Hi,
I live in Europe where we mainly use the metric system for all
measures, However, I am very interested in the US measurment system.
I would highly appreciate if someone could find me the origin ( i.e.
why was  that specific lenght, wheight, volume chosen) of the most
commonly used measuring units.

Hi vax:

Thanks for the fascinating question. :-)

The Americans weights and measures are primarily modeled after those
used in England - with a few slight alterations in the last 200 years.

So very good sites that explain the details are: 

American weights and measures: An English persepctive 
URL: http://home.clara.net/brianp/usa.html
(If you click on the "Basics" links to the left, you'll find excellent
historical information.)

Weights & Measures 1
http://www.miketodd.net/encyc/measures1.htm

The following site has some links (under Traditional Imperial Units)
that explain some of the measures in more detail.

Weights & Measures
URL: http://www.shaunf.dircon.co.uk/shaun/metrology/metrology.htm

An excellent listing of all the British and American measures (as well
as the metric) can be found at:

Common Weights and Measures
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/sci/A0813058.html

The following page gives a good review of why the Americans have not
adopted the metric system.

THE UNITED STATES AND THE METRIC SYSTEM (LC 1136)
URL: http://ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/200/202/lc1136a.htm

English weights and measures: History 
URL: http://home.clara.net/brianp/history.html


I hope this information helps with your research.                
                
If you need any clarification of the information I have provided,
please ask using the clarification feature and provide me with
additional details as to what you are looking for. As well, please
allow me to provide you with clarification(s) *before* you rate this
answer.
                
Thank you.                 
                
websearcher-ga                 
                
                
Search Strategy (on Google):                 
  

american weights measures history
british weights measures history

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Request for Answer Clarification by vax-ga on 02 Apr 2003 12:02 PST

Hello Websearcher,
Thanks a lot for the very prompt answer. It mostly tells me
everityhing I wanted to know (plus a good deal I did not want to know,
where is the aspirin ?).
I have just one more although it was not in the original question and
thus you answer it only if you feel like it :
Is there an american "template" foot, pound or gallon preserved
somwhere, like there is, I belive, an irradiated Iridium "template"
meter kept in Paris (although lightwave lenghts are now used).
Please excuse any style or spelling mistake as  english is not my
mothertongue.

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Clarification of Answer by websearcher-ga on 02 Apr 2003 12:22 PST

Hi vax:

Thanks for the clarification request. 

The best I was able to find is the following: 

REFINEMENT OF VALUES FOR THE YARD AND THE POUND
URL: http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/PUBS_LIB/FedRegister/FRdoc59-5442.pdf
Quote: "Announcement. Effective July 1, 1959, all calibrations in the
U.S. customary system of weights and measures carried out by the
National Bureau of
Standards will continue to be based upon metric measurement standards
and, except those for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey as noted
below, will be
made in terms of the following exact equivalents and appropriate
multiples and submultiples:"

This makes a lot of sense, since the metric measurements are
scientifically more precise.

websearcher-ga

Thanks a lot for the very quick , accurate and complete answer.
Excellent first-time use of google answers. I will come back !

Howdy vax!

Not that I could really add anything to websearcher's answer,
but if you think you know the metric system you should read:

"The Measure of All Things: The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden
Error that Transformed the World" by Ken Alder (2002)

Describes how much politics and (sometimes incorrect) science
played a role in determining how the metric system developed.

Includes such things as a twelve month, three ten-day weeks
in a month, year.  A very good read!

Search strategy: personal knowledge

Looking Forward, denco

For additional links on history of the US adoption
 you may also look at the older queation/answer at
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=36122