THIS diagram of the metric units of length, area and volume is printed on a sheet of paper about 3 feet 6 inches by 2 feet 6 inches. The various measures are shown full size. To be of the greatest ...

The truth, however, is more complicated: Though imperial units are commonly used in the U.S., the metric system is actually the nation’s preferred system of measurement.

Units from the metric system can be used to describe the mass, volume or length of an object. Mass is measured in grams (g) and kilograms (kg). Volume is measured in millilitres (ml) and litres (l).

The metric system is used to measure the length, mass or capacity of an object. Length is measured in millimetres (mm), centimetres (cm), metres (m) or kilometres (km).

Yotta (24 zeroes) was the largest prefix in the metric system before the new additions. Now, the Earth's mass can be said to be about 6 ronnagrams rather than 6,000 yottagrams.

One inch equaled three barleycorns. And another customer in the market, Bob Burns, preferred the metric system for professional reasons. “I am an engineer,” he said.

We don’t generally notice measurement because it’s pretty much the same everywhere we go. Today, the metric system, which was created in France, is the official system of measurement for every ...