Standards for Measurement in the US
While the majority of the world uses SI units, mostly metric
units, the United States Continues to use the Imperial System of Measurement.
The American football field is measured in yards, while the track around it is
measured in meters. The Imperial System has been used in the United States
since the US consisted of British Colonies, in fact the system was brought over
from Great Britain. Although most of the world has adapted to use a more
convenient system, the metric system. The metric system originated in France,
and is a decimal system of measurement. Therefore all values are multiples of
ten, thereby making conversions easy and reproducible. The imperial system
varies in its intervals but several measurements are multiples or integers of
twelve. Clearly when dealing with numbers, multiples of ten are much easier to manipulate,
convert, or identify than multiples of twelve.
With the track and field example, it is evident that the US
has been more commonly using the metric system in many fields. In science laboratories
and many technical industries, the metric system is the standard of
measurement. This is because of the metric system’s simplicity of measurement,
reproducibility, and international acceptance. The large majority of the United
States, however still uses some form of the imperial system. This limits the
ability of certain industries like the automobile industry or
carpentry/construction industry to trade overseas.
The cost to fully convert the United States to the metric
system would be extremely costly and time consuming. However, once the metric
system was to be the standard for US businesses and manufacturers American
businesses would have the potential to expand globally much easier and
efficiently than before.
I believe the United States stands by the imperial system
out of habit, stubbornness, and convenience. In the future where so many
industries are becoming more and more global, the American use of the imperial
system will be an obstacle to overcome for all American industries and
businesses. Therefore the American government should change the standard of
measurement in the United States to the metric system. By doing so the United
States Government would be promoting business globally and allowing the United
States to keep up with the best and most advanced players in every industry.
While a change in the standard measurement system in the
United States would be very costly and time consuming, it will pay for itself
in the long run. If the United States continues to use the Imperial System of
measurement, global industries will be harder to enter and the United States
will begin to lose its economic power. Especially when more and more American
businesses are opting to use cheaper labor overseas where the standard of
measurement is the metric system, therefore added costs are needed for the
conversion of tools and designs. The imperial system is simply outdated, inefficient
and costly, the US’s dependence on the imperial system will soon be a huge obstacle
to overcome for many American businesses.
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