I

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE £,,n^

BUREAU OF STANDARDS

S. W. STRATTON. Director

MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS—No. 21 ^

/ '

METRIC MANUAL FOR SOLDIERS

BUREAU OF STANDARDS

S. W. STRATTON. Director

MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS—No. 21 ^

/ '

The Soldier's Primer of the Metric System—An

International Decimal System of Weights and

Measures Adopted as the Legal Standard by

France and Thirty-three Other Nations and in

World-Wide Use

CONTENTS

Page

Introductory 3 A language of 10 words 4 Familiar terms 4 A self-explanatory system 5 Length 5 Area 7 Volume 7 Capacity 8 Weight 8 Deriving the metric system from a decimeter rule .... 9 Story of the metric system 10 Tables 12 Synopsis of the metric system . . . , 15 Metric vocabulary 16

Washington : Government Printing Office : 1918

METRIC MANUAL FOR SOLDIERS

This Manual aims to give tlie American soldier now in

France or Italy, or in training for service abroad, a practical gi-asp of the metric system of weights and measm-es. "When an Americau icldier reaches France he will meet

with the metric system eveiywhere, not only in the civil

life of the French and other European peoples, but also in the military operations. Oiu- War Department early in

the war decided to adopt the metric system for use in

France in connection with maps and gimfiring. This

makes it doubly important that every soldier know the

metric system.

The rapid progress of the metric system in the United

States is caused by the growing recognition of its merits

and the need for an international system especially in

science and commerce. Many industries are using it without special legislation. The necessitj' for efBciency

in warfare has accelerated its progi-ess in this country

and resulted in its wide use in radiotelegraphy, military

map making, firing data, gunnery , making up war supplies, and especially the manufacture of guns and shells. Fortimately, the metric system is very easy for an American to learn and use, because all of its tables are made

up by multiples of 10 like our system of money, e. g., 10 mills equal 1 cent, 10 cents equal one dime, and so on. In measm-ement a unit is used and fractions expressed in

tenths, hundredths, or thousandths of that unit. Thus,

"$12.75" is read (not 1 eagle, 2 dollars, 7 dimes, 5 cents)

in dollars and himdredths of a dollar as "12 dollars, 75

76534°—18 3
4 BTJEEACr OF STANDARDS

cents.'' Measurements of length may likewise be ex- pressed in meters and thousandths of a meter; that is, in

millimeters.

A language of 10 words.—The metric system is a universal langTiage of measure. It is a language of 10 words,

as shown in the ta]>le following.

The 10 Metric Terms

[4 basic units, 6 numeral ' prefixes.]

Name Value Meaning Pro- nounced

Abbreviation

METER 1. " the imit of length " meeter m

LITER 1. " the unit of volume " leeter 1 GRAM 1. "the unit of weight " gram g ARE 1. "the unit of area " air a

Mn-LI- CENTIDECIDEKAHECTOKILO-

.001

.01

. 1

10.

100.

1000.

" the thousandth part of "

" the hundredth part of "

" the tenth part of " " ten times "

" one hundred times "

" one thousand times "

miUy

senti dessy decka

heckto

killo

mc-d- dkhkFamiliar terms.—Of these 10 words 7 are well known.

" MiW (.001) is our smallest unit of money, being 1 thousandth part of a dollar. " Cent" (.01) is our smallest coin,

meaning 1 hundredth part. Correspondingly, "deci" (.1)

is part of "decimal" meaning "tenth." "Delca-" (10) is found in "decade." "Recto-" (100) occurs in "hectograph," meaning "100 writings." Again, "meter,"

meaning "measure," is in common use, and "are" is part

of the word "area." The remaining three words, liter, gram, and kilo-, are easily remembered.

• It is interesting to Imow that the submultiple prefi.xes milU-, centideci- are from the Latin, while the multiple prefixes deka-, hecto-, kilo- are from the Greek.
METRIC jMAA'UAL 5

A self-explanatory system.—"When the meaning of these

10 -words is known, the whole metric system is learned.

The design of the system makes it self-explanatoiy. The

tables of derived units form themselves automatically.

No tables need be or should be memorized.

Smaller and larger units are named by combining the

proper numeral prefix with the name of the basic unit.

The new term is self-defining—for example, "centi-meter."

Here "centi" means "the one-hundredth part of," and

"meter" means "the unit of length," so that "centimeter " expresses precisely its meaning, '

' the one-hundredth

part of the unit of length." Every other metric term is as easily formed and expresses as clearly its own definite

meaning.

