Going Abroad? Get Ready for the Metric System

A good rule of thumb is, if you're traveling anywhere outside the US, you'd better be ready to use the metric system. But getting used to a whole different system of measurement can be difficult.

First, you ought to know the basic, everyday units:

Length:
Centimeters (cm)
Meters (m)
Kilometers (km)

Weight:
Grams (g)
Kilograms (kg)

Volume:
Milliliters (ml)
Liters (l)

Temperature
Celsius (C)

Second, don't bother with the math!
When you first try to get used to the metric system, you may me tempted to learn it by conversions to the English system. All this will do is make things too difficult. The best way to learn it is to become familiar with it.

Use reference points
Learn what you weigh in kilograms, and your height in centimeters. This gives you an idea of what that weight and height means. Know that one liter of water is one kilogram. One-thousand meters is one kilometer. Zero degrees Celsius is the freezing point, twenty to twenty-five is room temperature. Keep these reference points, and you'll be used to metric measurements in no time!