View Full Version : Is it time for the US to adopt the metric system?
Mangudai
11-16-2008, 23:39
Is it time for the US to adopt the metric system?
Sure, why not. We should've done it years ago already.
there ought to be an option for non-americans to say; "yes, if that is what the US wants".
Strike For The South
11-16-2008, 23:57
No, merely because Im stubborn and refuse to give the Frenchman a sense of satisfaction. On a side note I know both as do most Americans so in all reality we are already ahead of the curve.
You know they use the Metric System to measure wealth distribution, Strike.....
Lord Winter
11-17-2008, 00:44
Yes, its about time we stop with all those redicilous cups, ounces and all the other useless measurements the english came up with way back when. Woot for the simplicity of base ten conversions!
Marshal Murat
11-17-2008, 00:48
Yes it is time for the United States to adopt the metric system.
It will occur the same time we start calling "soccer" whatever you Euros call it.
Yes it is time for the United States to adopt the metric system.
It will occur the same time we start calling "soccer" whatever you Euros call it.
If you were to do that, we'd have to call Football "Rugby's bastard child"!
Old ways are the best ways! Twenty cubits to a stade! Fifteen chains to a fathom!
These newfangled Normans with their fancy chained-mail and their miles and their ... oh, wait, sorry, I was off by a few years. Ahem. I meant to say, death to the metric system! Just because the military, science, aerospace and the rest of the world use the metric system is no reason we should do so!
Somebody bring me some freedom fries.
Somebody bring me some freedom fries.
First the Metric System, next Bastardized Rugby, and then you'll be asking for Chips!
Seamus Fermanagh
11-17-2008, 01:12
GO on then, how many fathoms in a cable? Cables to knots? Arrrrrr......
Hooahguy
11-17-2008, 01:17
no, b/c wed have to change ALL our textbooks and stuff. cost billions.
just teach them the conversions and be done with it.
Mikeus Caesar
11-17-2008, 01:26
no, b/c wed have to change ALL our textbooks and stuff. cost billions.
just teach them the conversions and be done with it.
And then we'd have to spend billions changing all the textbooks to teach them conversions.
Easier to just bite the bullet and join the rest of the world. Sure, it's going to cost, but doesn't everything?
After all, if your dear country can afford to completely level Iraq and Afghanistan and then rebuild them, i'm sure you can afford some textbooks for the education of your own children.
Lord Winter
11-17-2008, 01:29
no, b/c wed have to change ALL our textbooks and stuff. cost billions.
just teach them the conversions and be done with it.
Most science textbooks are already in metric though, and a lot of industries use it too. Like it or not, metric is the international standard and we're probably paying more longterm for using the english system then we would to just convert over. And metrics already all around you, 2 liters at the stores, km on most speed dails in cars ect...
Hooahguy
11-17-2008, 01:32
Most science textbooks are already in metric though
not in the US.
of my 12+ years in school, i have never seen any science or math textbook use primarily metric. while i agree we should use metric, its not realistic. especially for the poorer schools.
Strike For The South
11-17-2008, 01:37
not in the US.
of my 12+ years in school, i have never seen any science or math textbook use primarily metric. while i agree we should use metric, its not realistic. especially for the poorer schools.
What state do you live in? In TEXAS we were taught both and were constantly tested. Or are you at a private school?
Lord Winter
11-17-2008, 01:39
Both of my chem textbooks (AP and regular) are in metric. I've done a metrics unit in every class since fifth grade, and we've been using metric for labs and what not since 8th grade. Math isn't really an issue, since it doesn't really matter what your units are, its more that you know what to do with the equations. Besides isn't there some sort of rule that schools should update there textbooks every X amount of years, there is in my state anyway. It won't hurt if we still have some english system texts still laying around for a while. Besides any serious science textbook is going to have to use metric since its a standard for the feild.
Hooahguy
11-17-2008, 01:41
im at a private school, and im happy for that, b/c Georgia's public schools are 2nd worst in the country.
i did learn metric, and was constantly tested on it, but it was independent of the text books.
@lord winter-
my chem books are also in metric, but thats b/c chemistry as a whole is in metric.
but what about the 1st graders book about the basic measurement units?
Lord Winter
11-17-2008, 01:42
When have 1st graders used textbooks?
Hooahguy
11-17-2008, 01:43
my school did.
simple ones, but we did.
Strike For The South
11-17-2008, 01:45
im at a private school, and im happy for that, b/c Georgia's public schools are 2nd worst in the country.
i did learn metric, and was constantly tested on it, but it was independent of the text books.
Well there is your problem. and FYI Georgia does not have the 2nd worst.
Hooahguy
11-17-2008, 01:46
hm. at least they were a few years ago.
maybe they got a bit higher?
Strike For The South
11-17-2008, 01:47
hm. at least they were a few years ago.
maybe they got a bit higher?
41st
Lord Winter
11-17-2008, 01:49
my school did.
simple ones, but we did.
We were pretty much worksheet based.
Still the idea is the same. The systems already being learned, and textbooks can be fully integrated over time. Fluency in the system will come. In 10 years we won't notice any negative difference.
TevashSzat
11-17-2008, 01:54
Yes.
Although it would be a real hassle on some topics (I'm way too used to MPHs and stuff), everyone would eventually get used to it and everything would be fine
Sasaki Kojiro
11-17-2008, 02:01
Why bother?
Louis VI the Fat
11-17-2008, 02:25
https://img90.imageshack.us/img90/3740/vuemx7.jpg
https://img49.imageshack.us/img49/64/metreruedevaugirardyn7.jpg
This a a meter. You can find it at the rue de Vaugirard. And at several places throughout the city. Bring a rope to correctly measure its size and you too have entered the modern world. Add a zero, and you have ten. Another, one hundred. A thousand of these are a kilometer then. Etcetera. You can use your fingers to work it out. Likewise, for all other standards of measurement.
From Picardy to the Languedoc, from Spain to Russia, the legions of Revolution have spread the banner of enlightenment. Only three places yet resist Cartesian rationality: Liberia, Burma, and the United States. Soon, these lands too will bow to the standard imposed by Paris. :knight:
If you were to do that, we'd have to call Football "Rugby's bastard child"!
Surely "Rugby for Weak-Kneed Girly-Men"? ~;p
As for the question, the answer is YES. Try doing theoretical physics in Imperial units and you'll see why. It's hard enough anyway without having to convert from pounds per gallon per square yard to ounces per pint per square mile every five minutes.
As far as I'm concerned the Imperial system is obsolete technology. Just as we don't generally use gas lighting anymore now we have a better alternative, so we don't need to use Imperial units anymore now we have a better option.
Alexanderofmacedon
11-17-2008, 02:50
Yes. Simply to make the Frenchmen happy.