LENGTH

The basic unit of length is the " meter. '

' An idea of the

length of the meter may be easily gained. Graphic examples are given to afford a clear idea of the units as shown b.y

familiar lengths. The top of the hip bone of an average

man is a meter from the ground; with a little effort a man

can step 1 meter; the distance is 1 meter from the butt

swivel to rear edge of bayonet lug in the United States 1917

Army rifle; it is also 1 meter from the butt swivel of the

1903 model to the front edge of the fixed stud (of the front

sight). (See Figs. 1 and 2, page 2 ) The boy scout ofiicial staff is just 2 meters long.

The meter is used to measure cloth, the dimensions of houses and city lots, and in other surveying; in excavation,

construction, and general engineering; and in measuring

the heights of hills and mountains. In Europe and other

places, hills are often identified by numbers which give

their height in meters, e. g., "204-meter hill."

A good idea of 100 meters is given by the length of a

football field which is 100 meters (almost exactly), while
6 15UREAU OF STANDARDS

the circuit of the baseball diamond is 110 meters. An idea

of 10 meters may be had by pacing off 13 military paces, quick time. The dckameter (10 meters) and

the hectometer (100 meters) as units are seldom

used, their place being taken by expressing

their dimensions in meters. One kilometer (1000 meters; is used in measuring distances on roads and maps, and to indicate distances and speeds of travel. An

American soldier marches a kilometer in 10

minutes in standard quicklime military pace. The tenthof a meter (called the " decimeter, '

or more usually expressed as " 10 centimeters ")

is illustrated by the length of the rule pictured

in Fig. 3. The -width of a man's hand is practically 10 centimeters—the "hand" unit usvd

in measuring the height of horses . The giip of the bolo knife and of the bayonet—in fact most

convenient handles for seizing objects—are 10

centimeters (1 decimeter) long. The height of a canteen cup is 10 centimeters . The standard

first-aid package of the soldier is just 10 centimeters long. A French 5-franc note measures

10 by 15 centimeters, or approximately the size

of this booklet. The cover of 'the mess tin is just 30 centimeters long. The bayonet of a

Springfield rifle is 40 centimeters long. The

seat of a chair is usually 50 centimeters (half a

meter) from the floor. The "centimeter "• is illustrated by the width of the rule shown in

Fig. 3, as well as by the di^dsions of the rule. The centimeter is used in measuring the di- fig. 3 —.t mensions of books, cards, sizes of paper, in rule

scientilic measurements, and to denote sizes of articles of apparel, collars, cuffs, etc.
METRIC MANUxVL 7

The tenthof a centimeter is called a "miUimeter." The

smallest divisions of the rule pictured in Fig. 5 (see p. 15) are millimeters . The millimeter is used in dimensions of machines, in machine design and construction, and in expressing the heights of the mercury column in barometer

readings.

AREA

The units of area are merely the squares of the units

of length. Only a few of these are used. The square

meter is used for measuring floor, wall, and roof areas, also airplane wing surfaces . The s quare centimeter and s quare

millimeter are used in technical work in measiu-ing pres- sures and tensile strength. The square millimeter is used to express the areas of cross section of Avii'es. The

square kilometer is used to express the areas of cotmtries

and continents and of lakes and di'ainage areas. For convenience in land measurements an area having a

surface of 100 square meters is called an "are." An "are

of land" would suffice for a small workman's house and

yard in a city. The hectare is 100 ares (or 10 000 square

meters). Tliis is the area of a square ha^-ing a side of 100 meters . The hectare would suffice to make a moderate

sized city block.

VOLUME

Likewise the units of volume are merely the cubes of the

units of length. Here, again, only a few units are required.

The cubic meter is used for measuring earth and excavations, stone, wood in logs, lumber, boards. The cubic

meter is used to express register and displacement ton- nage of ships. The fact that a cubic meter of water

weighs a metric ton makes it a useful unit for that

purpose.
8 BUREAU OF STANDARDS

The cubic decimeter (1000 cubic centimeters) is called the "liter," which is the unit of capacity. The cubic

centimeter illustrated in Fig. 4 is the one-thousandth

part of a liter and is used in chemistry, medicine, and in

the sciences and industries.

CAPACITY

The primary unit of capacity is the liter or cubic decimeter (=1000 cubic centimeters). As the hand is a

decimeter wide the closed fist easily fits in a hollow cube

of 1 liter capacity. Such a cube has an edge of of a

meter, or the approximate width of this booklet. The

volume, therefore, is just a cubic decimeter. If milk

were delivered in liter bottles (instead of in quarts) no

one wovdd suspect it, imless informed of the change. A liter of tea would fill 4 common tea cups. The soldier's can- teen has nearly a liter capacity, and the

canteen cup nearly | of a liter. The

YiQ_ 4 mess tin, if filled to the brim without

cover, holds just | of a liter. If filled separately, the bottom and top of the bacon tin hold alitor. The milliliter is in world-wide use in pharmacy, and is equal to the cubic centimeter. The dekaliter is used to measiu-e dry commodities and in mai-keting. The hectoliter is used as a larger volume in farm statistics. WEIGHT

The unit of weight is the gram, 1000 of which give the

market unit, the kilogram. The kilogram is exactly the

weight of a liter of water.

