James Vincent

still used its own system of units and every time you went from one country to another you had to find out what the new units were or every time you shared you know plans to build a car or the latest scientific research you had to convert for each country that you went to what their units were. I mean imagine all the mistakes and the wasted time that would entail.

still used its own system of units and every time you went from one country to another you had to find out what the new units were or every time you shared you know plans to build a car or the latest scientific research you had to convert for each country that you went to what their units were. I mean imagine all the mistakes and the wasted time that would entail.

still used its own system of units and every time you went from one country to another you had to find out what the new units were or every time you shared you know plans to build a car or the latest scientific research you had to convert for each country that you went to what their units were. I mean imagine all the mistakes and the wasted time that would entail.

When the metric system was having a sort of a real surge in the 19th century, people compared it to the introduction of a single language for the world. There was this big internationalist movement where they thought if the world shared all these systems, that there would be less fighting, that there would be more international cooperation. collaboration and harmony.

When the metric system was having a sort of a real surge in the 19th century, people compared it to the introduction of a single language for the world. There was this big internationalist movement where they thought if the world shared all these systems, that there would be less fighting, that there would be more international cooperation. collaboration and harmony.

When the metric system was having a sort of a real surge in the 19th century, people compared it to the introduction of a single language for the world. There was this big internationalist movement where they thought if the world shared all these systems, that there would be less fighting, that there would be more international cooperation. collaboration and harmony.

And advocates used to say, first, we'll get the shared units of weight and measure, then we'll get a shared money system, and then we'll get a shared language. And once we're all speaking the same language, you know, there'll be peace on earth. And obviously, it's a pretty rose-tinted view of the world.

And advocates used to say, first, we'll get the shared units of weight and measure, then we'll get a shared money system, and then we'll get a shared language. And once we're all speaking the same language, you know, there'll be peace on earth. And obviously, it's a pretty rose-tinted view of the world.

And advocates used to say, first, we'll get the shared units of weight and measure, then we'll get a shared money system, and then we'll get a shared language. And once we're all speaking the same language, you know, there'll be peace on earth. And obviously, it's a pretty rose-tinted view of the world.

We have very good translation tools now that make it easy to translate from one language to another. I don't think it particularly stops wars, but there is something in there in that if you're all speaking the same language, whether that language is speech and grammar or whether it is weights and lengths, that that does help reduce friction. So I have quite an idealist view of the metric system.

We have very good translation tools now that make it easy to translate from one language to another. I don't think it particularly stops wars, but there is something in there in that if you're all speaking the same language, whether that language is speech and grammar or whether it is weights and lengths, that that does help reduce friction. So I have quite an idealist view of the metric system.

We have very good translation tools now that make it easy to translate from one language to another. I don't think it particularly stops wars, but there is something in there in that if you're all speaking the same language, whether that language is speech and grammar or whether it is weights and lengths, that that does help reduce friction. So I have quite an idealist view of the metric system.

So it was... It was originally one ten millionth of the distance from the North Pole to the equator. The motivation for that is that they wanted a unit that was going to be defined by something unchanging and something that was accessible to everyone.

So it was... It was originally one ten millionth of the distance from the North Pole to the equator. The motivation for that is that they wanted a unit that was going to be defined by something unchanging and something that was accessible to everyone.

So it was... It was originally one ten millionth of the distance from the North Pole to the equator. The motivation for that is that they wanted a unit that was going to be defined by something unchanging and something that was accessible to everyone.

So they thought if we measure the Earth, that is sort of humanity's shared heritage, that anyone would then therefore be able to recreate this measurement by taking measurements of the Earth again in the future. And so you said that there is a physical meter. You mean like there's a stick? There was. There was. Yeah. So they came up with this. They made this measurement.

So they thought if we measure the Earth, that is sort of humanity's shared heritage, that anyone would then therefore be able to recreate this measurement by taking measurements of the Earth again in the future. And so you said that there is a physical meter. You mean like there's a stick? There was. There was. Yeah. So they came up with this. They made this measurement.

So they thought if we measure the Earth, that is sort of humanity's shared heritage, that anyone would then therefore be able to recreate this measurement by taking measurements of the Earth again in the future. And so you said that there is a physical meter. You mean like there's a stick? There was. There was. Yeah. So they came up with this. They made this measurement.

They took these measurements by traveling across Europe, a pair of astronomers, and they came up with this measurement, one ten millionth of the distance from the North Pole to the equator. And then they realized, okay, great, we've got this, but how is everyone else going to copy this? So they turned it into a physical meter standard.

They took these measurements by traveling across Europe, a pair of astronomers, and they came up with this measurement, one ten millionth of the distance from the North Pole to the equator. And then they realized, okay, great, we've got this, but how is everyone else going to copy this? So they turned it into a physical meter standard.