Metric system

A metric system is a system of units for measurement developed in late 18th century France with decimal multipliers. In the early metric system there were two fundamental or base units, the metre and the kilogram, for length and mass. Other units were derived from these two fundamental units.

History

Scientists, chiefly in France, had been advocating and discussing a decimal system of measurement based on natural units since at least 1640. It had some support by French monarchs. The first official adoption of such a system occured in France in 1791 after the French Revolution of 1789. The creators of this metric system tried to choose units that were logical and practical. The revolution gave an opportunity for drastic change with an official ideology of "pure reason". It was proposed as a considerable improvement over the inconsistent collection of customary units that existed before. The value of these units often depended on the region.

Related Topics:
Scientist - France - Decimal - Measurement - French Revolution

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The adoption of the metric system in France was slow, but its desirability as an international system was recognised by geodesists and others. Since then a number of variations on the system evolved. Their use spread throughout the world, first to the non-English-speaking countries, and more recently to the English speaking countries.

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On the 20th of May 1875 an international treaty known as the Convention du Mètre (Metre Convention) was signed by 17 states. This treaty established the following organisations to conduct international activities relating to a uniform system for measurements:

Related Topics:
20th of May - 1875 - Convention du Mètre

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• Conférence générale des poids et mesures (CGPM), an intergovernmental conference of official delegates of member nations and the supreme authority for all actions;
• Comité international des poids et mesures (CIPM), consisting of selected scientists and metrologists, which prepares and executes the decisions of the CGPM and is responsible for the supervision of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures;
• Bureau international des poids et mesures (BIPM), a permanent laboratory and world centre of scientific metrology, the activities of which include the establishment of the basic standards and scales of the principal physical quantities and maintenance of the international prototype standards.