Sarmatian
11-17-2008, 03:00
no, b/c wed have to change ALL our textbooks and stuff. cost billions.
just teach them the conversions and be done with it.
That's why those things are done gradually. Textbooks get old, they get revised, they get some stuff added, some taken out...
Same with other stuff. Machines get old and you have to replace them eventually. Instead of buying a new machine that makes 12oz beer bottles, you buy the one that makes 0.33l bottles.
Basically, a law should be passed that everything has to switch to metric system in the next 10-15 years. That way economy can prepare adequately and it can be done painlessly and without great cost.
I think the proper question is, "Is it time for the rest of the world to adopt the American system?".:book:
Mangudai
11-17-2008, 03:59
I studied physics in college. It is almost impossible to do physics with English Imperial units. Pounds are a unit of force. What's mass? A slug. This is a unit that is never used in real life, but you have to mess with it to do physics, it's a nightmare.
To work on any American car built after 1980 you need two complete sets of tools, because half the bolts in an American car are metric. American mechanics probably like having two sets of tools, but why would a mechanic in any other country want to make that investment? Surely this is significant for American automobile exports.
Everybody in America under the age of 103 knows how to use the metric system. It's easy. They taught it in school back in the 1960's if not earlier. Most Americans have an intuitive feel for a meter, liter, kilogram almost as accurate as their feel for a yard, quart, pound. There are a few special units like a tablespoon that grandma will not want to switch to mL. That can stay, it doesn't matter. Goofy units will not be outlawed or anything, it's just that all official numbers will be in metric.
For a couple years I taught 8th grade science. Topics included measuring volume, computing density and so on. In the metric system 1 Liter of water has a mass 1 Kg, by definition. The kids couldn't get it, every time a brought it up they got totally confused. The kids who basically understood the concept of density went totally astray whenever I mentioned this definition. I also taught college physics as a TA for a few years, the students were mostly engineering majors at the University of Illinois at Urbana (very strong science/engineering school). A couple of times we had problems where they needed the mass of a certain volume of water. They all said "the problem doesn't give us enough information", I told them 1 Liter of water has mass 1 Kg, they were all like "Wow, Really?". Yeah that's the way the system is defined. They loved the metric system even more when they understood that. I can't help but think most of them probably were taught it in the 8th grade and absolutely could not grasp it at that time.
Strike For The South
11-17-2008, 05:58
https://img90.imageshack.us/img90/3740/vuemx7.jpg
https://img49.imageshack.us/img49/64/metreruedevaugirardyn7.jpg
This a a meter. You can find it at the rue de Vaugirard. And at several places throughout the city. Bring a rope to correctly measure its size and you too have entered the modern world. Add a zero, and you have ten. Another, one hundred. A thousand of these are a kilometer then. Etcetera. You can use your fingers to work it out. Likewise, for all other standards of measurement.
From Picardy to the Languedoc, from Spain to Russia, the legions of Revolution have spread the banner of enlightenment. Only three places yet resist Cartesian rationality: Liberia, Burma, and the United States. Soon, these lands too will bow to the standard imposed by Paris. :knight:
See I couldn't stand this. Instead of whispering sweet nothings into my ear it would be "centimeters meters kilos"...UGH
Science is already done in metric, so no real big problem there.
But for everyday use, metric units are kind of crap. Meters are too big, liters too small. And until we have fully electric cars as the majority, I don't want to see vehicles rated in kilowatts instead of horsepower. A car is not a light bulb. How can I even attempt to guess the 0-60 time (oh, sorry, 0-96kph) of a 175 kW automobile? :inquisitive:
Yoyoma1910
11-17-2008, 07:33
Science is already done in metric, so no real big problem there.
But for everyday use, metric units are kind of crap. Meters are too big, liters too small. And until we have fully electric cars as the majority, I don't want to see vehicles rated in kilowatts instead of horsepower. A car is not a light bulb. How can I even attempt to guess the 0-60 time (oh, sorry, 0-96kph) of a 175 kW automobile? :inquisitive:
I second that.
Besides, to properly kick butt, one must have a foot.
:chucks:
Just ask Chuck Norris.
Science is already done in metric, so no real big problem there.
But for everyday use, metric units are kind of crap. Meters are too big, liters too small. And until we have fully electric cars as the majority, I don't want to see vehicles rated in kilowatts instead of horsepower. A car is not a light bulb. How can I even attempt to guess the 0-60 time (oh, sorry, 0-96kph) of a 175 kW automobile? :inquisitive:
"Have you checked out Kyle's car?"
"No, what's it's kilowatts?"
"175!"
"Hot damn!"
Banquo's Ghost
11-17-2008, 07:59
Why bother?
Just because the military, science, aerospace and the rest of the world use the metric system is no reason we should do so!
My esteemed colleagues make a powerful argument. After all, the United States' rocket scientists are the very best in the world, and can easily juggle multiple measurement systems (http://edition.cnn.com/TECH/space/9909/30/mars.metric/) in their engorged crania.
On the other hand, the French are landing probes on other planets almost every day, with consummate Gallic ease.
:wink:
seireikhaan
11-17-2008, 08:10
Yes. Feet are ridiculous. Any real man only needs hands. :wink:
yesdachi
11-17-2008, 17:36
If the slate were to be wiped clean it is a more practical system but to change it now, too much of a bother.
However I may be interested in a negotiation, let’s say… we’ll take on the metric system if your women shave their armpits. :laugh4:
Louis VI the Fat
11-17-2008, 17:58
we’ll take on the metric system if your women shave their armpits.Deal.
https://img223.imageshack.us/img223/550/alizee121024x768bq6.jpg
https://img91.imageshack.us/img91/694/marion2bcotillard27s2bovk5.jpg
Warning! Recent pictures of the First Lady below. Hence, not safe for work in many socially less developed countries.
https://img224.imageshack.us/img224/4980/carlabrunibikinivk6.jpg
atheotes
11-17-2008, 18:01
I am just surprised the US did not invent its own system and decided to follow the british one.... :shrug:
oh.. to answer the qn they should adopt gradually....
Sasaki Kojiro
11-17-2008, 18:33
My esteemed colleagues make a powerful argument. After all, the United States' rocket scientists are the very best in the world, and can easily juggle multiple measurement systems (http://edition.cnn.com/TECH/space/9909/30/mars.metric/) in their engorged crania.
On the other hand, the French are landing probes on other planets almost every day, with consummate Gallic ease.
:wink:
If you wish to argue that US scientists should adopt the metric system you may do so. That's clearly different from having the us adopt it.
Metric is to standard as esperanto is to english.
Metric is to standard as esperanto is to english.
