During that time, we developed the United States customary system, which is very similar to the Imperial system used by Great Britain to measure things.
Now, let's fast forward to the current year, 2018! Here in Madrid, one day, I asked for directions to a nearby coffee shop. To my surprise and luck, I was told it wasn’t too far, but I was actually one kilometer away. I asked the stranger, “Come again, sir?” I was surprised by the fact that he used kilometer and not miles to measure the distance. In Spain, and in almost every country outside of the United States, they do not use inches, miles, pounds or Fahrenheit. In Spain, they use a unit measurement system called the SI unit system. It derived from the French term, Système international. That translates to "international system". In contrast, this international system uses meters, grams, and Celsius.
This is a pretty big difference between the United States and the rest of the world. Here are some values to help you understand:
1 meter is approximately 3.2 feet.
1 kilogram (1000 grams) is approximately 2.2 pounds.
75 degrees Fahrenheit is approximately 24 degrees Celsius.
Puerto Rico is also part of United States and uses the metric system. When I was studying engineering in college, both units of measurement were used. However, it is still a little strange for me to think in meters or grams because I used measurements such as feet or pounds growing up. It’s more comfortable for me to use those units of measurement. Nonetheless, I am excited to use the units of measurement that I was taught to use in college. I think, coming from the United States, we are lucky to be able to learn both systems of measurement.
