Zurakowski 1 The Evolution of Units Many people today, particularly those in the scientific community, believe that the United States should abandon the English system of measurement in favor of the increasing dominance of the Metric system. Almost every country on Earth has switched over to the Metric system, but the United States continues to stand with the old system that has been in place for generations. Those who work in more science-based careers dream of an America that uses the Metric system instead of the old method, but would it really matter? Could the Metric system not be as perfect as many believe it to be? Throughout history, systems of measurement have adapted, evolved, and died. The vast history of the many different systems of measurement shows how there may never be a single universal system, because they are always changing and adapting. In ancient times, people would use objects to measure length and weight. The Egyptians most basic unit of length was by using the finger. Based on archaeological evidence, we now know that the Egyptian finger was approximately 1.875 cm. A palm was the length of 4 fingers (7.5 cm.), the hand was 5 fingers (9.38 cm.), and the fist was 6 fingers (11.25cm.). Unlike their system of length, the Egyptian s weight system did not rely on physical objects. Their base unit of weight was the deben, which changed sometime between the Middle and New Kingdoms. During the Old and Middle Kingdoms, which existed between 2686 1640 BC, the deben was at its lightest, equaling to approximately 13.6 grams. During the New Kingdom, which existed around 1550 1070 BC, the deben was exponentially heavier, equaling 91 grams. The Egyptians also created some of the terms of measuring time that we still use today. An Egyptian month was always made up of 30 days, unlike our calendar today
Zurakowski 2 which alternates the amount of days in each month. However, they did popularize the idea of the hour, which has not changed to this day. Even in ancient times, people measured days in 24 hours. (London) The Greek s system was very similar to the Egyptian system, especially in length. In fact, their units of length were mostly identical to the Egyptian system, as it both of them were based off of body parts. The Greeks also used the finger, but they also used a unit called a pous, which meant foot. Their system of weight was based upon their currency. The smallest unit of weight, the obol, was named after the smallest coin. This obol weighed approximately 0.72 grams. The largest unit of weight, the talent was approximately 37.8 kg. The Greek s system, like much of their culture, was eventually adopted by the Roman Empire. (Lahanas) The Roman system of measurement was a melting pot of other systems including the Egyptian and Greek systems. The base unit of length in the Roman system was the foot, which was equal to 16 digits. This unit is still used in the English system of measurement in the US today. In fact, the unit of length known as the mile was adopted from the Roman system. A Roman mile was made up of 1000 paces. Each pace was the equivalent of 5 feet. This meant
Zurakowski 3 that originally, a mile was 5,000 feet rather than the 5,280 feet in the English system. The Roman s system of weight was based around factors of 12. The base unit of weight was the libra, which is the equivalent of 11.4 to 11.6 ounces. The Roman s also had developed a system of time which we still use today. Our current units of years, weeks, and hours were created with the Roman system. Much of the Roman system survives in the English system today. (History) In ancient times, every civilization had their own system of measurement, but the modern world has only 2: the English system and the Metric system. As the world became more connected, the idea of one universal system became something to strive for. In 1824, the Imperial system took over Great Britain. Today, we call this the English system. This system was first made standard with the Weights and Measures Act of 1824, which tried to set a standard system of measurement in the expanding United Kingdom. This Act has since been refined and reduced, switching to the Metric system s units instead. However, the Imperial system still lives on in the United States, and certain Imperial units still remain in the UK and parts of Canada. (Roberts) The English/Imperial system adopted the Roman idea of the foot, but changed the units making up a foot into an inch. Instead of 16 digits in a foot, there are now 12 inches in a foot. The word inch derives from a word that means one-twelfth part. This system also used different units for maritime. Rather than using feet and miles like on land, maritime units consist of fathoms and the nautical mile. Much like the Greeks, the Imperial system based its units of weight off of the currency. They used terms like the pound and ounce, however the manner in which they determined these units was a rather complex task. A pound was determined by the mass of a cubic inch of distilled water at an atmospheric pressure of 30 inches of mercury. It is not as easily understandable as the archaic finger, but it is a much more
Zurakowski 4 accurate unit to measure. Since the finger was more of a rough approximation based off of something that differs from person to person, the complex way of defining a pound is extremely accurate, despite its complexity. (Roberts) The second, and most widespread, system of measurement is the Metric System. This system traces its roots to a French origin in 1799. The idea of the meter and kilogram came from this French system, and it would become the foundation of what soon became the known as the Metric System. The idea of the metric system is to utilize base measurements with larger or smaller units based off of the base unit in powers of 10. For example, the base unit of length is the meter ; from the meter, there is the Kilometer (100 meters) and the Centimeter (1/100 meters). The meter was once defined as 1/10,000,000 the distance from the equator to the North Pole. In 1983, the definition was changed to the length that light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second. Many people, especially those from the scientific community, praise the Metric system for its decimal-based simplicity. Others argue that the method of defining the base units of the Metric system, especially the meter, is arbitrary and just as confusing as the Imperial system. The debate over the United States adoption of the Metric System is a still ongoing quarrel. (Gregory) Due to the United States resistance to a complete reliance on Metric, students are required to know conversion formulas from English to Metric and vice versa. The formulas can be quite intimidating to young students, as the formulas appear very complex. For example, to convert from Fahrenheit to Celsius, subtract 32 and multiply by 5/9. To convert from Celsius to Fahrenheit, multiply the temperature by 1.8 and add 32. These two formulas, while not too
Zurakowski 5 difficult to work out, are very difficult for young students to figure out in a quick and efficient manner. Because of this, students can be resistant to a switch to the metric system. Since the English system has become so ingrained into our culture, it may be difficult for older students to switch over. (Wight) The United States has been divided in regards to switching over from the English system to the Metric system. While there does not seem to be any specific systems that have this kind of promise, it is not farfetched to believe that one could inevitably surface. By looking at the history of measurement systems, we can see that these systems are always evolving. These systems change on a fairly regular basis, so it might not be too farfetched to think that another, more perfect, system might come along and replace the metric system. No matter which system the
Zurakowski 6 United States decides to go with permanently, people must have a more open mind about adopting other kinds of units and systems. Perhaps, in a few years, a new system might emerge that will make the Metric system seem just as archaic then as the Egyptian system seems to us today.
Zurakowski 7 Works Cited Cubit Image. imarcade. Web. 25 Oct, 2014 Aug. 2014 Length in Ancient Egypt Digital Egypt. University College London, 2002. Web. 15 Metric to English Conversion Table Image. Timberwolf Tools. Web. 25 Oct, 2014 Roman Weights and Measures UNRV History. Web. 16 Aug, 2014 Aug. 2014 Weight in Ancient Egypt Digital Egypt. University College London, 2002. Web. 15 Gregory, Michael J, Ph.D. The Metric System and Measurement Clinton Community College. Web. 16 Aug, 2014 Lahanas, Michael Measurements Helenciaworld. Web. 16 Aug, 2014 Roberts, Donna The English System of Measurement RegentsPrep. Web. 16 Aug, 2014 Wight Hat Ltd. Metric Conversions, 31 Oct. 2003. Web. 24 Sept. 2014