The metric system vs. imperial system debate has raged on for years, but is one truly better? From NASA losing a $328 million ...

Their tiny counterparts ronto- and quecto- refer to 10 –27 and 10 –30, the way milli- refers to 10 –3, or 0.001. Until now, yotta- and yocto- (24 zeros) capped off the metric system’s range.

This object was intended to be a standard for weighing things, part of a weights and measure system being developed in France, now known as the metric system. The object's weight was 1 kilogram.

Thomas Jefferson wanted the US to switch to the more logical metric system of measurement in the 1790s. But because of British pirates, the official kilogram never arrived here.

Some strongly opposed metric units, and many were content to use familiar measures. Meanwhile, most of the rest of the world went metric. After Great Britain voted to adopt the metric system in 1965, ...

The metric system was officially adopted in France on December 10, 1799. Government proclamation was one thing, but practical use was another. Many people preferred their old customs of measurement.