Yeah, um, see, there's this one teeny-tiny, crucial difference — nobody adopted Esperanto, and everybody adopted metric.
Here's a map of the non-metric nations.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v489/Lemurmania/Metric_system.png
Meh, I'm indifferent, but it WOULD be costly as all get out. Plus I have to admit, some things it's just about impossible for me to think in metric, temperature and distance being the two primary things. I'm sorry but the Fahrenheit scale is much, much easier to understand and more granular than Centigrade.
Sasaki Kojiro
11-17-2008, 18:47
Yeah, um, see, there's this one teeny-tiny, crucial difference — nobody adopted Esperanto, and everybody adopted metric.
Here's a map of the non-metric nations.
Fortunately people are a little more resistant learning a new language.
Also, the thread title should mention that liberia and burma don't use metric either...way to misrepresent things mangudai!
Strike For The South
11-17-2008, 18:49
Yeah, um, see, there's this one teeny-tiny, crucial difference — nobody adopted Esperanto, and everybody adopted metric.
Here's a map of the non-metric nations.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v489/Lemurmania/Metric_system.png
You see non-metics, I see bastions of freedom. Who is splitting hairs now?
Yoyoma1910
11-17-2008, 18:49
Let me put it to you in one sentence:
When the world adopts American English as the standard system of speech, and ceases to use their own in everyday practice, not just business or foreign affairs, then (and most likely only then) will the States that have United upon the continents of America adopt the Metric system as its primary system of measurement for everyday usage.
Lord Winter
11-18-2008, 02:06
I am just surprised the US did not invent its own system and decided to follow the british one.... :shrug:
oh.. to answer the qn they should adopt gradually....
We've already mandated duel measurements way back in 70's. I think we can move onto the next step thirty years latter.
Seamus Fermanagh
11-18-2008, 02:45
See I couldn't stand this. Instead of whispering sweet nothings into my ear it would be "centimeters meters kilos"...UGH
But think how much more impressive you'll sound when you can say "I've got 12" honestly.
:smartass2:
Also, 10 outa 10 for style in using Burma and "bastions of freedom" in the same sentence, but minus several million points for accuracy.
Crazed Rabbit
11-18-2008, 04:04
This a a meter. You can find it at the rue de Vaugirard. And at several places throughout the city. Bring a rope to correctly measure its size and you too have entered the modern world. Add a zero, and you have ten. Another, one hundred. A thousand of these are a kilometer then. Etcetera. You can use your fingers to work it out. Likewise, for all other standards of measurement.
From Picardy to the Languedoc, from Spain to Russia, the legions of Revolution have spread the banner of enlightenment. Only three places yet resist Cartesian rationality: Liberia, Burma, and the United States. Soon, these lands too will bow to the standard imposed by Paris. :knight:
The legions of revolution? Oh, my poor friend. Was not the metric system put into motion by a French King? The standard was imposed by the King onto Paris, and that remnant of tyranny remains yet today, stilling holding nigh on the whole world in its death grip.
It is the US that still holds the beacon of light, as it has before in other areas, like democracy, freedom, and equality. Only now it is for a human measurement system, one with soul, one that does not sacrifice all that makes humans human, their loves and hates, their achievements and follies, for a trifling bit of convenience.
Pretend like the French have imposed this on the world if you like, but the truth is it was imposed on France by a long dead king. None are so enslaved as those who cannot see the chains.
CR
Sasaki Kojiro
11-18-2008, 04:18
Much more eloquently said than I was able, CR :bow:
Marshal Murat
11-18-2008, 04:24
I'd be fine with meter, kilogram, and liter.
However, telling temperature is so much easier with Fahrenheit. While it's easy to say "20 degrees Celsius", I understand that 70F is gonna be kinda hot, but not too bad.
If anything, basing the system of measurement on the Earth seems very terracentric, and doesn't incorporate the rest of the galaxy.
Last I checked, H2O was not exclusive to Earth. I hear rumors that it's quite common out in the solar system.
Sasaki Kojiro
11-18-2008, 05:16
Last I checked, H2O was not exclusive to Earth. I hear rumors that it's quite common out in the solar system.
OK I'll buy that it was when you last checked, but what makes you think it is now?
Strike For The South
11-18-2008, 06:17
But think how much more impressive you'll sound when you can say "I've got 12" honestly.
Well I already use Centimeters for that
OK I'll buy that it was when you last checked, but what makes you think it is now?
I believe what I read. (http://www.u24u.com/What_s_New/The_Galaxy/the_galaxy.html) This makes me very gullible.
Proletariat
11-19-2008, 04:20
Is there some problem I'm not aware of that this would fix? The term 'Metric' sounds like a nerdy loser in a SciFi movie. Ordering five hundred and sixty-eight milliliters of beer at the local wateringhole is also a nerdwuss move and might get you thrown right out.
If it ain't broke...
Enough of this nancy talk, be a man and march a mile and down a pint and refer to your unit of measuring system as IMPERIAL!
:smash:
Tribesman
11-19-2008, 04:26
Was not the metric system put into motion by a French King?
Wasn't that the French King who paid for you to have a country called the united states ?
Surely as you claim you are a beacon you should take a shine to the metric system
Enough of this nancy talk, be a man and march a mile and down a pint and refer to your unit of measuring system as IMPERIAL!
Yeah that arguement might hold some weight , if an American pint wasn't so much smaller than a proper pint .
Evil_Maniac From Mars
11-19-2008, 04:27
You see non-metics, I see bastions of freedom.
Burma? :inquisitive:
Yoyoma1910
11-19-2008, 07:38
Burma? :inquisitive:
Hey man, they're just expressing their freedom of oppression.
Is there some problem I'm not aware of that this would fix? The term 'Metric' sounds like a nerdy loser in a SciFi movie. Ordering five hundred and sixty-eight milliliters of beer at the local wateringhole is also a nerdwuss move and might get you thrown right out.
If it ain't broke...
Enough of this nancy talk, be a man and march a mile and down a pint and refer to your unit of measuring system as IMPERIAL!
:smash:
Spoken like a truly conservative old woman. :mellow:
That you want to be a man worries me a bit as well but regardless of that you can get a 0.5 liter beer here as well, it's less scary than having a base of a dozen or something or to make it short, I can't really calculate in imperial very well and i don't see why anyone would want to as it's overly complicated and directly opposes (in name and degree of complication) the american ideas of freedom and democracy.
In other words, the USA are still lagging behind their former imperial overlords here. ~;p
Although it fits rather well with their being overall very conservative.
Goofball
11-20-2008, 20:25
It doesn't really matter if the U.S. changes or not. The scientific community and the military is already using metric so that they can play properly with the rest of the world. The rest of it doesn't really matter.
