Opinion - Letters to the Editor

POSTED: Saturday, Jun. 27, 2009

Wants U.S. to switch to metric system

In my country, Japan, the metric system is used. When I moved to the U.S., I could not understand temperatures and distances. I always have to change from the American system to the metric system.

In my opinion America should change to the metric system. First of all, I do not know my measurements in the American system: how much I weigh, how tall I am, and my shoe size. If a doctor asks me about that when I go to the hospital, I cannot answer.

Electric signs indicate Celsius and Fahrenheit. Also the speedometer of a car is written in kilometers and miles. If America changes to the metric system, everything could be written in only one unit.

Finally, America should change to the metric system because the General Conference on Weights and Measures decided the metric system to be the international units in 1875. For example, in my native country, Japan, which had used an original unit system a long time ago, changed to the metric system in 1891.

Moreover, every country uses the metric system except the United States, Liberia and Myanmar. Therefore, every country should stick to what has been decided by the GCWM, and America should too.

Tomomi Chino

Ferndale