2 There is a minute distinction between the liter and cubic decimeter which is used only in work oi extreme precision.
METRIC MANUAL 9

The weight of a soldier's helmet with padding and straps

is about a kilogram. A half kilogram is the weight of a dummy hand grenade marked "1." A light baseball bat

weighs a kilogram. The kilogram is used in the markets

for weighing meat, ice, sugar, etc. A light sadiron weighs

2 kilograms, a heavy one 3 kilograms.

The gram is the scientific unit of weight used in chemistry, medicine, coinage, and for other purposes. In

rationing the gram is commonly used. An excellent idea

of the gram as a weight may be gained from American

coins. Our nickel 5-cent piece weighs 5 grams, 1 cent for each gram. Ten dollars in nickels weigh 1000 grams, or 1 kilogram . Om silver coins are worth 4 cents for each gram

,

so that 20 cents in silver weighs 5 grams. This is exactly the weight of the silver French franc. Thus, we

have gram weights in our purses in both France and

America, and the handling of American nickels or French

francs will quickly give a clearer idea of the "5-gram"

weight and its multiples than the average man ever gets

of the ounce weights.

The metric ton (1000 kilograms) is the weight of a cubic

meter of water, and is employed in weighing large quantities of products, such as coal, iron, hay, and heavy freight.

DERIVING THE METRIC SYSTEM FROM A DECIMETER RULE

The simplicity of the metric system is such that the

entire system may be derived from the rule pictured in

Fig. 5. The ' ' meter " is 10 times this length. The '

' liter "

is the voliune of a cube with an edge equal to the length of the rule. The "kilogram" is the weight of this volume

of water. All subdivisions and multiples in the metric

system are formed by using 10 to multiply or divide. Note

the metric dimensions of the rule. (See Figs. 3 and 5.)
10 BtJEEATT or STANDARDS

The weight of water is equal to its volume, as numerically expressed by appropriate units. A cubic meter of water weighs a ton; 11 cubic meters weigh 11 tons, 31

liters of water weigh 31 kilograms, 53 cubic centimeters

of water (i. e., 53 milliliters) weigh 53 grams. A similar

equality holds for any other weight or volume of water. The weight of any material is equal to its volume times

its specific gravity. The specific gravity of a solid or liquid is its weight compared with the same volmne of water taken as 1. The volume of this rule (10 by 1 by 0.1 centimeters) is 1 cubic centimeter. Since steel is 7.8 times heavier than

water (that is, its specific gra^dt3ris 7.8), a rule this size made of steel would weigh 7.8 grams.

STORY OF THE METRIC SYSTEM

When commerce spread, the chaos of units in trading

countries became intolerable. A world system was

desired alike in science and commerce. An ideal system

nust be practical and scientific, adapted to measure

anything and siiited to all people, for all purposes, and

for all time. Men of affairs urged that such a system be

devised. The vision was realized in the metric system, now ftie legal standard in 34 countries and in use for scientific purposes throughout the world.

Many features desirable in a world system had been

separately suggested prior to the actual proposal in the

French National Assembly which resulted in the metric

system. Decimals, introduced into Eiu-ope by Stevinus,

became part of the new system. Self-defining names were

suggested by Abbe Mouton, and improved as now found

in the system. James Watt suggested that all units of weight and measure be derived from the single unit of length. This was made a basic principle of the metric

system. Several had also proposed that this unit of length
JIETEIC MANUAL 11

be taken from an invariable dimension found in nature. In fixing the metric unit of length, it was decided to make

the "meter" equal to one ten-millionth of the quadrant

of the earth. Wlien the plan was approved, the development of the

details of the system was begun. Siuveyors measm-ed an arc of the meridian passing through Dunkirk as a

basis for fixing the length of the meter. Scientists in theii' laboratories derived preciselj^ the units of volume and of weight from the unit of length. Chemists purified the

platintim. Mechanicians perfected form and finish of the standards of length and mass—the meter and kilogram.

