Metric Methods^SM

You are probably more "metric" than you think! Often, Americans will say that they don't understand the metric system (actually, the SI) because they never use it. But take a look at the list below and see if you haven't done many of these things:

Americans are using metric units when they:

• buy pencil leads (0.5 mm or 0.7 mm),
• buy camera film,
• buy soft drinks and bottled water by the liter (the liter is accepted for use with the SI),
• buy wine or distilled spirits (only metric sizes are allowed),
• tell time (the second is a metric unit),
• look at the labels on retail goods (dual labeled since 1994),
• buy and use eyeglasses, cameras, and binoculars,
• read publications that include metric units,
• hear or read about 5 km, 10 km, and 26 km races,
• watch or read about the Olympic events,
• watch or participate in many high school and college swim, track, and field meets that are now metricated,
• buy almost any imported goods (e.g., olive oil, candies, gourmet foods),
• buy a car (American or foreign) or parts for one,
• compare car engine sizes (in liters, of course),
• buy flower seeds or many of the nursery plants,
• use DVDs, CD-ROMs and CDs (120 mm diameter),
• compare computer monitors based on pixel (dot) pitch in millimeters,
• compare computer speeds in gigahertz,
• buy bicycle hardware,
• purchase skis,
• use movie film and VCR tape (8 mm and 12 mm),
• sew with patterns which show metric units,
• buy colognes/perfumes and many hair care products,
• buy mouthwashes and some health care aids,
• buy and use some of the newer models of home appliances,
• buy food for dogs, cats, and other pets,
• take any medicines (prescription or over the counter),
• read NASA pages for many programs (e.g., the Stardust mission),
• attend American public schools (or most of the private schools),
• buy light bulbs ("watt", "volt", and "lumen" are SI units),
• replace a fuse or reset a breaker (the ampere is an SI unit),
• pay their electric bills,
• look at one side of almost any ruler (e.g., 30 cm or 12 inch),
• look at the markings on their kitchen measuring cups and spoons,
• read sizes on many baking pans and casserole dishes,
• count their fat and fiber intakes in grams,
• watch their sodium intake in milligrams,
• look at nutrition labels on food,
• use Sweet'n'Low,
• calculate their Body Mass Index (BMI) which is one's mass in kilograms divided by the square of one's height in meters,
• tune a radio to a station (megahertz and kilohertz are SI units),
• set their word processor programs to use centimeters for margins and positioning,
• have body temperature taken (most doctors and hospitals now use metric thermometers),
• are treated by or work as almost any health care professional (doctors, therapists, dietitians),
• have babies in hospitals that use metric scales to record babies' weight and height,
• read metric road signs in some states,
• read digital air temperature signs at banks and stores,
• travel outside the United States,
• hear or read international news,
• meet foreign tourists, or
• use 90 mm computer disks (rounded off in translation to "3-1/2 inch disks" by American computer companies who think Americans have never heard of metric units).