Why do scientists prefer the SI units over the old English system of measurement?
1 Answer
There are several reasons why SI is preferred to the old English system of measurement:
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SI is not based on the arbitrary construct of the human body; rather, on precise and definite standards.
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SI uses base 10, just like our number system, so it is much easier to learn, remember and convert between units.
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The prefixes used in SI are from Latin and Greek, and they refer to the numbers that the terms represent. (For example, "kilo" as in "kilogram" means 1 000 and "milli" means 1/1000). You can now easily calculate the number of millimeters in a kilometer. (how many inches in a mile?)
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SI units are interrelated in such a way that one unit is derived from other units without conversion factors. E.g.
#1 N# (Newton) is the force needed to give#1 kg# (kilogram) of mass an acceleration of#1 m/s^2# Try that with the 'English' units. -
SI is used in most places around the world, so our use of it allows scientists from disparate regions to use a single standard in communicating scientific data without vocabulary confusion.
