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re: Should the US switch to the metric system?
Posted on 9/17/14 at 9:35 am to WeeWee
Posted on 9/17/14 at 9:35 am to WeeWee
Hell yes.
Had we followed through back the 80s we would be firmly entrenched as a society into metric.
Imperial measuring is terrible compared to metric in almost every sense.
There is a long debate on a woodworking forum I frequent on this issue. It is interesting since many who are weighing in are from UK or Australia and they lived through their countries transition. They have almost unanimous praise regarding the switch. On the Imperial side, the primary reason cited against switching is some sort of national pride issue.
Had we followed through back the 80s we would be firmly entrenched as a society into metric.
Imperial measuring is terrible compared to metric in almost every sense.
There is a long debate on a woodworking forum I frequent on this issue. It is interesting since many who are weighing in are from UK or Australia and they lived through their countries transition. They have almost unanimous praise regarding the switch. On the Imperial side, the primary reason cited against switching is some sort of national pride issue.
0
Posted on 9/17/14 at 9:36 am to SpidermanTUba
quote:
This caused a space probe to crash once.
I remember when that happened. Goes beyond mere human error and bordered on complete incompetence.
Posted on 9/17/14 at 9:37 am to WeeWee
Posted on 9/17/14 at 9:38 am to Xenophon
Posted on 9/17/14 at 9:39 am to SpidermanTUba
quote:
In U.S. engineering - they use English.
We are forced too. It's not a choice. We are forced too because all the legacy equipment/property are measured in imperial units.
In fact, sometimes I find myself doing an initial conversion from imperial to SI, running the calculations and switching back to imperial.
Posted on 9/17/14 at 9:40 am to WeeWee
No. This America. We don't use no faggy metric system. Even if it is the universal form of measurement in science and everywhere outside the US (I believe).
Posted on 9/17/14 at 9:42 am to SpidermanTUba
quote:
Sounds good in principle - and as a scientist I would fricking love it if we went metric -BUT- in practice its going to mean a lot of government spending (just think of all the street signs and government forms that would need to be replaced) - not to mention the thousands of laws and regulations that will have to be written. Not to mention that we've all been educated to use the English system.
it could be phased in accordingly. The replacing road signs etc would be expensive but not too terribly. The laws could be rewritten.
quote:
Not to mention that we've all been educated to use the English system.
It is not too hard. I just recently moved out of the US and have adjusted really easily, but I have been a science major and grad student for the last 6 yrs so that could have helped.
Posted on 9/17/14 at 9:42 am to Freder
I'll miss the furlong if we switch to the SI system. 
Posted on 9/17/14 at 9:43 am to Xenophon
THis would have actually been accomplished with both measurement systems. NASA itself uses metric - but all the engineering contractors would have used English - but all the scientific instruments on board would be measuring metric. What a clusterfrick. Amazing we made it there.
Posted on 9/17/14 at 9:44 am to WeeWee
The main reason we'll never go to the SI system, we don't measure a football field in meters. That's gay.
Posted on 9/17/14 at 9:44 am to WeeWee
quote:
it could be phased in accordingly. The replacing road signs etc would be expensive but not too terribly. The laws could be rewritten.
They could - but why? Is there any damage that using English units is causing us other than making the unit conversions a little more difficult?
quote:
It is not too hard.
You take your education for granted.
Posted on 9/17/14 at 9:45 am to GumboPot
quote:
The main reason we'll never go to the SI system, we don't measure a football field in meters. That's gay.
Actually - the first football fields were 110 yards in length (still are in Canada). If I'm not mistaken that's because the first football fields were set to be 100 meters in length = 109.4 yards.
This post was edited on 9/17/14 at 9:46 am
Posted on 9/17/14 at 9:46 am to SpidermanTUba
quote:
THis would have actually been accomplished with both measurement systems. NASA itself uses metric - but all the engineering contractors would have used English - but all the scientific instruments on board would be measuring metric. What a clusterfrick. Amazing we made it there.
because back then we still had balls.
We probably would have gotten there faster if they didn't have to convert back to imperial system.
Posted on 9/17/14 at 9:47 am to WeeWee
quote:
because back then we still had balls.
We probably would have gotten there faster if they didn't have to convert back to imperial system.
It would have certainly been a much bigger burden in the slide rule era than today. Of course - since computers can do all the conversions, someone might put in a conversion factor wrong in a single line of code and not notice until a space probe crashes.
Posted on 9/17/14 at 9:49 am to SpidermanTUba
quote:
Actually - the first football fields were 110 yards in length (still are in Canada). If I'm not mistaken that's because the first football fields were set to be 100 meters in length = 109.4 yards.
with the defense killing rules. We will need to switch to a 110 yd (100m) field.
Posted on 9/17/14 at 9:49 am to WeeWee
No reason why we can't convert to metric. It would require a lengthy conversion time where both systems are utilized and a ton of money but it can be done. I don't see a compelling reason to do so though.
Posted on 9/17/14 at 9:51 am to SpidermanTUba
quote:
Actually - the first football fields were 110 yards in length (still are in Canada). If I'm not mistaken that's because the first football fields were set to be 100 meters in length = 109.4 yards.
US swimming and track made the transition. The 440 is now the 400 and so forth. But track and swimming are not an American cultural institution like football.
"What's the down and distance?" "2nd and a long 7 meters."
That just doesn't sound right.
Posted on 9/17/14 at 9:55 am to GumboPot
quote:
2nd and a long 7 meters
must have been LSU on 1/9/12
Posted on 9/17/14 at 9:55 am to WeeWee
quote:No. "2.6 meters and a cloud of dust" just doesn't do it for me.......
Should the US switch to the metric system?
Posted on 9/17/14 at 9:56 am to GumboPot
the only instance where I prefer imperial to metric is with temperature in weather forecasting
Fahrenheit is more relatable to everyday human experience than the more logical Celsius scale.
Fahrenheit is more relatable to everyday human experience than the more logical Celsius scale.
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