Do you know why the US didn't just use other measurements like the rest of the world?

The biggest reasons the U.S. hasn't adopted the metric system are simply time and money. When the Industrial Revolution began in the country, expensive manufacturing plants became the primary source of American jobs and consumer products.

Main content

5th grade

Course: 5th grade > Unit 14

Lesson 5: Converting US Customary units word problems

Converting units of measurement: FAQ

Google Classroom

Frequently asked questions about converting units of measurement.

What are some of the main forms of measurement?

We can categorize measurement into three categories:

Weight/mass: grams, kilograms, ounces, pounds
Volume: milliliters, liters, cups, pints, quarts, gallons
Length/distance: millimeters, centimeters, meters, kilometers, inches, feet, yards, miles

How do we convert metric units?

To convert metric units, we use the prefixes: kilo-, hecto-, deka-, deci-, centi-, and milli-. Each prefix corresponds to a certain power of ten. For example,

1

kilometer (km) is equal to

1,000

meters (m), and

1

centimeter (cm) is equal to

0.01

meters (m).

Try it yourself with this exercise:

Convert units (metrics)

How do we convert US customary units?

To convert US customary units, we need to know the relationships between the different units. For example, there are

12

inches in

1

foot,

3

feet in

1

yard, and

16

ounces in

1

pound.

Try it yourself with this exercise:

Convert units (US customary)

What are some common mistakes people make when converting units?

Some common mistakes people make when converting units include not knowing the relationships between the different units, not using the correct conversion factor, and not keeping track of the units throughout the calculation.

What are some real-world applications of unit conversions?

Unit conversions are used in a wide variety of fields, such as science, engineering, manufacturing, and cooking. For example, when working with measurements in a lab, scientists often need to convert between metric and US customary units. And when cooking, we might need to convert a recipe from cups to milliliters in order to use the correct proportions.

Try it yourself with these exercises:

Want to join the conversation?

Sort by:

Landon.G
Posted 9 months ago. Direct link to Landon.G's post “Do you know why the US di...”
Do you know why the US didn't just use other measurements like the rest of the world?
Button navigates to signup pageComment on Landon.G's post “Do you know why the US di...”
(7 votes)
Answer
- Leo The Lion
  Posted 6 months ago. Direct link to Leo The Lion's post “The biggest reasons the U...”
  The biggest reasons the U.S. hasn't adopted the metric system are simply time and money. When the Industrial Revolution began in the country, expensive manufacturing plants became the primary source of American jobs and consumer products.
  Button navigates to signup page
  (8 votes)
Stick
Posted 9 months ago. Direct link to Stick's post “US.Customary units are li...”
US.Customary units are like feet, inches, miles, yards and others. (I am kind of bad at math.)
Button navigates to signup pageComment on Stick's post “US.Customary units are li...”
(5 votes)
Answer
Natalie
Posted 10 months ago. Direct link to Natalie's post “I kind of don't know what...”
I kind of don't know what I am doing
Button navigates to signup pageComment on Natalie's post “I kind of don't know what...”
(3 votes)
Answer
junyong.sung
Posted 8 months ago. Direct link to junyong.sung's post “not so hard and not so ea...”
not so hard and not so easy!11
Button navigates to signup pageButton navigates to signup page
(4 votes)
Answer
JUAN-MANUELG
Posted 9 months ago. Direct link to JUAN-MANUELG's post “Why is this so hard to ju...”
Why is this so hard to just do one questing.
Button navigates to signup pageComment on JUAN-MANUELG's post “Why is this so hard to ju...”
(3 votes)
Answer
- 851962
  Posted 8 months ago. Direct link to 851962's post “I dont know”
  I dont know
  Button navigates to signup page
  (2 votes)
lillian.dobson
Posted a month ago. Direct link to lillian.dobson's post “Thank you so much for bre...”
Thank you so much for breaking it down for me I really had a hard time with this!
Button navigates to signup pageComment on lillian.dobson's post “Thank you so much for bre...”
(2 votes)
Answer
Delilah McCrary
Posted 8 months ago. Direct link to Delilah McCrary's post “why is conversions so har...”
why is conversions so hard bro-

WHY!
Button navigates to signup pageButton navigates to signup page
(2 votes)
Answer
swaragopinathan
Posted 3 months ago. Direct link to swaragopinathan's post “Do you show measurements”
Do you show measurements
Button navigates to signup pageButton navigates to signup page
(2 votes)
Answer
Chloe Vega
Posted 7 months ago. Direct link to Chloe Vega 's post “How to do multi step word...”
How to do multi step word problems
Button navigates to signup pageComment on Chloe Vega 's post “How to do multi step word...”
(2 votes)
Answer
Natalie
Posted 9 months ago. Direct link to Natalie's post “What is this chat?”
What is this chat?
Button navigates to signup pageButton navigates to signup page
(2 votes)
Answer