410 7 Sections 7. 1 Basic Terms and Conversions Within the Metric System 7. 2 Length, Area, and Volume 7. 3 Mass and Temperature 7. 4 Dimensional Analysis and Conversions to and from the Metric System The United States is the only major country not presently using the metric system as its primary system of measurement. For example, if you travel to Canada, Mexico, or overseas, you will find that when you purchase gasoline, the amount is measured in liters, not gallons. In the United States, because of the growth in technology and the increase in international trade, more and more of the products used daily are measured in metric units. For example, soda is sold in liter bottles, medicines are measured in milligrams, and tire sizes are given in centimeters. When you purchase a computer, the size of the hard drive is given in terabytes and Internet download speeds are measured in megabits per second. Throughout this chapter we will discuss the importance of the metric system more thoroughly. Why This Is Important The Metric System b Everywhere outside the United States you may see traffic and other signs given in metric units. Elmar Gubisch/123RF
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