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U.S. Metric Association (USMA)

U.S. Metric Association (USMA)

The U.S. Metric Association (USMA), Inc., with headquarters in Northridge CA, is a national non-profit organization, founded in 1916. It advocates U.S. conversion to the International System of Units which is known by the abbreviation SI (ess-eye). SI is also called the modern metric system. The process of changing measurement units to the metric system (SI) is called metric transition or metrication.

This site contains information on the SI metric system and information on the status of metric transition (metrication) in the United States. Information is also available on USMA's accomplishments, activities, and resources, as well as links to non-commercial Websites with additional metric system information.

Conversions between unit systems are a poor way to learn the metric system, and conversion factors (or numbers converted with inappropriate precision) can make the metric system look complicated. Therefore we do not supply any unit conversion utilities. However a unit conversion utility/calculator is available in the external links section near the bottom of this page.

To be found in the 2005 March/April issue of Metric Today:
(PDF version available early-March, printed version available mid-March)

What historic metric event just occurred in Ireland?
Who was recently memorialized as an American measurement pioneer?
What is "metrophobia?"
Which California teacher broke new ground as an early metric educator?
What is a hidden force behind U.S. metrication?
In Kenya, how many goats make one cow?

Metric Today is a membership benefit of joining USMA

The British equivalent of USMA, the UK Metric Association (UKMA), held a press conference on 8 July 2004 to launch a new report entitled "A Very British Mess".

See the press release for further details or an online copy of the report.
(Please be aware that the report is 64 pages, so it will take time to download.)

Or, the report can be ordered from http://bookmark.iop.org/bookpge.htm?&isbn;=0750310146.

Start Here: What are you looking for?
Information about USMA	Metric System Information	Information for Teachers/Educators

Information about USMA:

USMA and its services:
- About the U.S. Metric Association (How to contact USMA headquarters: address, telephone, and fax numbers)
- Overview of major activities of USMA (What we do, and why we exist)
- A brief history of the U.S. Metric Association (1916 to February 2003)
- USMA's Certified Metrication Specialist (CMS) program (How to become qualified)
- USMA's Science Fair awards program (Become a judge, use your metric talents)
- USMA's E-mail Listserver (Mailing List) (Join the metric discussion. You can subscribe free.)
- USMA Website usage statistics (Number of hits since 1997 January)
- USMA member-only information (Must be a current dues-paying member to access this information. USMA members may receive the username and password (changed yearly) by contacting the USMA Webmaster.)
Publications and supplies:
- Metric Today, the USMA newsletter (USMA's bi-monthly publication)
- Metric supplies and training aids (Available from USMA: style/usage guides, rulers, thermometers, measuring tapes, posters, diagrams, bumper stickers, and booklets) [PDF version: supplies-list.pdf]
  - Guide to the Use of the Metric System
  - Metric Vendor List book
  - Metric Bibliography / Metric Information CD (A compact disk containing a database of references to articles about metric from the mid 1940s to present, indexes to various metric newsletters (Including Metric Today), as well as full-text PDFs of the most recent issues.)
- Free metric fliers available (For the cost of a SASE)
- USMA's educational materials (See below, or click on this link)
Membership:
- USMA membership application (How to join us, how to help the cause) [PDF version: membership.pdf]
- USMA company/agency membership (Help for companies/agencies converting to metric)
- USMA officers (USMA's organizational leaders)
- USMA Chapter guidelines (How to organize a local USMA Chapter)
- Things you can do to promote metrication in the U.S.

Metric System Information:

Why use the metric system:
- FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions (Which other countries, besides the U.S., do not use the metric system?)
- Decimal nature of the metric system (Why decimal is better)
- Q&A;: Questions and Answers about metric (Why the U.S. is converting to metric)
Understanding the metric system:
- Commonly used metric system units, symbols, and prefixes (The basics of metrics)
- Everyday metric system (Metric units, some simple unit conversion factors)
- Metric system units, symbols, and prefixes (Base and derived units with special names)
- (Metric) numbers to remember (Common examples of metric usage)
- Frames-of-reference for some metric units (Typical metric unit sizes)
- Correct SI-metric usage (Including metric errors seen frequently)
- Metric temperature scales (Degrees Celsius and kelvins)
- Our traditional units nightmare (Including conversion factors to SI)
History and background:
- Origin of the metric system (From its origins to becoming adopted by most of the world)
- A chronology of the SI metric system (Important dates and associated documents in the history of metric)
- Metric system laws and bills (Extensive law summaries provided courtesy of USMA member Gary Brown.)
- Definition of the meter (Although the definition of the meter has changed, only its precision has improved)
- Metrication in other countries (Which countries are not metric, advance of metric usage in the world, and how several other countries have changed to metric)
- Decimal currency systems (Used throughout the world)
For Your Information:
- Publications: International System of Units (SI) (Important metric references and standards: SI-metric usage guides, a few are free, some contain large tables of unit conversion factors.)
- Published articles about metric (Years: 1996 to present)
- Consumer products available in metric sizes (Examples of rational metric sizes/metric fills) [PDF version: consumer-products.pdf]
- Popular and society/association magazines that use SI-metric (Some are 100% metric)
- Metric system cartoons (Examples of metric humor)
- Metric conversion postage stamps (For stamp collectors)
- Metric signs seen on roads in the U.S. (Some are leftovers from the 1970s, others are much newer)
- International date and time notation (A standard format especially for all-numeric dates)
- DYKT: Did You Know That ... (Periodically updated metric news from USMA)

Metric System Information for Teachers/Educators:

Why teach the metric system (SI)? (Contributed by USMA member Dennis Brownridge)
Using the metric system (SI) (A guide for teachers, students, and professionals provided by USMA members Dennis Brownridge and Bob Baumel.)
[Excerpted from Metric in Minutes: The Comprehensive Resource for Learning the Metric System (SI) by Dennis Brownridge. Contains a table of contents, with clickable links, for ease in locating selected subjects. Includes tables and graphics that can be used to help students visualize the sizes of metric units.]
Suggestion to teachers for a painless way to teach one facet of SI (Metric Patrol assignment sheets and work sheets are included to make it easier for teachers to implement this assignment.)
Tips to educators for teaching the metric system (Ideas and lesson suggestions)
Teaching metric to very young children (K-2)
One school's experience in teaching math and science through Olympic Games competition
Decimal nature of the metric system (Why decimal is better)
Ideas for a school's celebrating National Metric Week (The week containing October 10; this year: 2005 October 9-15)
Recommended year-round metric system activities (Beginning with Metric Week each year)
Metric flashcards (PDF version): Basic and Advanced (Courtesy of USMA member Jim Elwell)

NEED METRIC SUPPLIES?

USMA offers a selection of books, charts, posters, rulers, measuring tapes, bumper stickers, and thermometers specifically for learning the metric system.

These and more items can be found on USMA's
metric supplies and training aids page.

Other Metric System Data and Related Standards links

Click on these external links for non-USMA metric Websites with important and useful information.

Metric system data and related standards links

The USMA Website was awarded a Times Pick by the Los Angeles Times on 1997 July 28.

The USMA Website has been accessed 1466437 times since 1996 April 23.

Your comments, suggestions, and questions are welcome.
E-mail: USMA Webmaster