2.54, 30.48, 1.609.

3, 12, 5,280.

Random numbers that have no meaning yet are expected to be remembered by the residents of the United States. This is the sacrifice required to sustain the imperial measurement system, which defines units in relation to the size of crops and tools found in the Middle Ages.

The U.S. is the largest nation in the world that does not use the metric system. Every other nation excluding three countries — one of which is America — is metric. This has been true since the birth of the nation, when it originally adopted the British Imperial System, changing to U.S. customary units half a century later. 

All products and infrastructure, from road signs to soup cans, are labeled using customary units. The primary form of measurement taught in schools involves these units. In contrast, the units of the metric system are far easier to convert between, as all conversions occur by a factor of 10, eliminating the need for a calculator.

Aside from making conversion easier, metric units also have a simpler naming system. While the customary system has a completely different nomenclature for the measurement of separate quantities, the metric system promotes simplicity. All length is measured in meters, weight in grams and volume in liters. 

Each multiple of 10 extending from the base unit has consistent prefixes throughout all quantities — the most common ones being kilo-, centi- and milli-. This ease of usage is likely why most nations, as well as the scientific community, use the metric system.

Not using the metric system has consequences for people both inside and outside the U.S. Trade and importation become difficult when both parties use different units. Foreign producers have to change their labels to match American units, while American manufacturers have to change to metric units for exports.

Projects can be delayed if an issue arises regarding understanding of units. For example, the Mars Climate Orbiter mission by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1998 failed due to a discrepancy between English and metric units, causing NASA to lose a spacecraft.

If the U.S. switches to the metric system, the entire world will have the same system, reducing errors and minimizing the time, money and effort required for conversion.

The metric system also lowers the risk of medical overdose, especially in children. As American units often specify fractions of spoonfuls, parents can estimate incorrectly and give their children more medicine than is safe to consume. According to Forbes, thousands of children are sent to the hospital each year for this reason alone. Since the metric system is a standard form of measurement, it ensures that the right amount of medication will be administered.

However, transitioning to the metric system would take significant time and money. Manufacturers would have to change their packaging to accommodate metric units. Road signs and markings would need to be converted to metric, as well as vehicle displays, which could lead to major road closures. Other industries like housing and real estate would also have to change the way they describe area and lot sizes.

The Government Accountability Office in 1995 believed it would take $334 million to $420 million to change road signs, using data from Canada and Alabama. Although this cost may seem large, it would benefit the nation in the long run. The money spent on unit conversion annually will be reduced significantly to help the U.S. break even. The switch to metric will only be a one-time cost, while it is currently a price with every shipment.

While the imperial system is based upon measurements of objects such as crops and footsteps, which seems useful, these objects vary significantly in size and cannot always be constant. This could lead to inaccuracies in the scientific field, where measurements must be precise to very small degrees.

Another concern is that Americans are hesitant to abandon the imperial system. They have grown up with the customary system their entire lives, so while changing an elementary school curriculum is not that difficult, adults would have a hard time adjusting. One of the biggest obstacles would be speed limits, which could be dangerous if some cars are driving at a slower speed than others.

Fortunately, these changes would only affect a few generations, and subsequent ones will have a much easier time performing unit conversions and will be shielded from possible medical overdose. This could also be mitigated by government policies that require all counties to mail residents metric conversion charts or hold mandatory sessions to teach conversions.

The U.S. government passed the Metric Conversion Act in 1975 to support efforts to go metric, but the testing of road signs on highways following this law led to protests claiming it was anti-democratic. Since the creation of the metric system is widely attributed to the French, many believe that it is also unpatriotic to leave a system created by Americans. However, this view has changed in the recent decade due to increased connectivity around the world and because many places in America use the metric system and have shown how capable it is.

Despite the short-term obstacles of cost and concern that would arise, converting fully to the metric system will benefit the U.S. in the long term as it will allow the nation to be in sync with the rest of the world, eliminate conversion costs and reduce medical overdose, leading to a better quality of life.