Americans Too Dumb to use the Metric System?

The metric system is the international system of measurement that was originally created in France in about 1799, although it was proposed earlier than that by Englishman John Wilkins in 1668.  By 1872, the only major European countries who were not using the metric system were Russia and the United Kingdom.  Since that time, both of those countries have also made the conversion, as has most of the rest of the world.  When it first came into use, different countries still had their own values for the various units of metric measurement.  However, in 1960 the internationally recognized standard metric system was established.

As of 2012, the ONLY nations in the world who do not use the metric system are Burma, Sierra Leone and the United States.  Currently, both Burma and Sierra Leone are taking steps to adopt the metric system, as well.  That means the United States will be the only nation left that is not using the metric system.  Of course, some countries still use local, unofficial systems of measurement in addition to the metric system.  However, the metric system is the official system of measurement for the rest of the world.  Do we Americans really believe that we are too dumb to learn the metric system?  Do we have so little confidence in ourselves that we can sit back and watch both industrialized and third world countries make the conversion, but we think it would be too hard for us?  Perhaps it is our lack of confidence that is causing us to lie to ourselves about our intelligence and ability.

I remember well when our country made a feable attempt to convert to the metric system in the 1970's.  For some strange reason, people got all tied up with the notion that they would spend their days performing complicated math calculations in order to convert everything to metrics.  However, the one hangover from that period is the two-liter bottle of soda.  Have you ever worried about how many quarts of soda were in a two-liter bottle?  Have you ever found a reason to convert your soda from liters to quarts?  Americans were easily able to make that transistion.

I work in an American high school, and frequently watch our students struggle to learn a system that most children in the world have learned by the time they start kindergarten.  While few of our students know how many feet are in a mile, young children in other parts of the world know that there are 1000 meters in a kilometer.  Wouldn't it be easier if we started out teaching this to our children, too?

Cost to the US because we do not use the Metric System

In 1915, Jos. V. Collins estimated in an article entitled "A Metrical Tragedy" that it was costing the US $315,000,000 at that time because we had not converted to the metric system.  The amount of money lost has skyrocketed since then.

According to the website MetricationMatters.com, in an article by Pat Naughtin written in 2008, Canadian architects and engineers charge about 10 - 15% more to prepare detail drawings for the US market, because it involves extra work.  In addition, materials such as plywood and gypsum board have to be trimmed for the US market, causing about a 3% waste in materials.  Similar additional costs occur in business dealings with other countries.

Students go through elementary school learning our American system of measurement, only to be required to learn the metric system in high school because it is essential they know it in order to pursue careers in physics, chemistry, math, medicine, engineering, auto technology, aircraft repair and many other fields.  This is an inefficient way to train our children, confuses them and puts them behind in math when compared to other students around the world who learn the metric system beginning in preschool.  This is reflected in international math examinations.  It also is expensive to retrain our students.

Errors Caused by Our Failure to Use the Metric System

The cost to the United States because we refuse to use the metric system has been high.  According to an article on CNN Tech entitled "Metric Mishap Caused Loss of NASA Orbiter," NASA lost a $125 million Mars orbiter because one group of engineers used American units of measurement and another group of engineers used the metric system.

According to the U.S. Metric Association, here are just a few of the other serious errors that have been made in recent years because Americans believe they are incapable of converting to the metric system:

In 2003, the Space Mountain roller coaster at Tokyo's Disneyland theme park was derailed because an axle was smaller than it was supposed to be.  The parts had been ordered using the wrong dimensions.

In 1983, an Air Canada flight ran out of fuel because a maintenance worker made an error in converting the amount of fuel that should be pumped from a fuel truck into the aircraft.

At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Melvin Lister from the United States was eliminated in his qualifying round because he couldn't figure out where his mark was.  He was unable to use the metric tape that had been supplied to him.  He was not allowed to use the one he brought with him that showed feet and inches.

In 2004, at least one baby was given five times the correct dosage of Zantac Syrup because the doctor had written the prescription in teaspoons, but the pharmacist had labeled the bottle in milliliters.

Are We Really Less Intelligent Than Other Countries?

I believe the idea that Americans cannot convert to the metric system is a lie.  Every other country in the world has been able to make this change successfully.  I have more confidence in the intelligence of Americans than many of them have in themselves.  I believe we are just as smart as people in other countries.  We just have to prove it to ourselves and each other.

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