Basic Trope: The metric system will replace conventional units in the future.
- Straight: In a work set in the future (most likely Science Fiction), the U.S. has adopted the metric system.
- Exaggerated: All systems other than metric are illegal, even in private conversation.
- Downplayed:
- The metric system is official, but is not widely used in conversation.
- Metric and imperial units are used side-by-side, and most people can easily convert from one to another.
- Justified:
- Metric is a decimal system, so it's easier to use and far superior to American units from a scientific point of view.
- The rise of globalization means that adopting a standard set of weights and measures facilitates global trade. Most of the world has gone metric, so having the US switch is the least costly way to do it for humanity as a whole.
- Inverted: The metric system is no longer used anywhere. Instead, the imperial system is used as the standard for all nations.
- Subverted:
- Alice the time traveller goes to the future and, expecting this trope, asks Bob the local how far it is to the museum; she is caught off-guard when he answers "three miles".
- In the future the world is on one standard system of measurement...that is based on the dozenal (base-12) counting system.
- Double Subverted: Bob points to a nearby sign that indicates the museum is "5 km" ahead, then explains that he knew Alice was from the pre-metrication past and thought it would have been easier for her to understand the distance in miles rather than kilometers.
- Parodied: Even things which aren't measured in 10's today are in the future, like hours in a day and eggs in a carton.
- Zig Zagged: Some states use the metric system, while others do not. Oh, and some countries in Europe have abandoned it.
- A metric system is used but it is mentioned that the backing standards changed for values.
- Averted:
- American measurements are still used.
- Some other, fictional system of weights and measures has come into use.
- Enforced: The producers think metric units seem more "scientific" and thus "futuristic" for a sci-fi setting.
- Lampshaded: "'Feet'? 'Pounds'? We haven't used them in a long time."
- Invoked: ???
- Exploited: Emperor Evulz may have been killed, but his Doomsday Machine is still set to go off in a matter of minutes. Alice and Bob find the blueprints they need to stop it, but Evulz wrote all the measurements in customary units — figuring out how many liters are in the exactly twelve gallons of the neutralizing agent needed is another step they can ill-afford as the timer ticks down.
- Defied: ???
- Discussed: "Grandpa Bob, do you remember when metric wasn't used everywhere?" "Yes, Billy, I remember. A lot of people didn't want to do it."
- Conversed: "Well, if the whole world has to move to one standard, going to metric probably is the least costly overall since most of the world is already there."
Back to The Metric System Is Here to Stay
