there are fluid ounces, quarts, and gallons. In solid volume, cubic inches and
cubic millimeters are the most similar and are often used for measuring very
small amounts of solid. In liquid volume, liters and quarts are the most
similar and can often be seen on soft drink bottles. Ounces are used for measuring small amounts of
liquid volume, such as when you are cooking, and gallons are used for larger
amounts of liquids, for example when you buy a container of milk, it is usually
a gallon.
The
temperature scales in the American Standard system and the metric system are
very different. The American Standard system uses degrees Fahrenheit, and the metric
system uses degrees Celsius. The base, or freezing point for degrees Fahrenheit
is 32, while the freezing point of degrees Celsius is 0. Another difference in
the two scales is that in Fahrenheit, a normal human body temperature is 98.6
degrees Fahrenheit, whereas the normal body temperature of a human in Celsius
is 37 degrees Celsius. Finally, the third, commonly known difference in the two
scales is that in Fahrenheit, the boiling point of water is 212 degrees
Fahrenheit, but in Celsius, it is 100 degrees Celsius.
