Metric system

Metric system, decimal system of measurement, first adopted in France during the Revolution (1790s), called the Systeme International d'Unites, or SI. This simple system is used to measure length and distance, surface, volume and capacity, weight and mass, time, and temperature. The modern version of the metric system currently in use worldwide includes 7 base units: meter (length or distance), kilogram (mass), second (time), ampere (electricity),degrees (temperature, Celsius or Kelvin), candela (light), and mole (chemical substance).