Metric System
3 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Metric System. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
a scientific system of weights and measures. In 1799 an international commission representing ten countries met in Paris to adopt a system of measurements that should be based on some exact unit and be acceptable to all nations. The unit thus settled upon is the ten-millionth part of the distance from the equator to the pole. It is 39.37 inches, a little more than a yard in length. All other units are based on this metre. For distances, the unit of distance is the kilometer, equivalent to 1,000 metres, or over three-fifths of a mile. The unit of area is the are, or 100 square metres. The unit of capacity is the litre, a cube one edge of which is one-tenth of a metre in length. It is about half way between the quart of dry measure and the liquid quart. The unit of weight is the gram. It is the weight of a cube of pure water at its greatest density, whose edge is one-hundredth of a metre. A silver dollar weighs twenty-five grams; a nickel five-cent piece weighs five grams. The kilogram of 1,000 grams is equivalent to two and one-half pounds. The metric system is decimal throughout. Multiples of these units, that is to say, larger units, are named by the use of the Greek prefixes deka, hecto, kilo, and myria, meaning 10, 100, 1000, and 10,000 respectively. The decimal parts of the units are named by using the Latin prefixes, deci, centi, and milli, meaning 1/10, 1/100, 1/1000 respectively. A dekametre is ten metres; a decimetre is one-tenth of a metre, etc. Although the names have not been retained in all cases, the metric system has been adopted by Mexico, the countries of South America , and by all European nations except the Russian and the British. In these countries cloth is sold by the metre; railroad distances are stated in kilometres; milk, kerosene, and wines are sold by the litre; potatoes are measured by the hectolitre; land is sold by the hectare; the druggist and the postmaster reckon by grams and the grocer weighs out his sugar, coffee, and tea in kilograms. The system is learned readily. Computations are made with little labor. It is understood by educated people of all nations. For these reasons the system has been adopted by the scientists of all English-speaking nations. TABLE OF ENGLISH AND METRIC EQUIVALENTS. 1. Measures of Length. 1 meter = 39.37 in. 1 kilometer = .6214 mi. 1 yard = .9144 m. 1 mile = 1.6093 Km. 2. Measures of Area. 1 square meter = 1.196 sq. yd. 1 sq. kilometer = .3861 sq. mi. 1 are = .0247 A. 1 square yard = .8361 sq. m. 1 square mile = 2.59 sq. Km. 1 acre = 40.47 a. 3. Measures of Volume. 1 cubic meter = 1.308 cu. yd. 1 stere = .2759 cord. 1 cubic yard = .7645 cu. m. 1 cord = 3.624 st. 4. Measures of Capacity. 1 liter = 1.0567 liq. qt. 1 liter = .9081 dry qt. 1 hectoliter = 2.8376 bu. 1 hectoliter = 26.417 gal. 1 liquid qt. = .9463 1 1 dry qt. = 1.101 1 1 bushel = 35.24 1 1 liter = 61.022 cu. in. 5. Measures of Weight. 1 gram = 15.432 gr. 1 kilogram = 2.2046 lb. av. 1 metric ton = 1.1023 T. 1 grain = .0648 g. 1 lb. av. = .4536 Kg. 1 T. = .9072 T. See Foot ; Yard ; Avoirdupois; Troy Weight
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
the system adopt ed by the French convention in 1799, in which all measures of length, area, capacity, and weight are based on the length of a quadrant of the meridian measured between the equator and the pole. The ten-millionth part of this quadrantal arc was adopted to be the linear measuring unit, which they called "mètre," applying it equally to superficial and solid measures, taking for the unit of the former the square of the decuple, and for that of the latter the cube of the tenth part of the meter. A meter is 1.09362311 yards or 39.370432 inches, the standard meter being taken as correct at 0° C., and the standard yard, as correct at 16 2-3° C. (See WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.) At the same time there was also chosen for the measuring unit of weight the quantity of distilled water equal in bulk to the same cube at a certain temperature. It was also decided that the multiples and submultiples of each kind of measure, whether of weight, capacity, surface, or length, shall be always taken in the decimal or decuple proportion, as the most simple, natural, and easy for calculation. The meter is the basis of calculation; from it are derived: Of area: the are, 1 square dekameter; of capacity, the liter, 1 cubic decimeter; of weight: the gramme, 1 cubic centimeter of water. The names of the graduations below the above the unit are formed from the unit are formed from the Latin, and Greek. instrument for
The Encyclopedia of Founding (1892)
The metric system of weights and measures was first adopted in France, and by Act of Congress was authorized to be used in this country 1866. It is a decimal system, and the units of length, superficies, solidity, and weight are all correlated, two data only being used--the metre, and the weight of a cube of water the side of which is the hundredth part of a metre. Upon the metre are based the following primary units: the square metre, the arc, the cubic metre or stere, the litre, and the gram. The square metre is the unit of measure for small surfaces. The arc is the unit of land measure, and is a square whose side is 10 metres in 1, or 100 square metres. The cubic metre or stere is the unit of volume, and is a cube whose edge is one metre in 1. The litre is the unit of capacity; this is the capacity of a cube whose edge is 1/10 of a metre in 1. The gram is the unit of weight, and is the weight of distilled water contained in a cube whose edge is the 1/100 part of a metre. From these primary units the higher and lower orders of units are derived decimally. See METRE.