The Pros And Cons Of The Metric System

“There are two types of countries in this world. Those who use the metric system, and those that have been to the moon.” Although I can’t remember where I found this quote, it immediately popped into my head when I thought of the metric system in the US. Like many ideas now a days, this one is highly debated. In fact since the time of Thomas Jefferson in 1789, the use of the metric system in the US has been a very popular idea. The metric system comes with its advantages, and its disadvantages. For example, one could argue that the metric system is much easier to learn, and can reduce the amount of error in areas such as medicine, science, and space travel. However, in my own personal opinion, the cons outweigh the pros. By switching to the metric system, billions of dollars nationwide would have to be spent on things like changing road signs and manufactures having to convert values on packaging. Also, the customary system has been apart of the United States counting system since we were founded, as it was based of the British imperial system. It’s almost safe to say that it’s apart of our legacy. Growing up in the US, students are taught the basic conversions. Twelve inches equal a foot, four quarts …show more content…
In the US, highway signs are in the customary system. For example, if Iw as traveling to Alexandria, Virginia, I would take I-270 and a see a sign saying “Alexandria 35 miles away”. This is the case throughout the United States, and it would cost billions of dollars to fix everyone of these signs. And for a country that’s about 19.3 trillion dollars in debt, we don't need that burden. Also, manufacturing companies would have to spend another billions of dollars trying to fix the values on packing. This would most likely increase the price on everyday goods. Eventually, I believe that everything would stabilize, but the initially impact would be