![]() ![]() The metric system’s primary purpose is to facilitate easy mathematical and scientific calculations. For more than 200 years, the metric system has actively evolved by having scientific discoveries incorporated into its definitions. Metric-only STEM instruction is the most beneficial and efficient use of limited class time.Īll units of the metric system (except mass) have primary definitions based on scientific constants. Not only is class time regained through transferred metric unit knowledge but also class time is saved because metric computations are 44.9% faster and less error-prone. In the classroom, once a student masters the units within one measure, they immediately understand the unit relationships throughout the entire metric system. The system allows unit conversions within all measures by merely moving the decimal point the correct number of places in either direction. That unit can then easily be scaled from very small to the very large by using one of the same six prefixes. For each characteristic to be measured (except mass), only one unit is defined. The same six prefixes are used throughout the system to simplify the vocabulary. The units (centimeter, milligram) have simple and consistent meanings. In contrast to customary units, the metric system is indeed a true system. With customary units, students often focus on the convoluted process needed to solve a problem without ever understanding the concept in which the problem was intended to teach.īelow are examples of the Customary measures for length and weight: This is so because customary units require complex multiplication and division earlier and more frequently than metric units. Furthermore, the inherent difficulties of working with customary units absorb significant class time, even when learning basic concepts. Students must start from the beginning with each new measure. A student could master the measure for length but that will not facilitate learning in any other measure. There are no consistent relationships in customary units therefore, no knowledge is transferable. In the classroom, this disconnect translates into copious amounts of instruction time. Additionally, there are no connection points among measures (length and weight). Customary units do not even have primary definitions they are legally defined as fractions of metric standards. You’ll notice below that there are no consistent conversions between units (mile, foot) within a measure (length). “Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking of them”- Alfred North Whitehead What are the differences between customary units (inch-pound) and metric (meter-gram) units?Ĭustomary units are NOT a system of measurement.Ī system is a set of interconnecting parts forming a complex whole. Customary units are an assortment of disparate, unconnected units based on historical artifacts and colonial legacies chiefly supported through our continued teaching of them and reinforced by our consumption habits. ![]()
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