International Systems of Units

In the past, the systems of units most commonly used were the English and metric, the English system is based on a single standard, the metric is subdivided into two interrelated standards: The MKS and The CGS
The MKS system uses Meters, Kilograms, and Seconds, while the CGS system uses Centimeters, Grams, and Seconds. Unfortunately, the use of more than one system of units in a world, would introduce unnecessary complications to the basic understanding of any technical data. The need for a standard set of units to be adopted by all nations has become increasingly obvious. In 1960, the General Conference adopted a system called Le Systeme International d'Unites (International System of Units), which has the international abbreviation SI. The International Bureau of Weights and Measures located at Sevres, France, has been the host for the General Conference of Weights and Measures, attended by representatives from all nations of the world. Since then, SI has been adopted by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) in 1965 and by the United States of America Standards Institute in 1967 as a standard for all scientific and engineering literature.

Meter

The meter was originally defined in 1790 to be 1/10,000,000 the distance between the equator and either pole at sea level, a length preserved on a platinum-iridium bar at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures at Sevres, France.

Kilogram

This standard is preserved in the form of a platinum-iridium cylinder in Sevres.

Second

The second was originally defined as 1/86,400 of the mean solar day. However, since Earth's rotation is slowing down by almost 1 second every 10 years, This table shows interrelation between different systems of units.