The system spread rapidly from nation to nation. The

need for international custody of the standards and an

international biu-eau was realized, and in 1875 the leading

nations signed the treaty of Paris establishing the Inter- national Bureau of Weights and Measm-es, providing for new standards of the meter and kilogram and for their

international custody. The treaty resulted from a series of international conferences in Paris, beginning in 1870,

interrupted by the Franco-Prussian War, resumed in 1872,

and completed in 1875. The treaty realized the suggestion

of John Quincy Adams made years before that a council

of nations be called to fix a single invariable and an

international system for all peoples and all times. The"

results of the treaty assured the permanency and final success of the metric system which is now the legal standard

in 34 nations and the world standard for all the sciences.

Under the terms of this treaty, the leading nations now

jointly maintain the International Bureau of Weights

and Measures in the Pare du St. Cloud, at S^vi-es, a little northwest of Paris, on neutral territory dedicated for the

purpose by the French Government. At this Bureau are preserved the international meter and the international
12 BUREAtJ OF STANDARDS

kilogram—the world's metric standards of length and

weight (or mass). The same nations are represented by

an International Committee of Weights and Measures,

the highest tribunal on the subject of measurement, which

officially represents the governments of 26 nations.

TABLES

A knowledge of the metric system is not gained best

by memorizing equivalents but by learning to think, measure, and compute directly and entirely in metric units.

The best method of learning is to use only these units

and learn their values direct without reference to English equivalents. This avoids confusing the English sys- tem with the metric system, which was designed for simplicity and ease of use. Where translation is strictly

required, the equivalents given below will be useful. The extended values are not usually needed but are given

for accuracy of redu tion as shown in problems such aa those given below.

1. Convert 27.3 millimeters to inches. (Refer to table.)

2 mm=.0748 inch, hence 20. mm= .7874 inch

7. mm= .27559 inch

.3mm= .01181 inch

27.3 mm=1.0748 inches

2. Convert 1.0748 inches to millimeters. (See table.)

1 inch =25.400 mm

7 inches=177.8 mm, hence .07 inch= 1.778 mm

4 inches=101.6 mm, hence .004 inch= .102 mm

8 inches=203.2 mm, hence .0008 inch= .020 mm

1.0748 inch=27.300 mm
METRIC MANUAL

lUCucS JLYL m"" cI cl a Feet Meters

(in.) (mm) (ft.) (m)

0. 039 37=1 ±=Q^ 304 801 0.078 74=2 2=o! 609 601

0. 118 11=3 3=0. 914 402

0. 157 48=4 4=1. 219 202

0. 196 85=5 5=1.524 003

0. 236 22=6 6=1.828 804

0. 275 59=7 7=2. 133 604

0. 314 96=8 8=2. 438 405

0.354 33=9 9= 2. 743 205

1= 25.4001 3 280 83=1

2= 50.8001 6 561 67=3

3= 76.2002 9 842 50=3

4=101.6002 13 123 33=4

5=127. 0003 16 404 17=5

6=152.4003 19. 685 00=6

7= 177. 8004 22 965 83=7

8=203. 2004 26 246 67=8

9= 228. 6005 29 527 50=9

Yards Meters U.S. miles Kilometers

(yd.) (m) (mi.) (km)

1 = 0. 914 402 0. 621 370=1

2= 1. 828 804 1. 242 740=2

3= 2.743 205 1.864 110=3

4= 3. 657 607 2. 485 480=4

6= 4. 572 009 3. 106 850=5

6= 5. 486 411 3. 728 220=6

7= 6. 400 813 4.349 590=7

8= 7. 315 215 4.970 960=8

9= 8. 229 616 5.592 330=9

1.093 611= 1 1= 1. 609 347

2. 187 222= 2 2= 3. 218 694

3. 280 833= 3 3= 4. 828 042

4. 374 444= 4 4= 6.437 389

5. 468 056= 5 5= 8.046 736

6. 561 667= 6 6= 9. 656 083

7. 655 278= 7 7=11.265 431

8. 748 889= 8 8=12.874 778

9. 842 500= 9 9=14.484 125
BUREAU OF STANDARDS

tr. S. liquid Liters

qtiarts

(qt.) (1)

TT. S. Hecto- bushels liters fbu.) (hi) 1—0 Q46 ^"^ 1 = 35? 3fi 3=1.892 67 2=0. 704 77 3=2. 839 00 3=1. 057 15 4= 3. 785 33 4=1. 409 53

5=4.731 67 5=1.761 92 6= 5.678 00 6=2. 114 30 7=6. 624 33 7=2. 466 68 8=7. 570 66 8=2. 819 07 9=8.517 00 9=3. 171 45

