Fractions are almost eliminated in the metric system. Since every metric unit is a decimal value of those above and below it, most changes between units require only the moving of a decimal point. For example, to convert kilometers to meters just move the decimal point three places to the right, which automatically multiplies it by 1,000: 3.74 kilometers = 3,740 meters. By contrast, to find the number of yards in 3.74 miles requires first knowing that there are 1,760 yards in a mile, and then multiplying that figure to arrive at 6,582.4 yards—no small job if you don't have a calculator handy. A U.S. Department of Commerce publication notes that "one authority is convinced that the U.S. Aerospace industry alone would save about $65 million a year in engineers' time by converting entirely to metric." At the supermarket, thrifty shoppers who compare prices will find that they need not convert pounds to ounces (16) or quarts to ounces (32) before dividing into the price to determine price per ounce. The metric weight or volume can be divided directly into the price in each case.
