Proposed Decimal System of Measures 

 and Weights for the United States 



By F. A. Smith C. E. 



By the act of Congress approved as early as July, 1866, 

 the use of the Metric System of Weights and Measures is 

 permissible in the United States and contracts are declared 

 valid, having the measures and weights given in that system. 

 This shows that it was the intention of the Government of the 

 United States at that time to gradually introduce that system 

 into this country, superseding the cumbrous system now 

 in use. 



How little progress has been made in this direction can 

 be seen when the fact is considered that no effort is made 

 at all in our public schools to even give the grammar school 

 graduates an outline of the Metric System and for all prac- 

 tical purposes the progress toward introducing this system 

 into this country may be considered as nil. 



The writer feels, therefore, justified in submitting the 

 following basis for a new decimal system of measures and 

 weights, specially adapted for the United States of America 

 and being based upon the present mile as its underlying unit. 

 The mile has been selected because our geographical lines and 

 land surveys are now fixed quantities based upon this mile 

 and the adoption of such a decimal system will not interfere 

 with the present system of geographical subdivision above the 

 square mile. Now let the 



10th part of the mile be designated as decimile. 



100th part of the mile be designated as centimile. 



1,000th part of the mile be designated as millimile. 



Then the divisions agree perfectly with those of our 

 monetary system ; namely, dollars, decidollars or dimes, centi- 

 dollars or cents and miliidollars or mills, and this should 

 appeal favorably to the general public. The millimile then 

 equals 5.28 feet of present measure, and by dividing this 

 into 10 equal parts the writer suggests to call this unit so 

 derived a span. There would then be 10,000 spans to the 

 mile and it would equal in the present measure to .528' or 

 6.336 inches. The span then, if this system is adopted, would 

 supersede our present foot. It would be subdivided into 10 

 equal parts, each called 1 decispan ; the decispan would be 

 subdivided into 10 equal parts, each called 1 centispan, and 

 the centispan to be divided into 10 equal parts, each called 



1 millispan. The millispan would equal .006336 inches and is 

 a very small length but if desired it could be divided once 

 more into 10 equal parts, each called 1 deci-millispan. 



The above gives an outline of the linear units proposed. 

 The square measure is derived by forming squares having 

 the linear units for their sides. 



In Figure 1 is shown the mile divided into 10 decimiles. 

 If now a square be drawn over this line as indicated in Figure 



2 the square mile appears divided into 100 equal squares, each 

 called a square decimile and as the square mile contains 640 

 acres, then each of the 100 square decimiles is equal to 6.4 

 acres. So that 10 of them equal 64 acres, or about an 

 ordinary farm. The writer will, in a future article, refer to 

 these land divisions again. 



10 



Fig. 1. 



For small square measures the square span forms the 

 unit which equals .2728 sq. ft. or 40.1328 square inches ; the 

 subdivisions of the span giving all needed diversity in such 

 measures, the square millispan being equal to .00004 square 

 inches. 



For solid liquid or dry measures the unit is the cubic 

 span, which is a cube 1 span high, 1 span deep and 1 span 

 long, being equal to 254.2814 cubic inches or 1.10078 gallons 

 of present standards. 



The small subdivisions would be formed by cubing the 

 linear subdivisions, and the larger solid measures by cubing 

 the subdivisions of the mile, as shown in the accompanying 

 tables : 



to 



Fig. 2. 



A. Linear Measure. 



1 mile 

 1 deci mile 

 1 centi mile 

 1 milli mile 



span 

 centi span 



1 centi span 



1 milli span 



1 decimilli span = 



B. Land and Square Metisun 



1 square mile = 100,000,000 



1 square deci mile = 1,000,000 



1 square centi mile = 10,000 



1 square milli mile 



1 square span 



1 square deci span 



1 square centi span 

 1 square milli span 



100 

 1 . 

 0.01 

 0.0001 



0.000001 sq. 



spans, 

 spans, 

 spans, 

 spans, 

 spans, 

 spans, 

 spans, 

 spans. 



C. 



Solid, Liquid and Dry Measure. 

 Small Divisions. 



1 cubic span := 254.2814 cu. in. =: 1.10078 gal. 



1 cu. deci. span =.001 cu. spans = .264 cu. in. = .0011 gal. 

 1 cu. centi. span = .000001 cu. spans = .000254 cu. in. = .000011 gal. 



Large Divisions. 



1 cubic milli mile = 1,000 cubic spans 



1 cubic centi mile = 1,000,000 cubic spans 



1 cubic deci mile 1,000,000,000 cubic spans = 1 billion 

 1 cubic mile = 1,000, 000,000,000 cubic spans = 1 trillion 



Let the weight of a cubic span of pure water at its great- 

 est density equal unity, then, as a cubic ft. of water weighs 

 62.5 Ibs. and 1 cubic span equals 254.2814 cubic inches or 

 .1417 cubic ft, the weight of this unit is obtained as 9.19375 

 Ibs. of the old system, which is nearly 10 times the old pound. 

 Call this weight of a cubic span of water one Unit = 

 9.19375 Ibs. 



= .1 unit = .919375 Ibs. 



= .01 unit = .0919375 Ibs. 



then 1 deci unit 

 1 centi unit 

 1 milli unit 



1 deci milli unit = .0001 

 1 centi milli unit = .00001 



= .001 unit = .00919375 Ibs. 

 unit = .000919 Ibs. 

 unit = .000092 Ibs. 

 1 milli milli unit = .000001 unit = .000009 Ibs. 



For Weights Larger Then the Unit. 



1 ten units = 10 units = 91.9375 Ibs. 



1 hundred units = 100 units = 919.375 Ibs. 



1 thousand units = 1,000 units = 9,193.75 Ibs. 



1 ten thousand units 10,000 units = 91,973.5 Ibs. 



1 hundred thousand units = 100,000 units = 919,375. ' Ibs. 

 Of course, if desired, the prefixes ten hundred thousand 



