inches VS centimeters

[EmperorNero]

should the U.S. switch to the metric system?

 

[pX]

yes

 

[Viper GTS]

In a lot of ways it makes more sense. The metric system, as much of a pain as it is for everyday use, is MUCH easier for scientific purposes. Try doing physics & chemistry in english standard...it sucks.

Viper GTS

 

[Mday]

the reagan administration tried to do it. they failed. that's why in older cards, you see km.

the us should, it will costs billions.

 

[Duckers]

I hate miles, I think the US should switch to kilometers...

Which won't happen because the US wants to be different

 

[RossGr]

A couple of reasons not to switch.

1. .1 when converted to binary is an infintly repeating sequence. This means that no matter what your word length you ALWAYS introduce errors when .1 is entered it to a computer. Now look at the subdivisions of the inch. .5, .25, .125. .0625 that is 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16 clear down to 1/128 they are all perfect binary numbers so no errors are introduced when converting to binary. Computers are not decimal they are binary why should we convert to a decimal system just when computers are becoming ever present.

2. The foot is divisible by 2,3,4,6, while 10 is only divisable by 2 and 5. We are losing a lot of flexability when going to base 10 measurement system. An example, to divide the foot into thirds is easy, 4" each subdivision. Divide the meter into thirds what do you get 33.333333333333 can I stop now?

BTW I am eqally comfortable in either system. I can think in meters and Newtons or feet and lbs.

 

[Ornery]

I've been living this nightmare for the last 20 years. We build machine tools that are now required to be metric. So all we do is convert the old prints to metric. That was simple.

The hard part is aquiring the cutting tools to build this stuff. We have barely the tooling needed to do the jobs, but have plenty of old SAE cutting tools. Don't forget gages and hand tools required. Ugh.

The metric system may be all well and good, but metric threads are pretty sloppy compared to SAE. And now the old cars I buy are a hodge-podge of SAE and Metric parts. Now I have to have both types of hand tools at home and work. We've used the English system for the last 200 years here. I really don't think the US is "trying to be different"!

 

[Duckers]

while 10 is only divisable by 2 and 5

Wrong, it is also divisable by 1 and 10

 

[stomp]

Does anyone else in the WORLD apart from the US use the british measurement system?

 

[Crimson]

Umm.. the British?

 

[Mday]

have you people ever used architect or engineering scales? I mean, they divide an inch into anything...

i like metric more. makes much more sense... i mean, it's 12 inches per foot, 3 feet per yard, 1760 yards per mile, 5280 feet per mile... and it's 10 millimeters per centimeter, 100 centimeters per meter, 1000 meters per kiloliter... and the prefixes are consistent.

i mean, it's 2 cups per pint, 2 pints per quart, 4 quarts per gallon, for 16 cups per gallon. and don't forget 16 ounces in a pound and 2000 pounds in a ton.

they make no sense...

 

[ltk007]

I would like it if I started with the Metric, but changing might be a pain. I did learn a lot of metric in school for the higher sciences, so it wouldn't be that hard.

what the hell

metric

 

[CyberSax]

The metric system may be better for science, but everyday measurements, the imperial (aka British) system is more convenient. Take for instance measuring the weather. In the metric system, most common weather patterns in the U.S. will fall between -5 and 40 degrees C. In the imperial system, most common weather falls between 0 and 100 degrees. A much better gradient.

And who says the British system is not used anywhere else? In most places in the world, height is measured in feet and inches. In Australia and the U.K., people give their weight in something called "stone". If you watch weather reports in Asia, they give the temperature in both Fahrenheit and Celcius, and I doubt they do it for the convenience .0001% of the viewership in their country that are American tourists (in other words, folks there use it too).

 

[chipbgt]

why doesnt the rest of the world change to suit us Americans? Makes more sense to me.

 

[RentaCow]

Oh man... Metric ALL THE FREAKIN' WAY baby!

I can't even begin to describe how pathetic the British system is... OTOH, metric is so EZ to use and intuitive...

 

[Lorax]

YES. didnt they have some space/mars lander trouble because they forgot to convert inches to cm or something awhile back?

the US should slowly phase in metric as the standard.. in a couple years no one will know what hit them

is anyone out there a fan of the english system? all i read are pro metrics.

 

[Aquaman]

Being Canadian and a kid from the era when Canada changed to the metric system, I'm equally adapt at using both Metric & Imperial measures. I wish the US & England would change to the metric system, It's easy to use and a lot of countries use it.

In Canada, eventhough we are a metric country, much of our business is done in Imperial measures (ie. board feet etc.). I guess this is so because our major trading partner is the US.

ps. I hope they don't try to make a metric time system. If they did I'd feel bad for the kids in school. One hour classes would be 100 minutes

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Mark R]

Well, there is great pressure to introduce metric in Britain, mainly due to European union, or such like - the rest of Europe is exclusively metric.

So far, it's gotten to requiring groceries, etc. to be sold in metric quantities.

Trouble is, there seems to be a staunch bunch of people who are dead against it. For example, there are plenty of stubborn shop keepers who face fines by refusing to price goods per kg, and insist on per lb. Just the other day, a large supermarket chain decided to convert back to imperial measurements in flagrant breach of the law. I think they just want to see if anyone will do anything about it.

Important things, like car speeds and beer volumes are still measured in imperial. In fact a bar selling beer in anything other than pint or 1/2 pint measures faces substantial fines. Go figure!

 

[AndyHui]

We do NOT give our weight in stone here in Australia. We use kg.

Tell me....how many miles are there in a league?

 

[Mday]

i don't even know what the hell a knot is.

 

[nickdakick]

Metric is fine you'll only loose the quarterpounder. MC is not allowed to sell it under this name in metric countries.

 

[hans007]

just like the way the US has PCS phones and the rest of the world has GSM cell phones, the US wants to be different. I bet we'll have pounds for the next century. Good old US stubborness. In the long run metrics would save us a ton of money i'm sure, but there is so much pride to hurt

 

[callspread]

We do use the metric system here in the UK concurrent with the imperial system, but old people and such have problems with it because they are used to the imperial system(which is different to the USA imperial system - eg, a pint is 18fluid ounces here). Celcius/centrigrade seems more sensible for temps - 0 is freezing, and 100 is boiling, so it is more intuitive than degrees F.
Btw, 1 stone is 14 pounds

 

[sandorski]

I too was in school when Canada switched to the metric system. Even though I was in the 6th grade, I never really learned the English system, about all i knew was 12inches to a foot, 3feet to a yrd. Beyond that I was and still am clueless(I'm 34 now). In grade 6 I was taught the metric system in 2 weeks and I have a clear grasp on it to this day. Metric is so simple and based on measurements that can be verified, that it seems silly not to adopt it.

 

[Nick Stone]

Many people here seem to think that use of the English or the metric system is simply an argument of which is more convenient. Actually it's an ecconomic issue. Conversion of machine tools and engineering drawings would cost billions. In the USA a good portion of that cost would end up being paid by the taxpayers. How many of you would like to see your taxes pay for the conversion of the military or the aircraft industry to the metric system? Hmm -- I thought so.

BTW why don't we all convert to the 10 hour day (each "new" hour being 2.4 current hours) then we would require 100 minutes in an hour and 100 seconds in a minute. That would be so much easier -- RIGHT?