Everyday Life within the United States
Progress toward greater use of the SI (metric system) continues in the United States. Learn more about everyday use of metric measurements.
Metric Basics
Become Familiar with the SI (metric system)
Education Resources
Kitchen
Paper Size ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Metric Basics
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| Conversions
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| Common Conversion Factors for Domestic Use: |
| Metric to Inch-Pound |
| Inch-Pound to Metric |
| Conversion Factors for Use in Trade and Commerce |
| Detailed Requirements and Conversion Factors can be found in NIST SP 1038 Section 5 where detailed requirements for the selection of units are given.
The subsections list conversion factors to the appropriately sized metric unit, either an SI unit with appropriate prefix or a non-SI unit that is accepted for the use with SI.
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| NIST SP 811 Appendix B provides conversion factors for converting values of quantities expressed in units that are mainly unacceptable to use with the SI to values expressed mainly in units of the SI. Appendix B also includes a simplified discussion of rounding numbers and rounding converted numerical values of quantities.
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| Metric Conversion Software and Other Converter (Metric Program Notice) |
| Global Gourmet: Cooking Measures and Conversion Calculator
Find a delicious international recipe? Or, do you just want to see how many kilograms you weigh? In the eGG's cooking calculator you can convert feet to meters, pounds to grams, gallons to liters, and degree Fahrenheit to degree Celsius. Plus a chart to help decipher British food terms. It's all here.
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| The Metric Kitchen
Do you need to convert the measurement units used in a recipe? The Metric Kitchen provides easy instructions on how to convert recipes done in teaspoon, cups, and pounds and there metric unit counterparts. A Conversion Style Guide is also available to further explain how metric measurement is used in the art of cooking.
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| Adult Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculator
Child and Teen Body Mass Index Calculator
Use the Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) tool by entering your mass (kg) and height (cm) to calculate your BMI. BMI is a screening tool used to identify possible weight problems.
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| Metric Conversion Software and Other Unit Converters
If you are using software to make conversions that are critical to your application, especially those in trade or commerce, you should determine if the program uses the appropriate conversion factors and that it rounds the values accurately and appropriately for your application (e.g., so that the final quantity is not overstated). Some websites display the actual factor on which the conversion is based and explain the rules of rounding that the programmer has used to compute the displayed result. The conversion factor and rounding rules used will help you verify the accuracy of the conversion. We also recommend that you make an inquiry to the provider of the software or web page to ask if the conversion factors used in the software are consistent with the official values in NIST Special Publication 811 Appendix B or IEEE/ASTM SI 10, American National Standard for Use of the International System of Units (SI): The Modern Metric System which is available for purchase at http://www.astm.org or http://www.ieee.org. Users should evaluate metric conversion software for compliance with the standards listed above. |
| Notice Regarding Metric Conversion Software
All links to metric conversion software and other devices have been removed and NIST will not accept requests to add links to the Metric Program website. We are not able to maintain an accurate list of all the metric converters available, nor can we maintain the accuracy of the web links or provide any assurances regarding the accuracy, rounding, or results of any program, nor perform a fair evaluation of their performance or features. To find a conversion program that meet your needs, we suggest you conduct a search on terms such as unit calculator, metric converter, or metric conversion program. Any one of these terms should return several URLs from which you can choose the converter appropriate for your application. |
Becoming Familiar with the SI (metric system)
Education Resources
| Links to Educational Resources
Teachers and students will enjoy this collection of activities and resources that are sure to enrich your SI skills.
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| Educational Measurement Guidelines
Learn more about innovation through engineering with these NASA education posters and activities.
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| NIST Kids Page
Find out more about NIST and other measurements in your home by playing fun games such as word search, crossword puzzles, riddles, and much more. | 
| NIST Metric Pyramid
Learning the SI?
Keep common SI symbols and conversion factors on your desk. Using card stock paper, print out the easy to construct NIST metric pyramid! (Great for students and teachers alike)
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| NIST Nano IQ Quiz |  | Measurement in Sport
Measurements are essential to ensuring fairness in sports. SI measurements are used on everything from keeping accurate event times, the correct pressure of sports balls, and measuring competition distances. Learn how measurement plays a big part in providing a level playing field for all athletes.
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| Olympic Fast Facts
These Olympic facts will surprise you! Impress your friends and family with your SI Olympic knowledge.
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| The Olympics and the Metric System
Add to your knowledge of sports...find out more about your favorite winter Olympic sport events and explore fun learning activities.
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| Bicycling/Tour de France
Did you know that even bicycling uses the SI? Check this page out to get up to speed.
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Kitchen
 | Household Weights & Measures
The purpose of NIST SP 430 is to present in convenient form the weights and measures tables most useful for household purposes, together with associated weights and measures information of general household interest. It also provides basic metric information for consumer use.
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| Global Gourmet: Cooking Measures and Conversion Calculator
Find a delicious international recipe? Or, do you just want to see how many kilograms you weigh? In the eGG's cooking calculator you can convert feet to meters, pounds to grams, gallons to liters, and degree Fahrenheit to degree Celsius. Plus a chart to help decipher British food terms. It's all here.
The Metric Kitchen
Do you need to convert the measurement units used in a recipe? The Metric Kitchen provides easy instructions on how to convert recipes done in teaspoon, cups, and pounds and there metric unit counterparts. A Conversion Style Guide is also available to further explain how metric measurement is used in the art of cooking.
| | | Metric in the Kitchen | | | Recipe Gallery |
Paper Size
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 | International Paper Sizes
The International System of Units (SI) is about measuring the weight or dimensions of objects, not changing their sizes. The U.S. paper industry uses several customary paper formats that all have metric dimensions. Any object weighed or measured using the SI has a "metric size" (e.g., a typical page of office paper is 21.5 cm by 28 cm), just as the same object measured using customary units has a size (8.5 in by 11 in). While the standardization of sizes provides some benefits by simplifying things, the process of standardization is independent of the system of measurement.
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Date Created: January 8, 2009
Date Last Modified: October 6, 2009 |
