Metric System

My kids found this interesting, and so you will, too.

This is a world map with 3 countries shaded: Burma, Liberia, and Moi.

Why are they shaded? They are the only 3 nations who have not officially adopted the metric system as their primary system of measurement. Among industrialized societies, only in the US do our gas-guzzlers guzzle gas by the gallons versus by the liters.

Considering that the international language of science is dependent on the metric system, this fact alone drops us down a rung on the path to science literacy for all.

I mean, how do I get kids to learn how a centimeter is related to a micrometer when they be all, "centiwho?"