Goofball
11-20-2008, 20:36
Meh, I'm indifferent, but it WOULD be costly as all get out. Plus I have to admit, some things it's just about impossible for me to think in metric, temperature and distance being the two primary things. I'm sorry but the Fahrenheit scale is much, much easier to understand and more granular than Centigrade.
Really?
Celsius:
Water boils: 100 degrees
Water freezes: 0 degrees
Fahrenheit:
Water boils: 212 degrees
Water freezes: 32 degrees
Oh yes, I can see how it's much harder to figure out the Celsius.
:laugh4:
Cripes, it's even harder just to spell Fahrenheit...
Cripes, it's even harder just to spell Fahrenheit...
Not if you are German. ~;)
Celsius is actually a good example of the inherent flaws in the metric system. A truer measurement would be Kelvin. :tongue3:
Yoyoma1910
11-20-2008, 20:49
Really?
Celsius:
Water boils: 100 degrees
Water freezes: 0 degrees
Fahrenheit:
Water boils: 212 degrees
Water freezes: 32 degrees
Oh yes, I can see how it's much harder to figure out the Celsius.
:laugh4:
Cripes, it's even harder just to spell Fahrenheit...
I'm sorry, I'm going to need you to list those in Kelvin and Rankine, as both Celsius and Fahrenheit are obsolete.
Sasaki Kojiro
11-20-2008, 22:37
Really?
Celsius:
Water boils: 100 degrees
Water freezes: 0 degrees
Fahrenheit:
Water boils: 212 degrees
Water freezes: 32 degrees
Oh yes, I can see how it's much harder to figure out the Celsius.
:laugh4:
Cripes, it's even harder just to spell Fahrenheit...
Who cares where water boils?
Fahrenheit is more closely related to weather...in most temperate climes the vast majority of the time it will be between 0 and 100 degrees fahrenheit.
So below 32 degrees you get snow and ice and above you get rain?
I prefer to know that everything below 0° means we get ice and snow and above means we don't, so much easier, when my blood boils I'm at 100° and should go see a doctor etc...
Mouzafphaerre
11-21-2008, 12:10
.
Yes indeed! I want my pipe tobacco in proper 50 g. packs instead of the stupid 1.5 oz. which is 42.x g. :gah2:
.
What's oz anyway? I heard of some wizard of oz but never seen that movie. Something to do with Oztralia or so? :inquisitive:
I think Fahrenheit (Is it spelled this way?) measurement has to do blood temperature.
Humans are generally at 37º Celcius, while on Far Night mode, they are at 100º
Actually, the core temp of a human should be around 36.8C or 98.2F, so there are no round numbers in either system.
rory_20_uk
11-21-2008, 15:06
Of course you are referring to pure water at STP (standard temperature and pressure). Deviate from this and the liquid will freeze and boil at slightly different temperatures. Indeed, get the temperature and pressure right and you'll get all three states coexisting.
Hosakawa Tito
11-21-2008, 15:46
It doesn't really matter if the U.S. changes or not. The scientific community and the military is already using metric so that they can play properly with the rest of the world. The rest of it doesn't really matter.
The voice of reason in the wilderness of global conformity. Consider having to do the conversions good brain exercise.:2thumbsup:
Ironside
11-21-2008, 18:51
I'd be fine with meter, kilogram, and liter.
However, telling temperature is so much easier with Fahrenheit. While it's easy to say "20 degrees Celsius", I understand that 70F is gonna be kinda hot, but not too bad.
If anything, basing the system of measurement on the Earth seems very terracentric, and doesn't incorporate the rest of the galaxy.
You don't think that's more of a habit than anything else? I know exactly how warm 20 degrees Celsius is, while having no idea about 70F.
Can anybody come up with a decent galactic unit btw? Either they're very, very small (rest mass of a unbounded proton) or very, very large (speed of light).
LittleGrizzly
11-21-2008, 19:22
Can anybody come up with a decent galactic unit btw? Either they're very, very small (rest mass of a unbounded proton) or very, very large (speed of light).
How about sound years!
When did the UK convert ?
I remember something about a green grocer who refused to switch to metric back when i was a kid, was this the time when we switched ? about the late 90's ?
I find feet and inches easier for hieght, though i am slowly getting proficent at cm's and meter's for people hieghts, when it comes to other measurements (building hieght, how far away is that light) i use cm's and m's, i have been doing newtonian eqausions of motion and thats in m's and cm's
I find temperature more natural in celsuis, i am not used to farenhiet..
Litre and kilogram are natural to me, though milk and beer and i used to in pints.... less so with the milk though...
Consider having to do the conversions good brain exercise.
I agree, if may make things more complicated sometimes but you would expect it would benefit peoples mental arithmatic, i think the reason we learn our times table up to 12 is because of this..
When did the UK convert ?
According to this handy chart, Britain converted in 1965, Ireland in 1967.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v489/Lemurmania/advance-new.gif
Banquo's Ghost
11-22-2008, 09:34
According to this handy chart, Britain converted in 1965, Ireland in 1967.
Yes, we had yards, so it was a bit longer. :bounce:
The Celtic Viking
11-22-2008, 13:08
To quote what another guy said on this subject in a different forum:
The metric system is just a subset of the universally employed Systeme International d'Unites (SI units). Every engineer, scientist and mathematician on the planet uses SI units. Every single derived unit expressed in SI is derived from a set of seven base units, each of which is based on a fundamental and immutable property of the universe (these units are the meter, second, ampere, Kelvin, mole, kilogram and candela). As the units for all of these are defined in terms of immutable properties of the entire universe, the SI system is overwhelmingly superior in every way to any other system. Any quantity in the universe can be expressed in terms of the SI units. For example, If you want to measure charge, it is simply the current-time product in a region. Thus, 1C is one Ampere-second, or 1As. Magnetic fields are produced by moving charges, and the strength of magnetic fields (also called flux density) is related to the velocity, charge and the force exerted. Velocity is a derived unit (ms-1), so is charge (As), and so is force (kgms-2). The derived unit for magnetic fields (Teslas) are equivalent (in base units) to kgs-2A-1. Since every quantity can be expressed in terms of the base units, relating quantities is vastly easier, and entirely universal. There is no sense in not employing the SI.
So America, get out of the stone age already! :juggle:
Science is already done in metric, so no real big problem there.
But for everyday use, metric units are kind of crap. Meters are too big, liters too small. And until we have fully electric cars as the majority, I don't want to see vehicles rated in kilowatts instead of horsepower. A car is not a light bulb. How can I even attempt to guess the 0-60 time (oh, sorry, 0-96kph) of a 175 kW automobile? :inquisitive:
Watts and Horsepower are equivalent units. They were both created by the same Englishman in the 18th century.
1 hp=768 Watts.
