Making the switch to the Metric System has been talked about for decades in the US... but nothing's ever come of all that talk. Trace explains why it's so much better and why we should take the metric plunge. Read More: Why isn't the U.S. on the metric system? http://science.howstuffworks.com/why-us-not-on-metric-system.htm "Many myths swirl around the metric system and U.S. involvement with it. Let's dispel a few." You know what the rest of the world has figured out? The metric system. It's time the US got on board. http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/08/20/you-know-what-the-rest-of-the-world-has-figured-out-the-metric-system-its-time-the-us-got-on-board/ "I've met a lot of people and learned a lot while traveling Europe the past several weeks. Of all the things I have had to explain to fellow travels as not only an American -- but a Texan -- by far the most frustrating thing is our stubborn refusal to embrace the metric system." It's the Science, Dummy: Why Americans Hate the Metric System http://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/blog/its-the-science-dummy-why-americans-hate-the-metric-system/ "We Americans are known for our strong sense of national pride toward our unreasonable stubbornness against adopting the metric system. We haven't always been so intractable toward what has become the international standard for measuring distance, mass, temperature and other things we need to describe to one another from time to time." A Brief History of Measurement Systems https://standards.nasa.gov/history_metric.pdf "Weights and measures were among the earliest tools invented by man. Primitive societies needed rudimentary measures for many tasks: constructing dwellings of an appropriate size and shape, fashioning clothing and bartering food or raw materials." The Metric System in the United States http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/usmetric.html "Article I, Section 8 of the U. S. Constitution gives Congress the power to "fix the standard of weights and measures" for the nation. The First Congress, meeting in 1789, took up the question of weights and measures, and had the metric system been available at that time it might have been adopted. What actually happened is that Thomas Jefferson, who was then serving as the first Secretary of State, submitted a report proposing a decimal-based system with a mixture of familiar and unfamiliar names for the units." How the Metric System Works http://science.howstuffworks.com/metric-system.htm "Before there were global supply chains and trade agreements, convenience was the highest priority when it came to measurement. In most cases, people didn't have access to sophisticated measuring devices, so they relied on body parts, which were easy to carry around and offered somewhat consistent results." 5 Things You Didn't Know About the Metric System http://science.howstuffworks.com/5-things-about-metric-system.htm#page=1 "It might seem like the SI has been around forever, but that's hardly the case." Watch More: Why Atomic Clocks Matter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI9oOHrVI5M Zap Yourself To Learn Math: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mazNT-CsbVM Folding Your Arms http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DrVq50huP0&feature;=c4-overview ____________________ DNews is dedicated to satisfying your curiosity and to bringing you mind-bending stories & perspectives you won't find anywhere else! New videos twice daily. Watch More DNews on TestTube http://testtube.com/dnews Subscribe now! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=dnewschannel DNews on Twitter http://twitter.com/dnews Anthony Carboni on Twitter http://twitter.com/acarboni Laci Green on Twitter http://twitter.com/gogreen18 Trace Dominguez on Twitter http://twitter.com/trace501 DNews on Facebook http://facebook.com/dnews DNews on Google+ http://gplus.to/dnews Discovery News http://discoverynews.com

• published: 26 Aug 2013
• views: 18431