ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Metrication in the United Kingdom

Metrication in the United Kingdom refers to the switch from using traditional measurements like feet, inches, and pounds to the metric system, which uses meters, centimeters, and kilograms.

Imagine you have a ruler to measure how long something is. Your ruler uses inches and feet, but your friend's ruler uses centimeters and meters. That's basically what metrication is all about - using a different ruler to measure things.

Now, back in the olden days, everyone used traditional measurements in the UK. But then, in the 1960s, the government decided to switch to the metric system. This was because many other countries were using the metric system, and it made it easier to trade with them.

So, the government started teaching people how to use the metric system in schools and on products like food packaging. They also started using metric measurements on road signs and in other official documents. But it wasn't an overnight change - it took a long time for people to get used to using the new measurements.

Even today, you might still see traditional measurements being used in some places in the UK, especially for things like doors and furniture. But for the most part, people in the UK use the metric system to measure things.