Mangudai
11-23-2008, 03:32
O Fahrenheit is the temperature at which sea ice forms.
1 Horsepower is based on an average of how much work horses at a coal mine did in one day. A real horse could generate far more than that in a sprint. A teenage boy sprinting up a staircase can generate 1 horsepower.
Papewaio
11-24-2008, 21:27
If drug users can handle grams and kilos I'm sure the rest of the population can figure it out...
:smoking:
If drug users can handle grams and kilos I'm sure the rest of the population can figure it out...
Yeah, um, see, they're motivated. If they can't figure out the metric system, it's cramps, shakes and a long night of psychic bugs crawling out of their pores and telling them that Jim Morrison wants them to kill the President.
The rest of us can be lazy. Not so the average dope-head.
No. Why? Because screw 'em, that's why.
Strike For The South
11-24-2008, 22:47
No. Why? Because screw 'em, that's why.
this
Tribesman
11-25-2008, 18:05
1 Horsepower is based on an average of how much work horses at a coal mine did in one day.
Thats wrong since they din't use horses they had ponies and as a pony is 25 pounds that makes a pony a quarter of a ton but since a ton is 2240 pounds not 100 pounds its a good reason to turn metric .
Strike For The South
11-25-2008, 18:08
I love teh inrerwebz wit teh rezearch
https://img123.imageshack.us/img123/710/horsepowermr1.th.gif (https://img123.imageshack.us/my.php?image=horsepowermr1.gif)https://img123.imageshack.us/images/thpix.gif (http://g.imageshack.us/thpix.php)
LittleGrizzly
11-25-2008, 19:32
I always though horsepower was the average 'power' of a horse...
So i am guessing brake horsepower is not how many horses you need pulling the other direction to keep the car standing still....
Louis VI the Fat
11-25-2008, 19:43
The metric system is inescapably superior to anything the irrational anglo mind has come up with.
For four reasons:
1 Clear, well defined standards of measurement
2 Decimal
3 Uniform
4 International, codified
1 Horsepower, feet, teaspoons, stones. These standards of measurement worked well in the worldview of the Stone Age. When the largest distances that needed measurement could be covered by counting steps. When the largest objects weighed could be covered by lumping more stones on the other end of a scale. When a horse was the largest generator of power. Or, when the smallest objects that needed accurate measurement didn't exceed the width of a thumb.
In the modern world, these standards have lost their relevance. Rational, scientific standards of measurements are needed.
2 The most compelling argument: we count in a decimal system. Hence, measurements need to be decimal too. It is in the end not that important whether a centimeter or an inch is a base unit. What matters, is that ten centimeters is a decimeter. One hundred a meter. Etcetera.
This works much simpler than 12 inch to a foot. 3 feet to a yard. 5280 yard to a mile. For example: how many inch are there in 12.278 miles*? The simplest of questions, yet one can't work it out without pen and paper or a calculator. Unlike the metric system: in 12.278 kilometer there are 12278000 meters, or 1.227.800.000 centimeters.
*See point four. Meant here are Imperial miles. Not nautical, British or your aunt Polly's miles.
3 Likewise for all othe bases of measurement. If a thousand gram is a kilogram, then one thousand meter is a kilometer. Etcetera. Nothing could be more rational.
(The obvious exeption is time. The real units of time are not a second, but a day and a year. For this, the old system, including counting in 12 and sixty, has been retained.)
4 Currently, even while sharing a related language, Britons and Americans don't understand each other's units. Never mind when one considers Arabs, Chinese, Russians, Greeks. So there needs to be an international system for communication.
Because France won't accept any foreign system, this international system logically will have to be French. This is the Système International d'Unités, currently adopted by all countries save the three culprits mentioned earlier.
Seamus Fermanagh
11-25-2008, 19:50
Spoken like a truly conservative old woman. :mellow:
That you want to be a man worries me a bit as well but regardless of that you can get a 0.5 liter beer here as well, it's less scary than having a base of a dozen or something or to make it short, I can't really calculate in imperial very well and i don't see why anyone would want to as it's overly complicated and directly opposes (in name and degree of complication) the american ideas of freedom and democracy.
In other words, the USA are still lagging behind their former imperial overlords here. ~;p
Although it fits rather well with their being overall very conservative.
You could order Miller Lite or Budweiser (TM)s by the liter, by the pint, in truckloads or by mega-tanker load -- it would still taste like :daisy:.
Crazed Rabbit
11-25-2008, 20:03
Every engineer, scientist and mathematician on the planet uses SI units
Um, no.
The thing is, converting to metric would cause a lot of problems - we are a huge country and you better believe there'd be all sorts of problems from this.
So that raises the questions - what would the benefits be? Not nearly enough, since we all understand our current system fine. We don't need to switch.
Really, all this fuss comes from Europeans and other insecure types who need the US to change so they finally feel vindicated. All this talk about how great the metric system would be is just to hide those rampant insecurities because the greatest nation on earth hasn't changed. And we are doing fine so they worry that maybe listening to a dead French kind wasn't such a hot idea.
CR
So that raises the questions - what would the benefits be? Not nearly enough, since we all understand our current system fine. We don't need to switch.
I know you're being silly, but I'll play along for a bit. If there are no benefits to using the same system of measurement the rest of the world uses, why have the military and scientists converted? What benefit do they see?
Sasaki Kojiro
11-25-2008, 20:24
The metric system is inescapably superior to anything the irrational anglo mind has come up with.
For four reasons:
1 Clear, well defined standards of measurement
2 Decimal
3 Uniform
4 International, codified
1 Horsepower, feet, teaspoons, stones. These standards of measurement worked well in the worldview of the Stone Age. When the largest distances that needed measurement could be covered by counting steps. When the largest objects weighed could be covered by lumping more stones on the other end of a scale. When a horse was the largest generator of power. Or, when the smallest objects that needed accurate measurement didn't exceed the width of a thumb.
In the modern world, these standards have lost their relevance. Rational, scientific standards of measurements are needed.
2 The most compelling argument: we count in a decimal system. Hence, measurements need to be decimal too. It is in the end not that important whether a centimeter or an inch is a base unit. What matters, is that ten centimeters is a decimeter. One hundred a meter. Etcetera.
This works much simpler than 12 inch to a foot. 3 feet to a yard. 5280 yard to a mile. For example: how many inch are there in 12.278 miles*? The simplest of questions, yet one can't work it out without pen and paper or a calculator. Unlike the metric system: in 12.278 kilometer there are 12278000 meters, or 1.227.800.000 centimeters.
*See point four. Meant here are Imperial miles. Not nautical, British or your aunt Polly's miles.
3 Likewise for all othe bases of measurement. If a thousand gram is a kilogram, then one thousand meter is a kilometer. Etcetera. Nothing could be more rational.
