The Metric System’s Ugly Secret
12 February 2004 (revised 10 September 2004)
* * *
What is a kilogram? How much mass does a liter of water have? These are questions that no metric supporter has been able to answer to my satisfaction.
According to the U.S. Metric Association, Inc., the metric system has within it some special relationships that make it preferable to the customary or imperial measurement systems. Among these ‘'special relationships,' the USMA states, are the facts that 1 cm3 = 1 mL, 1 mL water approximately equals 1g, and 1L water approximately equals 1 kg. These relationships leave us with the nice whole numbers that are the hallmark of metric propaganda.
But wait. It said 'approximately equals.' That means that 1 mL doesn’t actually equal 1 g and 1 L doesn't actually equal 1 kg. So what are the actual relationships? I could never get a teacher to answer this question. Most metricators that I have had discourse with believe that 1 mL water = 1 g; but neither they nor I have been able to locate a metric chart for converting metric mass to capacity. Well, I finally composed such a chart for myself. And I would never have been able to do it if it wasn't for the customary and imperial measurement systems.
1 imperial gallon is defined as the volume of 10 avoirdupois pounds of distilled water at its maximum density with the barometer standing at 30 inches. In the imperial system, as is claimed by metric proponents for their system, capacity and mass are unified. 1 imperial gallon = 10 avdp. lbs.; likewise, 1 Br. fl. oz. = 1 avdp. oz.
Now, here’s the rub:
1 imperial gallon = 4.546 09 L exactly;
but 10 lbs. avdp. = 4.535 923 7 kg exactly.
Likewise, 1 Br. fl. oz. = 28.413 062 5 mL exactly,
but 1 oz. avdp. = 28.349 523 125 g exactly.
What's wrong with these numbers? 1 British fluid ounce of water (distilled, at maximum density) has a mass of 1 avoirdupois ounce exactly. If 1 mL water had a mass of 1 g, then 1 oz. would equal the same number of milliliters and of grams. This is not the case; therefore 1 mL water does NOT equal 1 g.
So how many liters of water does it take to compose a mass of 1 kilogram? How much mass does a liter have? Most metricators cannot tell you these answers, because they are not provided to them. If you have the resources, however, you can derive them for yourself. Fortunately, we know that 1 imperial gallon has a mass of 10 lbs. With this knowledge, I am able to derive the following:
1 liter = 45 359 237/45 460 900 (or 0.997 8…) kg exactly, and
1 kilogram = 45 460 900 /45 359 237 (or 1.002 2…) L exactly.
Likewise:
1 milliliter = 45 359 237/45 460 900 (or 0.997 8…) g exactly, and
1 gram = 45 460 900 /45 359 237 (or 1.002 2…) mL exactly.
As decimals, these are very messy numbers. No wonder metricators don’t widely publish the exact relationship between the kilogram and the liter. It would kill their ‘messy conversions’ argument against customary units.
For a time, the gram was theoretically defined as 1 cm3 of distilled water at 4 degrees Celsius (the point of maximum density). But, apparently, the French (or someone) didn’t like this standard. Thus, the gram was redefined as 1/1 000 kilogram which in turn was defined as the mass of the standard kilogram, a platinum-iridium bar in the custody of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) near Paris, France.
Excuse me?
I thought that a favorite argument for the superiority of the metric system was that the values of its units can be derived from immutable natural phenomena. ‘The customary and imperial systems are archaic,’ they say, ‘it’s based upon a yard whose value is the recorded distance between Henry I’s outstretched hand and his nose.’ ‘If something happens to the prototype yard, we can’t recreate it,’ they say. So how do they explain the prototype kilogram? What happens if an asteroid hits the BIPM? How can they say that this is even scientific by their own standards?
The myth is dead. I have exposed the deception. One gram does not equal 1 cm3 of distilled water at 4 degrees Celsius anymore. One gram now equals 1/1 000 of the esoteric standard known as the prototype kilogram. These two different standards are not equivalent. Interestingly, I would not have been able to tell you the metric mass of 1 liter of water were it not for the imperial gallon. I would like to thank the British government for giving me a nice round number to work with.
* * *
A complete chart of my derivations regarding capacity and mass can be found here.
Copyright © 2004
Return to Nearly Everything You Need to Know About Weights and Measures
* * *
