Why some people in the US can't understand the metric system.

[geeslaka]

I am correcting a worksheet for my sister (who is learning to be a teacher). It has two tables for the metric system on it, one on each side.
Table on side 1:

Prefix   Value x Base Unit   Meters Symbol   Liters Symbol   Grams Symbol
Tera -   1,000,000,000,000         Tm             TL              Tg
Giga -     1,000,000,000           Gm             GL              Gg
Mega -       1,000,000             Mm             ML              Mg
Kilo -         1,000               Km             KL              Kg
Hecto -         100                Hm             HL              Hg
Deka -           10               Dkm            DkL             Dkg
Base Unit -       1                 m              L               g
deci -         1/10                dm             dL              dg
centi -        1/100               cm             cL              cg
milli -       1/1,000              mm             mL              mg
micro -     1/1,000,000           mcm            mcL             mcg
nano -    1/1,000,000,000          nm             nL              ng

Table on side 2:

Tera-     Giga-     Mega-     Kilo-     Hecto-     Deka-     Base unit     deci-     centi-     milli-     Micro-     nano-
Tm        Gm        Mm        Km        Hm         Dkm       m             dm        cm         mm         mcm        nm
0.000001  0.00001   0.0001    0.001     0.01       0.1       1             10        100        1000       10000      100000

Anyone else see problems with these tables?

[Immortal Wombat]

The bottom row of the bottom table. Duh.

[Japher]

decameter does not equatl 10 kilometers/kiloliters/kilograms and a micrometer does not equal 1/1,000,000 of a centimeter/centileter/centigram...

[Thue]

Deleted

[Sarxis]

So, why can't some people in the US understand the metric system?

This whole thread seems quite pointless.. again.. for the 5th time.. ad nauseum... etc etc...

[Skanky Burns]

For the record, deci and centi are not metric.

[Spiffor]

Isn't there something smaller than nano ? I think I remember "pico" or something, but I'm unable to tell how much it is.

[geeslaka]

Because the teachers mess up and make worksheets wrong. People can't learn if they are taught wrong.

[Sarxis]

Yes, pico is smaller. Femto is even smaller.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Anun Ik Oba
Femto is even smaller.

Thanks. I didn't know at all about this one.

[Dis]

metric system sux

[mrmitchell]

Dissident
What's 49 inches in miles? Or 32 furlongs in fathoms? 16 rods to the bar?

(I think all of those are real units ...the point: standardisation in a system of measurement is good.)

[Nubclear]

Why is the US system called "Standard", when it isnt? The standard system is metric, and the US system isn't standard.

[mrmitchell]

it's Standard in the US

Well, Standard is the most standard () name for it. There's English, Standard, Customary, and US or American can be pinned on to any one of those...hell, we can't even name our own system, much less learn metric

[Dis]

the metric system is a communist plot to undermine the U.S.