Prompt Cast
The US and its Resistance to Adopting the Metric System
TLDR Despite its economic power and international influence, the United States has not adopted the metric system. This resistance can be attributed to a combination of historical factors, the popularity of the French system, the expense of conversion, and the lack of a widespread movement for change.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The US is one of the only three countries in the world that has not adopted the metric system, despite its economic power and international influence.
01:56
The US has a long history with the metric system, dating back to the country's founding, and there was an assumption that a decimal system would be used, as seen in Thomas Jefferson's plan for establishing uniformity in measurements.
03:43
Thomas Jefferson's plan for establishing uniformity in measurements in the US was heavily influenced by the French system and had bipartisan support, but ultimately did not get adopted.
05:25
The French Academy of Science's decision to use the distance from the north pole to the equator through the Paris meridian as the basis for the meter derailed Thomas Jefferson's plan for an international system of measurement, and Congress never adopted his plan due to other priorities, leading to the popularity of the French system.
07:08
The United States is a member of the International Committee for Weights and Measures and the American system of measurement is defined by the metric system, which is also fully legal in the United States, but the voluntary nature of metric conversion and the expense of changing measurements prevented widespread adoption.
08:51
The United States has been able to get away with not fully adopting the metric system due to the fact that the majority of everyday measurements do not require international agreement, and a complete transition to metric would be costly and require the replacement of road signs, labels, packaging, and other things.
10:32
The United States does not have a movement to adopt the metric system and will likely remain mostly imperial units, with a small growing number of things measured in metric.
