**Document ID**: 03_08_01_1

**Date Received**: 2001-03-08 **Date Revised**: 2001-06-15 **Date
Accepted**: 2001-06-18

**Curriculum Topic Benchmarks**: M2.2.1, M2.2.2, M2.2.4, M2.2.4, M2.2.5,
M2.2.10, M2.3.4, M2.3.10, M2.3.11, M3.2.1 M3.2.6, M3.3.1, M4.2.10,
M4.2.16, M4.3.3, M4.3.43

**Grade Level**: \[3-5\] Upper Elementary

**Subject Keywords**: metric system, inch-pound system, units,
conversion of units

**Rating**: Moderate

# **Metric Wins!**

**By:** Joseph B Reid, retired, was at Université du Québec, 17 Glebe
Road West, Toronto ON M5P 1V8 e-mail: joereid@total.net

**From**: The PUMAS Collection http://pumas.jpl.nasa.gov

©1996-2000, U.S. Metric Association (USMA), Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

There have been many metric systems, or systems of measurement. On 7
April 1795 the National Convention of France decreed new "Republican
Measures" to be legal measures in France. The units of measurement
included the meter, liter, and gram; the prefixes centi, deci, deca,
hecto, and kilo were also sanctioned. This was the decimal system of
measurement or the decimal metric system. It has survived practically
unchanged and now is known simply as *the* metric system. The latest
version of the system is the *International System of Units* or *SI* for
short. It is used by 95% of the world's population

"À TOUS LES TEMPS; À TOUS LES PEUPLES" ("FOR ALL TIME; FOR ALL PEOPLES")

**The decimal nature of the Metric System makes conversions among units
much easier. Try the following examples to see why:**

**Why decimal?**

**Question:** *Which column would you rather add?*

**Inch-pound units Mixed SI units SI units**

1 yd. 2 ft 3-1/4 in. 1 m 6 dm 7 mm 1.607 m

1 ft. 11-3/16 in. 5 dm 8 cm 9 mm 0.589 m

2 ft. 5-1/2 in. 7 dm 4 cm 9 mm 0.749 m

3 yd. 1 ft. 6-5/8 in. 3 m 2 dm 1 cm 6 mm 3.216 m

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

? yards ? feet ? inches ? m ? dm ? cm ? mm ? meters

**Hint:** The three sums are the same.

**Answer:** 6 yd. 2 ft. 2-9/16 in.; 6 m 1 dm 6 cm I mm 6.161 m

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

**Why decimal?**

A room measures 15 ft. 3-3/4 in. by 21 ft. 7-1/2 in. (4.667 m by 6.591
m).

**Questions:**

What is its area in *square yards* ?

What is its area in *square meters* ?

**Answers:**

36.79 sq. yd., or 30.76 m^2^

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

**Why decimal?**

In designing the page for a calendar, you wish to divide an area of
7-1/4 in. by 11 in. (184 mm by 279 mm) into 35 rectangles; that is, you
wish to divide 7-1/4 in. by 5 and to divide 11 in. by 7.

**Questions:**

What are the dimensions of each rectangle in inches?

What are the dimensions of each rectangle in millimeters?

**Answers:**

1-29/64 in. by 1-37/64 in., or 36.8 mm by 39.9mm
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

**Why decimal?**

**Question 1:**

How many gallons are there in an acre-foot of rainfall?

Hints: there are 640 acres in a square mile, 5280 feet in a mile, 231
cubic inches in a gallon.

**Question 2:**

How many liters are there in a hectare-decimeter of rainfall?

Hints: a hectare is \*\*\* square meters, a liter is 1000 cubic
centimeters.

**Answer 1:** 325 851 gallons **Answer 2:** 1 000 000 liters