The metric system,
based on a system of 10, was developed and used in the 1790's by the French
Academy of Science. The meter was supposed to be one tenth-millionth
part of the distance from the North Pole to the Equator when measured on a
straight line running along the surface of the earth through Paris. They took years to
determine units that would eventually become the standard meter. Scientists use the SI metric system throughout the world to help compare and
contrast items. This helps to standardize observation and data collection.
Only a few countries still use the English system, with the United States as
the largest country that does not embrace the metric system.
|
Standardization by measured metal bars |
Calibration of glassware |
|
