The System of measurement currently used in the US is clumsy and inefficient. There are no units to accurately describe very small distances (like wavelengths) and scaling is ad hoc and nonsensical (a mile is 1760 yards, a yard is 3 feet, and a foot is 12 inches). Most of our international scientific collaborations require constant conversions to the ISU, creating unnecessary sources of error. Going metric will give Americans a more intuitive way to describe measurements of the world around them and allow for simpler communication internationally.



