Do you think the Metric System is stupid? I do.

[ScottMac]

For those that say "The rest of the world is on the metric system, the US should be too....." I say:

If the rest of the countries jumped off the face of the Earth, d'ya figure we should too? (or something like that usually regarding sheep mentality).

Lazy slackers.

I think it was Heinlein that put forth the concept of "If you want something done in the most efficient manner, assign a lazy person to do the task..."

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do later after my nap.....

(j/k, of course)

FWIW

Scott

 

[PsychoAndy]

It's our method, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. Besides, it makes me feel smrt when i'm smarter than people in my science class because i can use metric and imperial.

 

[LAUST]

Originally posted by: Dudd

Originally posted by: kami
It's just because you grew up with the more primitive system and have no exposure to metric. Being Canadian, I fully understand both metric and imperial units, and trust me...metric is far superior. I don't know what the flippin hell the USA's problem is....switch for chrissakes.

This alone should prove why metric is superior:

Freezing point in Metric: 0 degrees
Freezing point in imperial: 32 degrees
Boiling point in Metric: 100 degrees
Boiling point in imperial: 212 degrees

Now which makes more logical sense?

Bah, real men use the Kelvin temperature scale. Freezing point at 273 degrees baby, absolute zero at 0. I won't stop until I hear a meteorologist tell me that it's 285 degrees out.

285, thats bloody cold out mate.... Put me down for 297 Degee's

Edit... BTW where I live water doesn't boil at 100 degree's C (5280ft)

 

[sheselectric]

Originally posted by: Linflas
I really hate a system that is based on the powers of 10. It is so much easier to memorize 12 inches = 1 foot, 3 feet = 1 yard, 5280 feet = 1 mile etc rather than know that 1 kilometer = 1000 meters etc..

Yeah, I think everyone ELSE in the world should switch over to our effed-up system.

 

[Peacekeeper100]

Now that I have my TI-89 I just put what unit everything is and it pops out the answer in any unit I want. Makes life SOOOO easy.

Yeah and the freezing of water is 0 (boiling 100) but that's only one element in many. What is the freezing point of mercury? It's not 0. But Kelvin absolute freezing is 0 no matter what element it is.

 

[LAUST]

So my best time is a 14 499/500 second 1/4 mile huh

So with a higher stall I wonder how much I can increase my common denominator

 

[joohang]

Originally posted by: FelixDeKat
Phooey on the metric system!

I remember in 1980 when I was in 4th grade the government had this grandios plan to foist it upon us. Our teacher said, "Yup, buy 1985, the entire country will have converted over. You better learn it now and change your thinking about distance and weight or youll be left behind." So much for the stupid metric system.

You won't get "left behind" per se since most Americans are used to it and grew up with it.

However, the metric system is clearly better in many ways. I am somewhat used to both systems but I prefer the metric. I can't imagine doing chem and physics in a unit system that is not based on base 10. What a nightmare.

 

[ToXiCRaGE]

I just think that there has to be something good about it that everyone is changing to the metric system. Personally I think that the imperial system is more accurate (just because you can brake it down into so many more units), but damn primitive, not speaking about confusing as all hell. Think about it, the name "foot" came from actual feet. They use to measure way back things in feet (which is approx. 40cm - damn large feet). Anyhow, metric is for sure more modern.

PS: for those of you who know 2 systems, plz don't flatter yourself, it is nothing special nor unusual.

PS2: water does not always boils at 100C, it can sometimes boil @ 94C (depends on altitude).

 

[joohang]

PS2: water does not always boils at 100C, it can sometimes boil @ 94C (depends on altitude).

Depends on pressure, actually.

100 °C is defined as the boiling point of water under standard temperature and pressure.

 

[joohang]

Originally posted by: ToXiCRaGE
I just think that there has to be something good about it that everyone is changing to the metric system. Personally I think that the imperial system is more accurate (just because you can brake it down into so many more units), but damn primitive, not speaking about confusing as all hell.

One is not more accurate than the other.

BTW, the metric system, following your logic, would be more accurate. Don't forget the prefixes that can added to each type of measurement - like kilo, hecto, deca, deci, centi, milli, micro, nano, pico, etc.

I never heard of anybody saying, "millipounds," but I could be wrong though.

