2. Metric System 101

3. Measurement Must have a standard.
A standard is an exact quantity people agree to use for comparison.
A standard means two people using the same object should get close to the same results.

4. Standards of the past
People used to use parts of their body to determine the length of something.
The standard would be a part of the king’s anatomy.
The standard yard was the distance from the king’s nose to his outstretched arm

5. People would use their feet to measure distance
This is how the term foot came about.
Today the standard “foot” in the English system is
12 inches = 1 foot

6. The English system is very confusing because it has so many different values

7. America is the only country that still uses the old English system

9. Scientists give the English system the thumbs down
Scientists needed an exact and uniform system of weights and measurements
So they created the metric system
Based in units of 10

10. How did the metric system come about?
During the18th century scientists measured the distance from the earth’s equator to its North Pole and divided it into ten million parts.
This is how they came up with the length of the standard meter.

11. The Meter The standard for the meter is kept in a safe in France.
The meter stick is a replica of that standard
A meter is made up of 100 centimeters and 1000 millimeters

12. The Mistake
Two different groups of scientists were working on the calculations to send a probe to Mars.
The American team did their calculations in the English standard and the other team did it in the metric system (OOPS!)
MARS

13. King/Queen’s Foot Your corner of the room is now a country
Your job is to now measure the king/queen’s foot with string
The new standard for the foot in your country

14. King/Queen’s foot
Your country now needs to build a house using the ruler’s foot as a standard
Make a 1 foot x 1 foot box as a base
Measure then cut out 1x1 box out of butcher’s paper
Decorate it if you want to
1 foot
1 foot

15. King/Queen’s foot DISASTER! Your king/queen just died!
Measure out the new ruler’s foot with a new piece of string
Use this new standard to create a triangle roof with 1 foot sides
1 foot

16. King/Queen’s foot Cut out your new roof
Does your house fit perfectly??
Exit Slip: Why does not having a consistent standard for measurement cause problems?