The Metric System: A Debate on US Conversion (Economics)

This assignment addresses the ongoing debate about the United States adopting the metric system of measurement. The student argues that conversion would be advantageous, simplifying international communication and boosting trade due to the metric system's widespread use. The assignment highlights the metric system's role as the primary scientific and medical language, along with its ease of unit conversion using decimals. The student also acknowledges potential obstacles to conversion, including psychological resistance to change, the need for significant resource investment, and the potential confusion among Americans unfamiliar with the metric system. The assignment concludes by emphasizing the importance of embracing the metric system for effective global communication and technological advancement.

Running head: SYSTEMS OF MEASUREMENT 1
Should the United States convert to the metric system of measurement?
Student
Institutional Affiliation

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1. Do you see this to be an advantage or a disadvantage? Explain your answer.
There is no doubt that the metric system is the most used around the world. So, adopting
the metric system will be advantageous as communicating with people from other
countries will be made easy and comprehensible. Changing to the metric system is also
likely to boost trade. According to Charles (2015), trade is enhanced by common easily
compressible. Adopting, the metric system is going to promote international trade.
Besides the language of commerce, the metric system is the primary scientific and
medical language around the world. Additionally, the metric system of measurement
allows for easy and simple conversion of units, since the system allows the use of
decimals. It is so easy to convert, for instance, a meter to a kilometer. This is because it is
so simple to toggle zeroes in the same unit (Lange, 2016).
2. Should the United States convert to the metric system?
The debate about the adoption of a uniform system of measurement around the
world has been going on for years. The metric system of measurements is widely used
around the world with the exception of few such as the United States of America. The
metric measurement system holds a vital place in the history of measurement in America.
The first ever Decimal currency was made in the USA in 1972. Being the most accepted
around the world, it is only right for the use to embrace the metric system of
measurement. Gone are days when a country could survive without learning from and
depending on another. Technologically, the world is currently being described as a global
village (Lange, 2016). This has been attributed to the first and effective means of passing
information from one end of the earth to another. Communication has been made

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effective by uniformity in pass information regarding, for instance, measurements (Taylor
& National Institute of Standards and Technology (US), 2017).
3. What obstacles do you see in the event that the United States decides to convert?
There a variety of challenges that the USA government and relevant authorities
will face if the metric system of measurements will be implemented. From a
psychological point of view, change especially of mind-set in most cases leads to
confusion. Based on Jeffrey (2012), a change to the metric system of measurement would
most likely to affect Americans who do not know how to apply the metric system in their
normal work. Every particular application, from simple measurements to weight to
temperature entails a completely different approach to change from imperial to metric
(Jeffrey, 2012). A change to the metric system of measurement is also expensive.
Resources will have to be pumped in to buy materials and educate people. People are
resistant to change generally speaking. This resistance is also likely to be met in the
adoption of the metric system (Jeffrey, 2012).

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References
Charles F. (2015). Debates: Official report. Ottawa: Queen's Printer.
Jeffrey, R., (2012). The middle schoolers' debatabase: 75 current controversies for debaters.
New York: International Debate Education Association.
Lange, E. (2016). Information on the metric system and related fields. Washington: National
Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Taylor, B. N., & National Institute of Standards and Technology (U.S.). (2017). The
international system of units (SI). Washington, DC: United States Department of
Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technolgy.