But, in standardizing and integrating measurements on a base-ten system, many useful intermediate units of measurement disappeared. For example, a tavern keeper's primary tasks related to pints and extended downwards to glasses and upwards to quarts and barrels. The needs of users were made secondary to the convenience of experts. A similar desire for rationality exists in law. Recalcitrant Measures Rationality in measurement has not, however, been fully achieved.
Some exceptions continue.
The French revolutionaries were not able to impose their base-ten system on time. Even within metric systems needs and experience still matter. Not all metric measurement units are equally popular. In some recently converted metric countries, practice has retained traditional units expressed in metric terms. We buy 454 grams rather than 500 grams of butter because 454 grams is 1 pound.