 

[PowerMac4Ever]

Europeans shouldn't care what system we Americans use. I don't know what the big deal is really. The Imperial system isn't used in Engineering, Math, Science and other fields. That's perfectly fine. In America, the fields that benefit a lot more from the metric system already use it 100%. So there's no problem with the way we currently do things! I prefer the Imperial system for everything else. Miles, lbs, feet, inches, give it to me baby! The Europeans that complain about the American Imperial system should spend less time caring and more time eating babies or whatever it is Europeans do these days.

"The metric system is the tool of the devil! I get 40 rods to the hog's head!" - Grandpa Simpson

"I'm TELLING you, the earth revolves around the sun!" - Skinner

 

[PowerMac4Ever]

Edit double post

 

[tk149]

Me <<< U.S. native

I still don't know a lot of the Imperial conversions. Thank <insert deity here> that those sticks of butter have the measurements printed on the package, or I'd never figure out how many tablespoons equals a half cup!

I have Motherboard Monitor set to report temperatures in Celsius. My brother insists on having his set to Fahrenheit. Everytime we talk CPU temperatures, we have to do the math to convert. My bro = idiot.

I have a program on my Palm Pilot that does English-Metric conversions. All of them. It's a huge program.

Metric Rules! I think if the government passed a law that required everything to be labeled only in metric from now on, 98% of the population would get used to it within a year. The other 2% would just die because of something stupid like putting too much lighter fluid on their BBQ grills before lighting them.

I hope we convert before my brain loses plasticity, and I become an old codger who CAN'T convert.

 

[ozrkmtndd]

My physics teacher pointed out that with the advent of calculators the metric system was no more useful than the English or Imperial system. People in the US are accustomed to the English measurement system, and not likely to change. Remember when Shell Oil Company attempted to change their pumps in the 80's to the metric system? That lasted a few months--less time than cars that would not start unless your seatbelt were properly engaged.

The short of it is that if you are in the US you will have to know the English system to get along. Get used to it.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

My physics teacher pointed out that with the advent of calculators the metric system was no more useful than the English or Imperial system. People in the US are accustomed to the English measurement system, and not likely to change. Remember when Shell Oil Company attempted to change their pumps in the 80's to the metric system? That lasted a few months--less time than cars that would not start unless your seatbelt were properly engaged.

The short of it is that if you are in the US you will have to know the English system to get along. Get used to it.

Even with a calculator it's still faster to use metric and you don't need to memorize the entire system to figure out the conversions to plug in. Also, America is slowly moving towards metric. It might take another 100 years, but eventually imperial will be gone.

 

[freegeeks]

wtf!!! this is a thread from 2002

 

[MotF Bane]

Nine year old thread for that post? :/

 

[Joseph F]

OMG best first post evar! Bumping a nine year old thread FTW!!!

 

[ahenkel]

It is Jesus zombie day, everything gets resurrected.

 

[Lemon law]

I agree, the USA is simply being ethnocentric with what amounts to an absolute and hard to calculate units system.

But as a machinists, my position was and remains, the English system vs the metric system are not better or worse, and instead are interchangeable easy.

Sadly for the auto mechanic, that poor smuck needs a complete set of tools for metric and a another complete set of tools for the english system. Gets awful expensive fast.

We should have transitioned to metric in 1984, but until we start teaching the metric system in the first grade, and legally moving away from that archaic English unit of measure system, we will perpetually stuck and isolated as we merely kick the can further down the road.

Sooner or later, we in the USA will have to confront the transition. Leaving more people like our thread OP, stranded, clueless and in denial.

 

[BlueAcolyte]

I'm American and I don't even know most of the imperial units... But I work a lot with metric and I think it makes a lot of sense.

Nice necro, by the way.

 

[zokudu]

I don't really get the "superior" argument. Both measure with the same accuracy the only difference is in calculations which I don't think any scientist within the US is disputing. 90&#37; of the US population thinks in the Imperial system so why change? What does it matter? I have the conversions memorized so who cares if we use Feet as opposed to Meters in my own home?

 

[Geocentricity]

I was raised and educated in the US since I was 2 years old and I'll tell you this:
The US system of measure and weight is GARBAGE. 2 cup = 1 pints, 2 pints = 1 quart, 4 quarts = 1 gallon? WTF? 12 inches = 1 foot, 3 feet = 1 yard, 5280 ft = 1 mile.... Where is the consistency?

16oz in a pound? There's a difference between ounces of WEIGHT versus fluid ounces?! .....

Do we really want our children needing to remember these idiotic minute differences?

 

[FoBoT]

The metric system is the better system!

 

[dighn]

The metric system is the better system!

Death to the infidels!