Why is it better to use the metric system rather than the English system in scientific measurement?

Answer 1

There are several reasons.

One is that conversion up and down orders of magnitude are simple. All you need to do is move the decimal point.

There are usually sensible links from units for measuring one characteristic to that measuring another (though not always). A cubic centimetre (measure of volume) of pure water used to have a mass of 1 gram (measure of mass), though the definition has been changed. Calories, Kelven and Grams are directly linked, and so on.

Another is that almost all countries - developed, and developing use this system. Only some die hards remain. And even with those countries, the scientific communities usually use the metric system.

The measures are better standardised. You do not have the US gallon and the Imperial gallon, several measures of foot, tonne, etc.

Answer 2

The metric system is preferred, because that way, there is a single international standard. If each country uses its own units, it makes trade, etc. more complicated. Also, in the metric system, several calculations are simpler.

Answer 3

The main reason is probably standardization - to use the same units all over the world, and that the units have the same meaning. For example, different countries have different definitions of a "pound", whereas the kilogram is the same all over the world.

Two other good reasons to use the SI (the metric system) are:

#2: Calculations with the metric prefixes is much simpler than with imperial units. For example, to convert kilometers to meters, you just multiply by 1000, which can be done in your head. In comparison, converting from miles to feet requires you to multiply with ... well, whatever the amount of feet in a mile. The conversion is much more complicated, and most people would not be able to do that in their head.

#3: The units are consistent with one another. This simplifies many formulae.