Taking the measure of the metre

A metre is a comfortable measurement. The length of a pike is about one metre, that of Finland is a million, and a cubic metre is one thousand litres. A thousand litres of water weighs a tonne. Easy! It must have been a walk in the park to develop and adopt such a simple and functional system. Or was it?

An open wooden box, inside measurements made of brass.
Reference standards (metre, kg, 3 feet, pound). Image: Helsinki University Museum.

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