(The obvious exeption is time. The real units of time are not a second, but a day and a year. For this, the old system, including counting in 12 and sixty, has been retained.)
4 Currently, even while sharing a related language, Britons and Americans don't understand each other's units. Never mind when one considers Arabs, Chinese, Russians, Greeks. So there needs to be an international system for communication.
Because France won't accept any foreign system, this international system logically will have to be French. This is the Système International d'Unités, currently adopted by all countries save the three culprits mentioned earlier.
Do you use the qwerty keyboard?
I know you're being silly, but I'll play along for a bit. If there are no benefits to using the same system of measurement the rest of the world uses, why have the military and scientists converted? What benefit do they see?
Precision. Something that most ppl only need when counting money, and our monetary system is base 10 just like all the other ones. The rest doesn't matter.
Louis VI the Fat
11-25-2008, 20:35
Do you use the qwerty keyboard?Nope. :beam:
Well sometimes. Mainly AZERTY (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AZERTY). :sweatdrop:
To be fair, I know what you're saying. Custom can beat logicallity. However, the difference between ABCDE and QWERTY isn't that great. Even on an alphebetical keyboard one would have to get used to the layout, to typing blindly.
Nothing beats a decimal system though. Again, the difference between the units in themselves - yards or meters - is not the real difference in practicality. The use of a decimal system is. This ought to be the death blow to all other systems.
Strike For The South
11-25-2008, 20:37
I'm going to ask this once more. Is there anyone who doesn't know how to use both? Drop me off in France right now and I know exactly how far Paris is and how much bread, cheese and wine I need to buy when I get there.
Louis VI the Fat
11-25-2008, 20:38
Precision. Something that most ppl only need when counting money, and our monetary system is base 10 just like all the other ones. .But this wasn't the case until Britain adopted a decimal system (http://www.milesfaster.co.uk/information/uk-currency.htm) for currency in 1971. 9Don't know about the US :shame:).
All the arguments that we've seen in this thread for or against were considered back then. In the end, the UK adopted the decimal system. :beam:
Sasaki Kojiro
11-25-2008, 20:42
Nope. :beam:
Well sometimes. Mainly AZERTY (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AZERTY). :sweatdrop:
To be fair, I know what you're saying. Custom can beat logicallity. However, the difference between ABCDE and QWERTY isn't that great. Even on an alphebetical keyboard one would have to get used to the layout, to typing blindly.
Nothing beats a decimal system though. Again, the difference between the units in themselves - yards or meters - is not the real difference in practicality. The use of a decimal system is. This ought to be the death blow to all other systems.
QWERTY is designed to make you type slow so that the old typewriters wouldn't get jammed. There are other keyboard layouts designed for speed and for reducing repetitive stress injuries. AZERTY is a stone age system :tongue3: (but it's not worthwhile switching).
Kralizec
11-25-2008, 20:46
If drug users can handle grams and kilos I'm sure the rest of the population can figure it out...
:smoking:
:laugh4:
Now I've got to clean my monitor...
yesdachi
11-25-2008, 21:16
Thats wrong since they din't use horses they had ponies and as a pony is 25 pounds that makes a pony a quarter of a ton but since a ton is 2240 pounds not 100 pounds its a good reason to turn metric .
Speaking of tons, I was recently doing some calculations and kept coming up dreadfully wrong. It turned out the weight of the incoming product was measured in tons (2,000 lbs) and the waste was being measured in metric tons. :dizzy2:
I would be ok with standardizing just to have had eliminated that headache.
Fisherking
11-25-2008, 21:28
It is ridiculous! It is just a bother no one needs, as well as costly…and no one really wants it.
Gosh! England and Ireland converted 40 years ago…but they still drink pints. When you ask directions more than not they tell you in miles. The average guy still thinks in °F not °C… who cares if you need a 10mm or a 9/16th. Only the people on TV and radio talk in kms and °C. Ask some one on the street how much snow they had…if they had any they will tell you in inches. It is pretty much the same in Canada too, from the people I know…
Besides it is 24,000 miles around the earth and 24 hours in the day. There are 180 °F between freezing and boiling while 0°F is the freezing point of seawater.
My wife’s (a German) counter argument:
Besides there are all these people in Continental Europe who would just LOvE it….
Big deal!
Papewaio
11-25-2008, 22:09
The metric system is inescapably superior to anything the irrational anglo mind has come up with.
Being called irrational by a French man, that is a complement no? :smoking:
Anyhow one might want to mention the idea of a metric system if not the implementation was from John Wilkens... an Englishman. And that Benjamin Franklin who was also responsible for the decimal currency was possible a key player in getting the Louis XVI interested in the decimal/metric system. So the American Dollar can be seen as one of the first practical uses of a metric system. It is with great irony that American clings to the British system for everything else, yet rejects the very system they helped inspired their allies to sort out.
America is the great capitalist country, so one would think that there system of measurements would be in alignment with their currency system. Otherwise why not adopt the penny & pound?
For four reasons:
1 Clear, well defined standards of measurement
2 Decimal
3 Uniform
4 International, codified
1 Horsepower, feet, teaspoons, stones. These standards of measurement worked well in the worldview of the Stone Age. When the largest distances that needed measurement could be covered by counting steps. When the largest objects weighed could be covered by lumping more stones on the other end of a scale. When a horse was the largest generator of power. Or, when the smallest objects that needed accurate measurement didn't exceed the width of a thumb.
In the modern world, these standards have lost their relevance. Rational, scientific standards of measurements are needed.
The counter argument is that these are very accessible day to day human measurements. Of course the tools used can limit ones thinking. If all your tools are hammers, then all your methods are to treat problems as nails. So the counter-counter argument is that metric allows us to expand our world view from the infinitesimal to the infinite. It isn't so much that metric is important it is that it functions off orders of magnitude.
2 The most compelling argument: we count in a decimal system. Hence, measurements need to be decimal too. It is in the end not that important whether a centimeter or an inch is a base unit. What matters, is that ten centimeters is a decimeter. One hundred a meter. Etcetera.
This works much simpler than 12 inch to a foot. 3 feet to a yard. 5280 yard to a mile. For example: how many inch are there in 12.278 miles*? The simplest of questions, yet one can't work it out without pen and paper or a calculator. Unlike the metric system: in 12.278 kilometer there are 12278000 meters, or 1.227.800.000 centimeters.
*See point four. Meant here are Imperial miles. Not nautical, British or your aunt Polly's miles.
We do not always count in decimal. As noted later we use base 12/60 for time. And for computing we use base 2 & 16 a lot. We use base 16 a lot for the same reason we use base 10, both are a function of how many digits are available... 16 bits in a computer as the base, while most people have ten fingers... one wonders why base 20 wasn't more common?
