If you’ve ever had to look up how many ounces are in a pound while doing mental math, you may prefer the metric system.

There’s no denying it’s more straightforward — every successive measurement is based on increments of 10, making it all significantly easier to keep track of. Still, changing a system that’s been in place for so long is easier said than done, as evidenced by the fact that the U.S. actually passed the Metric Conversion Act in 1975 and never got around to implementing it. We’ll probably have to keep looking up how many liters are in a gallon for the foreseeable future.