The metre (or meter; US spelling) is the SI base unit of length and uses the symbol m.
Originally defined in 1793 as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole but was redefined in 1799 in terms of a prototyped metre bar (this bar was changed again in 1889).
In 1983 the current definition was adopted and it is now the most common unit in any property in the world and is used in thousands of formulae to describe countless characteristics.
Let's hear it for the metre!
The foot is a unit of length in the imperial unit system and uses the symbol ft.
One foot is exactly equal to 12 inches. It is also exactly equal to 0.3048m. One yard is comprised of three feet.
The foot is just behind the metre in terms of widespread use due to its previous popularity. The US is the only developed country that still uses the foot in preference to the metre.
The UK still uses feet to express human height more than metres.