3 Likewise for all othe bases of measurement. If a thousand gram is a kilogram, then one thousand meter is a kilometer. Etcetera. Nothing could be more rational.
(The obvious exeption is time. The real units of time are not a second, but a day and a year. For this, the old system, including counting in 12 and sixty, has been retained.)
The real units of time are in seconds. We do not talk about milli-days or years. We do refer to MA and GA (million and billion years). Minutes and hours is used for the same reason pints and feet are still remembered... because they are measurements that the users are used to. The first meme on the scene stays king of the castle unless a huge amount of effort is put in, even if it is wrong, it takes a huge amount of effort to remove the first one.
Anyhow point 4 disproves the 'real units of time are not a second'. For SI the unit of time is seconds.
4 Currently, even while sharing a related language, Britons and Americans don't understand each other's units. Never mind when one considers Arabs, Chinese, Russians, Greeks. So there needs to be an international system for communication.
Because France won't accept any foreign system, this international system logically will have to be French. This is the Système International d'Unités, currently adopted by all countries save the three culprits mentioned earlier.
The irony being that after all the cultural creations of France the only one that has been taken overseas with relish other then French Cuisine Sauces is a measurement system. :laugh4:
LittleGrizzly
11-25-2008, 22:34
Gosh! England and Ireland converted 40 years ago…but they still drink pints. When you ask directions more than not they tell you in miles. The average guy still thinks in °F not °C… who cares if you need a 10mm or a 9/16th. Only the people on TV and radio talk in kms and °C. Ask some one on the street how much snow they had…if they had any they will tell you in inches. It is pretty much the same in Canada too, from the people I know…
Maybe its different for the youth, or it is in my experience anyway, (in Britian, Wales btw) the group of friends varies from about 18-24, we pretty much all use Celsuis for temperature, when it comes to drinks (bar pints obviously, i dont drink hardly ever so maybe im different) i think of the measurements in mililitrers and litres for my drinks, often when we looking at deals on mutlipacks of drinks ill convert the price into xx pounts per litre..
Though when it comes to heights it depends what we are talking about... people's hieght is in feet and inches, but most other things are in meters.... so we use a little of the old system but mostly the new...
I wouldn't actually object to converting time into some easier system!
Mangudai
11-25-2008, 22:38
The English Imperial system has no real unit of mass (slugs). You can barely do Newtonian physics with it.
The English Imperial system has no real unit of mass (slugs). You can barely do Newtonian physics with it.
NObody does science with anything other than metric system. English system is better for everyday use though.
Goofball
11-25-2008, 23:08
Um, no.
The thing is, converting to metric would cause a lot of problems - we are a huge country and you better believe there'd be all sorts of problems from this.
So that raises the questions - what would the benefits be? Not nearly enough, since we all understand our current system fine. We don't need to switch.
Really, all this fuss comes from Europeans and other insecure types who need the US to change so they finally feel vindicated. All this talk about how great the metric system would be is just to hide those rampant insecurities because the greatest nation on earth hasn't changed. And we are doing fine so they worry that maybe listening to a dead French kind wasn't such a hot idea.
CR
I think all the fuss stems more from wanting to feel some degree of confidence that the gas jockey at LAX will put the right amount of go-juice in the Air Canada Airbus A380 I'm riding in when I stop for a top-up.
Just sayin'...
yesdachi
11-25-2008, 23:29
I wouldn't actually object to converting time into some easier system!
Zulu time is pretty straight forward. But it would be interesting to see a system based on 10.
Sasaki Kojiro
11-25-2008, 23:53
Zulu time is pretty straight forward. But it would be interesting to see a system based on 10.
Interesting. So a second now is longer than a second was 200 years ago.
That must be why the metric system second is defined as:
"the duration of 9 192 631 770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium 133 atom"
What a clear and easy to understand measurement! Why, it would only take one 4 096 315 885 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium 133 atom to see how superior the metric system is! :jumping:
Louis VI the Fat
11-26-2008, 00:33
"the duration of 9 192 631 770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium 133 atom"A definition such as this poses no problems to the superior French rational, Cartesian mind and....
...hang on...
Anyhow one might want to mention the idea of a metric system if not the implementation was from John Wilkens... an Englishman. And that Benjamin Franklin who was also responsible for the decimal currency Ugh, crud. Google confirms that the anglosaxons really came up with it all.
Uh...the mathematical precision of the metric system shows the barren rationality of the anglosaxon mind, far inferior to the splendour of French cultivated irrationality and creativity. What artistry could possibly flower on the cold wastelands of the utilitarian anglosaxon mind? :no:
Lord Winter
11-26-2008, 00:53
Interesting. So a second now is longer than a second was 200 years ago.
That must be why the metric system second is defined as:
"the duration of 9 192 631 770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium 133 atom"
What a clear and easy to understand measurement! Why, it would only take one 4 096 315 885 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium 133 atom to see how superior the metric system is! :jumping:
Its not realevent, no one cares english system got its measurement of the foot from the anatomy of some king or that a meter was determined by some fraction of the distance between the poles. As long as you know that Kilogram is about 2 and half pounds your good.
Ironside
11-26-2008, 09:18
4 Currently, even while sharing a related language, Britons and Americans don't understand each other's units. Never mind when one considers Arabs, Chinese, Russians, Greeks. So there needs to be an international system for communication.
Because France won't accept any foreign system, this international system logically will have to be French. This is the Système International d'Unités, currently adopted by all countries save the three culprits mentioned earlier.
So... you don't use Celcius (nor Kelvin) in France? :mellow:
Besides it is 24,000 miles around the earth and 24 hours in the day. There are 180 °F between freezing and boiling while 0°F is the freezing point of seawater.
No, 0F is not the freezing point of seawater. The only place, called sea, where the water is saturated with salt, aka the thing needed for this to be true, is the Dead Sea. :juggle:
Tribesman
11-26-2008, 09:48
Besides it is 24,000 miles around the earth and 24 hours in the day.
It isn't 24000 miles and the 24 hour day isn't an accurate measure which is obvious in leap years .
No, 0F is not the freezing point of seawater.
Is that why oceaographers use Celcius ?
Speaking of tons, I was recently doing some calculations and kept coming up dreadfully wrong. It turned out the weight of the incoming product was measured in tons (2,000 lbs) and the waste was being measured in metric tons. :dizzy2:
I would be ok with standardizing just to have had eliminated that headache.
I know your feeling... In the oil business when we deal with US, Canada and UK, you need to keep your tongue straight.
The US ton is as you say 2000 lb from 20 hundredweights (100lb) which is 907.185 kg metric.
