National Polytechnic School- Department of Civil Engineering English Course 2020-2021

THE METRIC VS. IMPERIAL SYSTEM

UNITS OF MEASUREMENT
The metric system of measurement, which is prevalent in most countries of the world, uses millimeters
and meters for length; grams, kilograms, and tonnes for mass; liters for volume;
kilogram force per unit area for stress; and degrees Celsius for temperature.
Old English units are the historical units of measurement used in England
up to 1824. The old English system of measurement grew out of the creative way
that people measured for themselves. Familiar objects and parts of the body were
used as measuring devices. For example, people measured shorter distances on
the ground with their feet. Unfortunately, these creative measuring devices
allowed for different measurements to be obtained when different people
measured the same items. Eventually, a standard was set so that all measurements
represented the same amount for everyone.

In modern UK usage, the common term used for the non-metric system is imperial units or imperial
measurements, since they were used as a standard throughout the British Empire and the Commonwealth. In the
United States, the “English units” and the “US standard units” terms are commonly used to refer to the United
States Customary System, which retains some unit names but has some different definitions.
The English units (or Imperial units) of measurement uses inches, feet, and yards for length; pounds or
tons for mass, gallons for volume, pounds per square inch (psi) for stress, and degree Fahrenheit for temperature.
Multinational activity in the design and construction of large engineering projects is commonplace in the
modern world. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly important that scientists and engineers throughout the world
speak the same language of measurement. By the late 20th century, most nations of the former empire had
officially adopted the metric system as their main system of measurement, but some Imperial units are still used
in the United Kingdom and Canada.
The metric system is simpler than the old English system and has recently been modernized in an effort
to make it universally acceptable. The modern version of the metric system, called the International System of
Units (Système International d’Unités), abbreviated SI, was approved in 1960 by many Nations. In SI
measurements, meter and kilogram are the only units permitted for length and mass, respectively. A series of
approved prefixes, shown in Table 2, are used for the formation of multiples and submultiples of various units.
The force required to accelerate a mass of 1 kilogram (kg) at the rate of 1 meter per second per second (m/s 2) is
expressed as 1 newton (N), and a stress of 1 newton per square meter (N/m2) is expressed as 1 Pascal (Pa).

IMPERIAL AND METRIC EQUIVALENTS

LENGTH
meter (SI base unit) 1m ≡ distance light travels in 1⁄299792458 of a second in vacuum
1 m ≈ 1⁄10000000 of the distance from equator to pole (meter)
inch 1 in = 25.4 mm (millimeters)
foot 1 ft = 12 inches = 1/3 yd = 304.8 mm (millimeters)
yard 1 yd = 3 ft = 36 in = 0.9144 m (meters)
mile 1 mi = 1.61 km (kilometers)
nautical mile 1 nmi = 1.85 km (kilometers)
mil (thou) 1 mil = 0.001 inch = 25.4 μm (micrometers)
angstrom 1 A° = 10-10 m = 100 pm (picometers)

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Sana Stihi
National Polytechnic School- Department of Civil Engineering English Course 2020-2021

AREA
2
square meter (SI unit) 1m =1m×1m (square meter)
square inch 1 sq in = 1 in × 1 in = 645.16 mm2 (square millimeters)
square foot 1 sq ft = 1 ft × 1 ft = 9.290 304×10−2 m2 (square meters)
square yard 1 sq yd = 1 yd × 1 yd = 0.836 127 36 m2 (square meters)
square mile 1 sq mi = 1 mi × 1 mi ≈ 2.59 km2 (square kilometers)
acre 1ac = 4840 sq yd (square yard) = 4 050 m2 (square meters)
are 1 a = 100 m2 (square meters)
hectare 1 ha ≡ 10 000 m2 (square meters)

VOLUME
3
cubic meter (SI unit) 1m = 1 m × 1 m × 1 m (cubic meter)
cubic inch 1cu in = 1 in × 1 in × 1 in ≈ 16400 mm3 (cubic millimeters)
cubic foot 1 cu ft = 1 ft × 1 ft × 1 ft ≈ 0.028 m3 (cubic meters)
cubic yard 1 cu yd ≡ 27 cu ft (cubic foot) ≈ 0.765 m3 (cubic meters)

CAPACITY
litre 1 L = 1 dm (decimeter) = 0.001 m3
3
(cubic meters)
gallon (US) (fluid) 1gal = 231 cu in ≈ 3.79×10−3 m3 (cubic meters)
gallon (UK) 1 gal ≈ 4.55×10−3 m3 (cubic meters)
fluid ounce 1 fl oz = 1/128 gal ≈ 29.6×10−6 m3 (cubic meters)

MASS
kilogram (SI base unit) 1 kg ≡ mass of the prototype near Paris ( ≈ mass of 1L of water)
grave (G)was the original name of the kilogram (kilogram)
pound 1 lb ≈ 454 g (grams)
kip 1 kip = 1000 lb ≈ 454 kg (kilograms)
tonne (meter sys. unit) 1 t = 1 000 kg (kilograms)
ton, long (US) 1 long tn or ton = 2 240 lb ≈ 1 016 kg (kilograms)
ton, short (US) 1 sh tn = 2 000 lb ≈ 907 kg (kilograms)
ounce 1 oz = 1/16 lb ≈ 28.4 g (grams)
ounce 1oz = 28 g (grams)
(US food nutrition labeling)

