Metre

(me'tr.) [FromGr. metron, a measure.] (Pros.) In poetry, a system of feet composing a verse; as pentameter, a verse of 5 feet, hexameter, one of 6 feet, . When the final syllable of the last foot is wanting, the line is acatalectic; when its two last syllables are cut off, it is brachycatalectic; when it has one superfluous syllable at the end, it is hypercatalectic. (Camb.) See METRIC SYSTEM. Metric System. [Same der iv.) The system of weights and measures first adopted in France, but now gradually coming into use in other countries. We propose to describe under this head the present English and French systems of weights and measures, and to exhibit the relations between the two. The fundamental unit of English measurement is the yard. It is determined by reference to the length of a pendulum vibrating seconds of mean time in vacuum in the latitude of London, at the sea-level. This length is to be divided into 3,913,929 parts, and the yard is to contain 3,600,000 such parts. The yard is divided into 36 inches, so that the pendulum beating seconds in the latitude of London contains 39-13929 inches. (Properly speaking, the inch is more justly to be regarded as the unit of length than the yard.) The English units of capacity and weight are derived directly from the unit of length. The standard gallon contains 277-274 cubic inches, and the pound avoirdupois is the tenth part of such a gallon of distilled water at the temperature of 62° Fahrenheit when the barometer stands at thirty inches, the water being weighed at sea-level. The pound weight is divided into 7,000 grains. The measurement of surface is too closely a ociated with that of length to need special notice. But to the above units we may add the unit of land measurement, the acre, containing 4,840 sq. yards. In the French system the fundamental unit is the mètre, which is determined by deference to the length of a meridional circle. It is the ten-millionth part of the quadrant of the meridian of Paris. The length of a metre in English inches is 39-3707898, or nearly a quarter of an inch more than the length of a pendulum vibrating seconds in the latitude of London. The French unit of surface is the are of 100 sq. mètres. The unit of capacity is the litre, the 1000th part of a cubic mètre. The unit of weight is the gramme, the weight of the 10,000th part of a cubic mètre of water at its maximum density. (The kilogramme, or the weight of a litre of such water, is, however, commonly employed as more convenient.) The e ential excellence of the metric system is derived from the mode of multiplication and subdivision of the units according | to a uniform decimal notation. The multiples of the different units are indicated by prefixing Greek names of numbers to the name of the units, the subdivisions by prefixing Latin names of numbers. These prefixes are therefore for decimal multiples, déca-, hecto-(or hect), kilo-, and my ria-, and for decimal divisions they are déci-, cent i-, and mill i-. Thus for lin car measurement we have the mètre; its multiples, the décamètre (10 mètres), the hectomètre (100 mètres), the kilomètre (1000 mètres), and the my ria metre (10,000 mètres); and its sub-divisions, the décimètre (one-tenth ofa mètre), the centimètre (one hundredth of a metre), and the millimètre (one-thousandth of a mètre). The importance of distinguishing between déca-and déci-will be noticed. In like manner for weights, we have the gramme; its multiples, the décagramme (10 grammes), the hectogramme (100 grammes), the kilogramme (1000 grammes), and the my ria gramme (10,000 grammes); and its subdivisions, the décigramme (one - tenth of a gramme), the centigramme (one-hundredth of a gramme), and the milligramme (one-thousandth ofa gramme). It will be seen that two advantages follow from this plan. In the first place, the same prefixes are used in measures of length, surface, capacity, and weight, so that when known for one set of measures they are known for all. And secondly, a decimal system of multiplication and division being used throughout, no proce es resembling compound addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, are required in dealing with these measures, but only the same simple proce es which are employed for the addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of abstract numbers. For the conversion of metric numbers in to English measures, we give the following tables: I. LENGTH. In English In English In English In English inches. feet. yards. miles. Millimetre. 0.03937 0.0032809 0.0010936 0.0000006 Centimetre 0-39371 0.0328090 0-0109363 0-0000062 Decimetre.. 3-93708 0-3280899 0-1093633 0-0000621 Metre..... 39-37079 3-2808992 1-0936331 0.0006214 Decametre. 393-70790 32-8089920 10-9363310 0-0062138 Hectometre 3937-07900 328-0899200 8-0899200 109-3633100 0-0621382 Kilometre.. 39370-79000 3280-8992000 1093-6331000 0-6213824 My ria metre 393707-90000 32808-9920000 10936-3310000| 6-2138244 1 inch= 2.539954 centimetres. 1yard 1 0-91438348 metre. 1 foot3-0479449 decimetres. | 1mile 1 1.6093149 kilometre. InEng. sq. In Eng. sq. In English II. SURFACE In English poles = 30-25 roods 1,210 acres = 4,840 square yds. sq. yards. sq. yards. sq. yards. Cant i are or sq. metre. 1-1960333 0.0395383 0 000988457 0.0002471143 Are or 100 sq.metres. 119-6033260 3-9538290 0-098845724 0.0247114310 Hectare, or 10,000 sq. 11960-3326020 395-3828959 9-884572398 2-4711430996 metres. 1 sq. inch 6-4513669 sq. cen tim. 1 sq.yd. 0-83609715 sq. metre. 1sq. foot 9-2899683 sq. decim. | 1 } acre 0.404671021 21 hectare. III. CAPAC. In cub. inch. In pints. In gallons. In bushels. Millilitre 0-061027 0-001761 0.00022010 0.000027512 Centilitre.. 0-610271 0-017608 0.00220097 0.000275121 Decilitre... 6-102705 0-176077 0.02200967 0-002751208 Litre..... 61 027052 1-760773 0.22009668 0027512085 Decalitre 610-270515 17-607734 2-20096677 0-275120846 Hectolitre.. 6102-705152 176-077341 22-00966768 2.751208459 Kilolitre.... 61027-051519 1760.773414 220-09667675 27 512084594 My ria litre. 610270-515194 17607-734140 2200-96676750 275-120845937 1cub.in. 16-3861759 cub. cent. | 1 cub. ft. 28-3153119 cub. decim. 1gallon 4.543457969 litres. In English In Troy oz. In Av. lbs. In cuts. = IV.WEIGHT grains. 480 grains. 7,000 grs. 112 lbs. Milligram. 0.015432 0-000032 0-0000022 0-00000002 Centigram. 0-154323 0.000322 0.0000220 0.00000020 Decigram'e 1-543235 0-003215 0-0002205 0-00000197 Gramme 15-432349 0-032151 0.0022046 0-00001968 Decagram. 154-323488 0 321507 0-0220462 0.00019684 Hectogram 1543-234880 3-215073 0-2204621 0-00196841 Kilogramm 15432-348800 32.150727 2-2046213 0-01968412 Myriagram 154323-488000 321.507267 22-0462126 0.19684118 1 grain= 0.064798950 grammes. 1 oz. Troy 31-103496 grammes. 1lb. Av. 0-45359265 kilogram. 11 cwt. 50-80237689 kilogram'es. [s. 596]