This is true as long as you deal with US and Canada.
But if you get stuff by the ton from the UK, you need to change the parameters.
A hundredweight in the UK is 112 lb and a ton is therefore 2240 lb or 1016.047 kg.
I guess you guys call them short ton (US, CA) and long ton (UK).
But the Imperials decided to make a new unit, and you need therefore to check the spelling of the unit provided.
If it says tonne, you know they are using metric ton and therefore a tonne is 2205 lb or 1000 kg metric.
:brood:
I wonder why Jesus didn't choose 10 disciples though :thinking:
I wonder why Jesus didn't choose 10 disciples though :thinking:
I learned that's some kind of symbolism in the bible, 3 is a symbol for the godly (trinity), 4 stands for humanity (4 human virtues), 3*4 = 12 etc. apparently you find all sorts of combinations of the two (well, 3, 4, 7 and 12) throughout the bible and in jewish religion.
Which sort of shows that a godless, secular atheist country should go with metric. ~;)
LittleGrizzly
11-26-2008, 12:59
Wasn't there 13 disciples ?
I thought Judas was the 13th disciple (thats why 13 is unlucky) no theologian so i could be off here...
There's 2 different kinds of tons... now thats just crazy!!
Wasn't there 13 disciples ?
I thought Judas was the 13th disciple (thats why 13 is unlucky) no theologian so i could be off here...
There's 2 different kinds of tons... now thats just crazy!!
There are 12 disciples in the bible.....
along with JC that made it 13 people at the table in the last supper...that´s why it´s a supposedly unlucky number.
LittleGrizzly
11-26-2008, 13:22
ahh... so judas could be classed as the 13th (of the group) ?
either that or my imagination has been inventing imaginary facts again...
Does the definition of disciple include betraying the one you "follow" for money? ~;)
Sarmatian
11-26-2008, 14:41
Does the definition of disciple include betraying the one you "follow" for money? ~;)
Doing good business supersedes religious beliefs. Judas was in fact a capitalist before capitalism. We should switch to him and consider him our saviour...
HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!
It was a trick question.
Jesus had thousands of disciples but only twelve Apostles.
:laugh4::laugh4::laugh4::laugh4::laugh4::laugh4:
Seamus Fermanagh
11-26-2008, 15:04
Full points to Sigurd!
Maybe its different for the youth, or it is in my experience anyway, (in Britian, Wales btw) the group of friends varies from about 18-24, we pretty much all use Celsuis for temperature, when it comes to drinks (bar pints obviously, i dont drink hardly ever so maybe im different) i think of the measurements in mililitrers and litres for my drinks, often when we looking at deals on mutlipacks of drinks ill convert the price into xx pounts per litre..
Agreed, I think younger generations in the UK pretty much only use Celsius. I would say that hearing temperatures given in Fahrenheit is something of a rarity, so much so that while I can more or less picture how tall 6 feet is or how heavy a stone is, if someone told me it was 70F outside I would have no idea whether that means I need to put on a coat or not.
I wonder why Jesus didn't choose 10 disciples though
Well, we could always define a proper, Christian system of counting in base 12. Our current system of numerals is Saracen devilry anyway. Then we could define an American metric system where everything is in ratios of 12; this would have all the benefits of the base 10 metric system and would mean Americans could do away with all this nonsense of converting from Pounds per Square Inch to Ounces per Square Furlong, but save them from the humiliation of having to adopt a French system.
Though personally I think it would be much clearer and simpler to measure everything in units of Planck's constant and the speed of light.
...Then we could define an American metric system where everything is in ratios of 12; this would have all the benefits of the base 10 metric system and would mean Americans could do away with all this nonsense of converting from Pounds per Square Inch to Ounces per Square Furlong, but save them from the humiliation of having to adopt a French system.
Progress is never humiliating. In this case however, There's no compelling reason to switch. American science operates on metric system, and that's all that really matters. In all honesty, when it comes to everyday applications, the English system is on par and in some cases more convenient than the metric one, i.e. there is no real benefit in having the U.S. convert, especially considering the gargantuan price tag that the conversion would entail.
ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88
11-26-2008, 16:49
No, It easier with our own system :yes:
LittleGrizzly
11-26-2008, 17:26
i.e. there is no real benefit in having the U.S. convert, especially considering the gargantuan price tag that the conversion would entail.
If you went out and bought all new equipment for the conversion and all new textbooks,and basically replaced everything using the old measurements today then it probably would cost a hell of a lot.... that is why these things are usually phased in over time, and i would say the real benefit is for everyone and anyone that has to work with measurements from different county's, which are the main people it affects...
No one is going to stop you ordering a pint or bragging about 12 inches of manhood (we still do both of those in britian today)
Tribesman
11-26-2008, 17:46
In all honesty, when it comes to everyday applications, the English system is on par and in some cases more convenient than the metric one, i.e. there is no real benefit in having the U.S. convert
Then why don't you use the english system then ?
Then why don't you use the english system then ?
I do.
Tribesman
11-26-2008, 18:51
I do.
Really ?
then how many fluid ounces are in a pint and how much liquid is a fluid ounce ?
Really ?
then how many fluid ounces are in a pint and how much liquid is a fluid ounce ?
Short answer: I could google it, but I really don't give a rat's ass. I buy my milk and gas in gallons, and measure distances in inches, feet and miles. That's all I need.
Tribesman
11-26-2008, 22:35
Short answer: I could google it, but I really don't give a rat's ass.
:laugh4::laugh4::laugh4::laugh4::laugh4::laugh4:
You shouldn't have to google to know that despite what you said you don't use the English system .
:laugh4::laugh4::laugh4::laugh4::laugh4::laugh4:
You shouldn't have to google to know that despite what you said you don't use the English system .
I really don't care what it's called. You're arguing semantics, which is a waste of time. So, let's call it the "System Generally Accepted by the U.S. public". I use *that*. I like *that*. I see no reason to change *that*.
Tribesman
11-27-2008, 02:05
I really don't care what it's called. You're arguing semantics
No , we are arguing weights and measures:yes:
Since your arguement is that Imperial is more convenient you come unstuck as US imperial is different in several key aspects to English imperial which puts a bloody big hole in your arguement as metric is metric wherever you go and since its a global economy a single unified worldwide system is a hell of a lot easier .
HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!
It was a trick question.
Jesus had thousands of disciples but only twelve Apostles.
:laugh4::laugh4::laugh4::laugh4::laugh4::laugh4:
I should really put you on my ignore list, you always take advantage of my general state of confusion. :shame:
On a different note, Tribesman is right.
I should really put you on my ignore list, you always take advantage of my general state of confusion. :shame:
Come on Hus ... it was all fun. I know you laughed inside. :smartass2:
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