FORCE
newton (SI unit) 1N = 1 kg·m/s2 (newton)
1N ≡A force capable of giving a mass of one kg an acceleration of one
meter per second, per second
kilogram-force 1 kgf = g × 1 kg = 9.806 65 N (newtons)
pound-force 1 lbf = g × 1 lb ≈ 4.45 N (newtons)
kip-force 1 kipf; (klbf) = g × 1 000 lb ≈ 4.45×103 N (newtons)
ton-force 1 tnf = g × 1 tn ≈ 8.896×103 N
poundal 1 pdl = 1 lb·ft/s2 ≈ 0.138 N

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Sana Stihi
National Polytechnic School- Department of Civil Engineering English Course 2020-2021

PRESSURE
pascal (SI unit) 1 Pa = 1 N/m = 1 kg/(m·s2)
2
(pascal)

bar 1 bar = 105 Pa

pound per square foot 1 psf = 1 lbf/ft2 ≈ 47.88 Pa

pound per square inch 1 psi = 1 lbf/in2 ≈ 6.894×103 Pa [1MPa ≈ 145 psi]
kip per square inch 1 ksi = 1 kipf/sq in ≈ 6.894×106 Pa

poundal per square foot 1 pdl/sq ft = 1 pdl/sq ft ≈ 1.488 Pa

short ton per square foot 1 = 1 sh tn × g / 1 sq ft ≈ 95.76×103 Pa
torr 1 torr ≈ 133.3 Pa

TRANSLATION
inch ▐▬▬► pouce
foot (pl. feet) ▐▬▬► pied
yard ▐▬▬► verge
mile ▐▬▬► mille
pound ▐▬▬► livre
kilogram ▐▬▬► kilogramme

Here are a few things to remember that will come in handy day to day:
 1 mile almost 1.5 Kilometers.
 1 inch is about 25 millimeters.
 A 3-foot measurement is almost exactly 1 meter.
 1 Kilogram is just a little under 2 pounds.
 1 pound is about 500 grams (½ Kilogram)

By the way, the temperature scales are different too. Americans measure temperature in Fahrenheit, not
Centigrade. You may turn on the television and listen for the weather and hear that it is 70 degrees outside. No,
you won’t pass out and be vaporized by the sun; 70 degrees Fahrenheit is actually very pleasant, about 21
degrees Centigrade. Centigrade has been used around the world from the mid-20th century but again, Americans
held fast to the original Fahrenheit system.

Here are some more handy conversions for temperature:

 0 degrees Celsius is equal to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. (The freezing point)

 24 degrees Celsius is equal to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. (A very pleasant day)
 37 degrees Celsius is equal to 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. (Normal human body temperature)

SI PREFIXES
The International System of Units (SI) specifies a set of unit prefixes known as SI prefixes or metric
prefixes. An SI prefix is a name that precedes a basic unit of measure to indicate a multiple or fraction of the unit.
Each prefix has a unique symbol that is attached to the unit symbol. The SI prefixes are standardized by the
International Bureau of Weights and Measures.

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Sana Stihi
National Polytechnic School- Department of Civil Engineering English Course 2020-2021

SI prefixes are used to reduce the number of zeros shown in numerical quantities before or after a decimal
point. For example, an electrical current of 0.000000001ampere, or one-billionth of an ampere, is written by using
the SI-prefix nano as 1nanoampere or 1nA.

List of SI prefixes:

Table 2: The International System of Units specifies twenty SI prefixes.

Prefix Symbol 1000m 10n Decimal Short scale Long scale Scientific notation
8
yotta Y 1000 1024 1000000000000000000000000 Septillion Quadrillion 1E24
zetta Z 10007 1021 1000000000000000000000 Sextillion Trilliard 1E21
exa E 10006 1018 1000000000000000000 Quintillion Trillion 1E18
peta P 10005 1015 1000000000000000 Quadrillion Billiard 1E15
4 12
tera T 1000 10 1000000000000 Trillion Billion 1E12
giga G 10003 109 1000000000 Billion Milliard 1E9
mega M 10002 106 1000000 Million 1E6
kilo K 10001 103 1000 Thousand 1E3
hecto H 10002/3 102 100 Hundred 1E2
1/3 1
deca da 1000 10 10 Ten 1E1
10000 100 1 One –
deci D 1000−1/3 10−1 0.1 Tenth 1E-1
centi C 1000−2/3 10−2 0.01 Hundredth 1E-2
milli m 1000−1 10−3 0.001 Thousandth 1E-3
−2 −6
micro Μ 1000 10 0.000001 Millionth 1E-6
nano N 1000−3 10−9 0.000000001 Billionth Milliardth 1E-9
pico P 1000−4 10−12 0.000000000001 Trillionth Billionth 1E-12
femto F 1000−5 10−15 0.000000000000001 Quadrillionth Billiardth 1E-15
atto A 1000−6 10−18 0.000000000000000001 Quintillionth Trillionth 1E-18
−7 −21
zepto Z 1000 10 0.000000000000000000001 Sextillionth Trilliardth 1E-21
yocto Y 1000−8 10−24 0.000000000000000000000001 Septillionth Quadrillionth 1E-24

Examples
 5 cm = 5×10−2 m = 5×0.01m = 0.05m
 3 MW = 3×106 W = 3×1000000W = 3000000W

Long and short scales

The long and short scales are two of several different large-number naming systems used throughout the
world for integer powers of ten. Many countries, including most in continental Europe, use the long scale
whereas most English-speaking countries use the short scale.

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