Metric System
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The Metric System is an internationally recognized decimal-based system of measurement used for standardizing units of length, mass, volume, and other quantities. It originated in France in the late 18th century and has since been adopted by nearly every country worldwide, with the United States being a notable exception. The system is based on seven base units, including the meter for length, kilogram for mass, and liter for volume, each of which can be modified with prefixes such as kilo-, centi-, and milli- to indicate multiples or fractions of the base unit. The Metric System provides a coherent and efficient framework for scientific, industrial, and everyday measurements, promoting consistency and ease of conversion between different units. Its widespread adoption facilitates international communication and commerce by eliminating the confusion and inefficiency caused by the use of disparate measurement systems.
- Snippet from Wikipedia: Metric system
The metric system is a system of measurement that standardizes a set of base units and a nomenclature for describing relatively large and small quantities via decimal-based multiplicative unit prefixes. Though the rules governing the metric system have changed over time, the modern definition, the International System of Units (SI), defines the metric prefixes and seven base units: metre (m), kilogram (kg), second (s), ampere (A), kelvin (K), mole (mol), and candela (cd).
An SI derived unit is a named combination of base units such as hertz (cycles per second), newton (kg⋅m/s2), and tesla (1 kg⋅s−2⋅A−1) and in the case of Celsius a shifted scale from Kelvin. Certain units have been officially accepted for use with the SI. Some of these are decimalised, like the litre and electronvolt, and are considered "metric". Others, like the astronomical unit are not. Ancient non-metric but SI-accepted multiples of time, minute and hour, are base 60 (sexagesimal). Similarly, the angular measure degree and submultiples, arcminute, and arcsecond, are also sexagesimal and SI-accepted.
The SI system derives from the older metre, kilogram, second (MKS) system of units, though the definition of the base units has changed over time. Today, all base units are defined by physical constants; not by prototypes in the form of physical objects as they were in the past.
Other metric system variants include the centimetre–gram–second system of units, the metre–tonne–second system of units, and the gravitational metric system. Each has unaffiliated metric units. Some of these systems are still used in limited contexts.