what’s a meter?

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Good Magazine on the history of the official definition of the meter. Includes this humiliating nugget: “There are only three countries that do not use the metric system: Liberia, Myanmar, and the United States.” What’s a meter?

The last time I posted on this topic it started a tirade of comments. Apparently there’s not much love for the metric system on this side of the Atlantic.

(via daringfireball)

6 Comments leave a comment below

  1. the US DoD as well as the DoCommerce have been metric for over a decade — the US Army, and Army Core of Engineers have been fully metric since the early 90s.

  2. the US DoD as well as the DoCommerce have been metric for over a decade — the US Army, and Army Core of Engineers have been fully metric since the early 90s.

  3. I will go metric when the metric system adopts a decimal based calendar and clock. 543 liters per week is how many liters per second?

  4. I wish I grew up using the metric system. It makes much more sense and is based on reality instead of what some king decided would be a yard.

    Why would a base 10 calendar and clock make a difference? I guess it would be nice that everyone would have to get used to something new, not just us.

  5. You’ve mentioned this before, and as a young Canadian who grew up using the Imperial system (even though they taught us the metric system in school), I think you over estimate who uses metric in the world. Lies, damned lies and statistics I guess!

    Most Canadians, Brits and Australians I know use the imperial system. Pounds instead of kilos, feet and inches instead of cm, hands to measure a horse the list goes on and on.

    Besides this annoying little factoid that keeps reoccurring: I always enjoy your blog! :D

  6. your not telling me the right thing i wanna no what a meter adds up to like a number (.000009) something like that ugh so hard