MAT1793-ABED_1: SI System and Imperial System Basic Units

Constructing Knowledge

In Canada, the official system of measurement is the International System of Units or SI. The acronym SI comes from the French name Le Système International d'Unités. The SI system is derived from the metric system, and is often simply referred to as the metric system. Although SI is the official system in Canada, many Canadians still use measurements that are part of the Imperial system. For example, people often speak about weight in pounds and height in feet and inches. Also, in the construction industry many items are sold and referred to in feet and inches.

SI (International System of Units)

A system of measurement where units are related by powers of 10. The SI system is often referred to as the metric system. (metres (m), grams (g), litres (L), etc.)

Metric System

A system of measurement where units are related by powers of 10. The SI system is the most common metric system. (metres (m), grams (g), litres (L), etc.)

Imperial System

A system of measurement based on British units. (pound (lb), foot (ft), gallon (gal))

Some Common Units in the SI and Imperial Measurement Systems and their Abbreviations
	SI	Imperial
Length	millimetre (mm) centimetre (cm) metre (m) kilometre (km)	inch (in) foot (ft) yard (yd) mile (mi)
Capacity	millilitre (mL) litre (L)	ounce (oz) pint (pt) gallon (gal)
Mass	gram (g) kilogram (kg)	ounce (oz) pound (lb)
Temperature	degrees Celsius (°C)	degrees Fahrenheit (°F)
Time	second (s/sec) minute (min) hour (h/hr)	second (s/sec) minute (min) hour (h/hr)