1. UDD / 1 — X

0070 1

2. 113 42=2 5 6756=2

3.170 13=3 8 5135=3

4. 226 84=4 11 3513=4

5.283 55=5 14 1891=5

6. 340 26=6 17 0269=6

7. 396 97=7 19 8647= 7

8.453 68=8 22 7026=8

9.510 39=9 25 5404=9

Avoirdu Avoirdu Kilopois Grains pois grams

ounces pounds

(oz. av.J (g) (lb. av.) (kg)

0. 035 274=1 1= 0. 453 59 0.070 548=2 2= 0.907 18

0. 105 822=3 3= 1. 360 78

0. 141 096=4 4= 1. 814 37

0.176 370=5 5= 2. 267 96

0. 211 644=6 6= 2. 721 55

0. 246 918=7 7= 3. 175 15

0. 282 192=8 8= 3. 628 74

0. 317 466=9 9= 4.082 33

1= 28.350 2 204 62= 1 2= 56.699 4 409 24= 2 3= 85.049 6 613 87= 3

4=113. 398 8 818 49= 4

5=141.748 11 023 11= 5

6=170. 097 13 227 73= 6

7=198. 447 15. 432 36= 7

8=226. 796 17 636 98= 8

9=255. 146 19. 841 60= 9
METniC jMANtJAL 15

SYNOPSIS OF METRIC SYSTEM

Thefundamental linit of the metric system is the METER (the unit of length) From this the units of mass (GRAM) and capacity (LITER) are

derived. All other units are th» decimal sub- divisions or multiples of these. These three units are simply related, so that, for all practical fmrposes the volume of one kilogram of water {one

liter) IS equal to one cubic decimeter.

51

Q —

D "> ?°

U i?

u.O

tt. UI —

I- n

u I S

G

UJ O _^

O Nu

UJ -1 z _z

o -.-

PREFIXES Mf ANING UNITS

MILLI- one thousandth .001 CENTI- one hundredth .0( DECI- one lenlh -w METER /or liiph

unit one 1. GRAM /or mass DEKA- ten to. LITER tor capadt/ HECTO- one hundred 100. KILO- one thousond 1000

Fig. i.—A

heJ to the metric s system

The metric terms are formed by combining the words "MElER,"

"GRAM." and "LITER" with the six numerical prefixes

, LENGTH

= i centi-meter cm

= I dcci-meter dm

= I METER ("'iSsK/ JO mete) m

= i deka-meter dkm

= I hecto-meter hm

= I kilo-meter (about '/, mtle) km

MASS

= I centi-gram eg

- I deci-gram dg

= 1 GRAM (about li grains) g - I deka-gram dkg

= I hecto-gram hg

= I kilo-gr^m (ajinK/ i pounds) kg

CAPACITY

ml = i centi-liter cl = I- dcci-liter dl = I LITER (aiout 1 fuart) ! = I deka-liter dkl = I hectoliter (alout a barrel) hi = I kilo-liter fcl The square and cubic units are the squares and cubes of the linear units. The ordioary unit of land area is .the HECTARE (about 3Ji acres).

10 milli-mctdrs mrr !0 centi-meters 10 deci-meters 10 meters

10 deka-meters 10 hecto-meters

10 milli-grams mg

10 centi-grams ID deci-grams 10 grams

10 dcka-grams

iO hecto-grams

10 mrlli-liters 10 centi-liters 10 deci-liters 10 liters 10 deka-liters 10 hecto-liters
METRIC VOCABULARY

[Hyphen indicates prefix, or prefix initial.]

are=100 square meters. area=surface measured in squares of length units.

c-=centi-.

capacity=space in a container, expressed in cubes of linear units. centi-=.01.

d-=deci-.

deka-=10.

dk-=deka-.

gram=the unit of weight or (more strictly) of mass. h-=hecto-.

hecto-=100.

k-=kilo-.

length=direct distance between two points.

l-=liter (volume of 1 kg of water).

liter=the unit of capacity, or volume.

m=meter.

m-=milli-.

mass=amount of material, measm-ed by weighing.

mega-=one million (1 000 000).

meter=the unit of length.

micro-=one-niillionth (.000001).

micron=term appUed to one-millionth of a meter,

(micron is abbreviated by the Greek letter micron yu). mil=(l) infantry unit of vertical angle (elevation), 1 millimeter at 1 meter distance, 1 meter at 1 kilo- meter distance, subtend 1 infantry mil ; (2) artillery

unit of horizontal angle (azimuth) approximately

the same as the infantry mil.

milli-=.001.

stk'e=trade name for a cubic meter. ton=trade name for 1000 kilograms (weight of 1 cubic

meter of water).

volume=cubical contents expressed in cubes of length units. weight=(l) a mass of metal used in weighing and (2) the pull of gravity on a mass of material.

16
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