The Metric System Unlike today, where most scientific groups and people use the standard unit of measurement; metric system, at one time different units of measurement were frequently used throughout the world, some units were also measured using the human body. For example, length could be measured in numerous ways such as feet, hands, cubits, palms, sticks, furlongs, and many more. This creation of multiple variable units has created an absence of common measurement standards, leading to many misunderstandings and a significant decline in efficiency in trade between countries. This chaos remained persistent until the eighteenth century, when those countries learned that “United we stand; Divided we fall” – Aesop. Towards the end of the 18th century the French government decided to modify and alleviate this problem and replace the chaotic collection of units then in use. The goal of this effort was to produce a universal measurement system that did not rely on a collection of distinct standards and to use the decimal system instead of fractions. In 1790, the French general assembly met with the Academy of Sciences to devise such a system; the system devised is known as the metric system. In 1960, the metric system was officially called Système International d'Unités (SI) and is currently used in almost every country in the world except the United States of America. The main reason the metric system is known for its simplicity is because there is only one unit of measurement or one base unit for each type of quantity measured; length, mass, weight, etc… There are a few basic units in the metric system, but the most common ones used are the meter, gram, and liter. For example if...... middle of paper......20 000 Properties, Houses, Houses, Properties for sale. Network. 07 October 2011. .Kenney, Ian. "The Disadvantages of the Metric Measurement System | EHow.com." EHow | Videos, articles and more: reliable advice for the curious life | EHow.com. Network. 07 October 2011. "Metric 4 US: Why Metric is the best system." Metric 4 US - Metric is the best system for America! Network. 07 October 2011. .Think metric. “Use Metric Now: What's the Next Step?” Think about metrics! Network. 07 October 2011. .Wikipedia. Road signs. Photograph. China. Wikipedia. Network. 07 October. 2011. .