THE PROPERTIES OF MATTER. 



9 



feet and inches, together with its multiples, as rods and 

 miles, are in familiar use. This unit is determined by 

 certain bars, carefully preserved by the governments of 

 these two nations. 



24. Metric Measures. The international system 

 has the merits of a less arbitrary foundation and of far 

 greater convenience. From its unit it is known as the 

 metric system. This system is in familiar use in most of 

 the countries of continental Europe and by scientific 

 writers of all nations, and bids fair to come into genera] 

 use in this country. For these reasons, as well as for its 

 greater convenience, an acquaintance with this system is 

 now desirable, and will soon be necessary. It has been 

 already legalized by act of Congress. 



25. Definition of Meter. The meter is defined 

 as the forty-millionth of the earth's meridian which 

 passes through Paris, or as the ten-millionth of a quadrant 

 of such a meridian. It is equal to 39.37 inches. Like 

 the Arabic system of notation and the table of U. S. 

 Money, its divisions and multiples vary in a tenfold 

 ratio. 



26. Metric Measures of Length. Ratio 



f Millimeter (mm.) = .001 m.= 0.03937 inches. 



DIVISIONS. J Centimeter (cm.) = .01 m.= 0.3937 " 



[ Decimeter (dm.) = .1 m.= 3.937 



UNIT. Meter (m.) = 1. m.= 39.37 



IDekameter (Dm.} 10. w.=393.7 " 



Hektometer (Hm.) 100. m.=328 ft. 1 inch. 



Kilometer (Km.)= 1000. m.= 0.62137 miles. 



Myriameter (Mm.)= 10000. m.= 6.2137 



