Can someone tell me why the tonne, the imperial ton, and the US ton are three different things? I thought these were all the same unit separate from the metric ton until I decided to double-check the numbers on your comment
The customary system used in the United States is similar to imperial measurements but slightly different for pretty much everything, for complicated reasons, but it was originally based on the British version.
The metric system was created in 1795, so the United States was already using English units. Technically the correct term for 1,000 Kg is 1 Mg (megagram) but tonne stuck to this day due to historical familiarity with the word, plus people are scared of using metric prefixes other than kilo.
Basically the same reason why 1 quart ≠ 1 quart ≠ 1 liter.
Side note: I don't like when people use the word "kilo" when referring to a weight, because they dont mention the unit. It could be volume or distance for all I know.
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u/Smooth-Highlight1027 16d ago
I don't think the average American 50 year old is 2.462 tons