Will the U.S. ever convert to the Metric System entirely?

[Loreena]

Yes? No?

It would be nice but all the people going 88mi/hr on the freeway...

Oops they do that now!

 

[Kirby]

Hopefully after I kick the bucket.

 

[sdifox]

not likely, even for a country that is officially metric, most people use a mixture of units here in Canada. Liquids are basically metric, weight is still imperial, length is a mixed bag depending on use, but mostly imperial. Velocity is metric.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

While I hope that the US does, I would say no.

People would be too retarded to "think" in metric
We would have to change street signs, laws, car dashboards, and a host of other products that rely on the American system.

Can't believe we're even in a situation where we still use our archaic system

 

[HardcoreRobot]

not anytime soon, but 'ever' is a long time

 

[MikeyLSU]

only way they could do it is by having a transitional stage where we use both.

Kind of like every new sign would have both measurements.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Yes, I think in the next 30-40 years the transition will really speed up.

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: BurnItDwn
Yes, I think in the next 30-40 years the transition will really speed up.

I disagree. According tp my third grade teacher, full conversion in the US is just around the corner.

Then again, that was in about 1977.

MotionMan

 

[SpunkyJones]

Not till I'm dead.

 

[MetalMat]

I wish we would, the metric system is much much better. My company pretty much deals with metric in most of the product specs and I have gotten acustom to using meters and milimeters instead of inches.

 

[frostedflakes]

Originally posted by: sdifox
not likely, even for a country that is officially metric, most people use a mixture of units here in Canada. Liquids are basically metric, weight is still imperial, length is a mixed bag depending on use, but mostly imperial. Velocity is metric.

I think it's similar in the UK. Officially metric, but imperial units are still used quite a bit.

 

[gorcorps]

Nope. We're too stubborn and it'd require way too much work. Can you imagine this country trying to change out every single speed limit sign?

 

[Gooberlx2]

Originally posted by: MikeyLSU
only way they could do it is by having a transitional stage where we use both.

Kind of like every new sign would have both measurements.

I totally remember a period of time, as a kid in Michigan, where speed limit signs showed both mph and km/h. Seems like there already was an attempt and it failed. Or maybe it was just because we lived close to the Canadian border

 

[montanafan]

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: BurnItDwn
Yes, I think in the next 30-40 years the transition will really speed up.

I disagree. According tp my third grade teacher, full conversion in the US is just around the corner.

Then again, that was in about 1977.

MotionMan

This.

My first year teaching, I was told to convert all references to measurements to metric so that the kids could get used to the system the country would be switching to in a couple of years. That was 1979.

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

In before Jeff7 unleashes the fury

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Originally posted by: frostedflakes

Originally posted by: sdifox
not likely, even for a country that is officially metric, most people use a mixture of units here in Canada. Liquids are basically metric, weight is still imperial, length is a mixed bag depending on use, but mostly imperial. Velocity is metric.

I think it's similar in the UK. Officially metric, but imperial units are still used quite a bit.

Interesting. In NZ it's 100% metric, I believe it's not even legal to sell food/beverage products that only have imperial measurements on then. Virtually no one uses imperial for anything,

 

[imported_Imp]

Originally posted by: sdifox
not likely, even for a country that is officially metric, most people use a mixture of units here in Canada. Liquids are basically metric, weight is still imperial, length is a mixed bag depending on use, but mostly imperial. Velocity is metric.

Damn American influence. I can't relate heights or weights in metric because I've been using feet, inches and pounds since I was young. I'm starting to relate with centimetres now since I know I'm 162cm. Still have no idea what my mass in kg is, even though I know the conversion...

 

[Fenixgoon]

i doubt it. afaik, most, if not all science/engineering is done in metric units. i wouldn't have it any other way

 

[frostedflakes]

Originally posted by: Fenixgoon
i doubt it. afaik, most, if not all science/engineering is done in metric units. i wouldn't have it any other way

This is why I don't really see the big deal about converting. Metric is already used in the sciences where it actually matters. For Joe Consumer, though, metric vs. imperial doesn't really make a difference. I mean the switch will have to happen eventually because of globalism, but I'd just let the transition happen naturally.

 

[nonameo]

I wish.

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: frostedflakes

Originally posted by: Fenixgoon
i doubt it. afaik, most, if not all science/engineering is done in metric units. i wouldn't have it any other way

This is why I don't really see the big deal about converting. Metric is already used in the sciences where it actually matters. For Joe Consumer, though, metric vs. imperial doesn't really make a difference. I mean the switch will have to happen eventually because of globalism, but I'd just let the transition happen naturally.

Has anyone ever seen the NFL Films bit about the NFL converting to metric?

Pure gold.

(This space reserved for the youtube video once I find it)

MotionMan

 

[Train]

jeebus do we have to have a thread a week where the metric fanboys tell us how lame the rest of the US is for using a diff system.

Use metric when you need to, or when it makes sense. It doesnt make you smarter or better than someone who uses feet/inches, get over yourself.

note: I use metric everyday in my job, and I can speak fluently in kilometers and mils when traversing terrain. But I still prefer to speak in MPH, degrees F, and "six feet tall"

 

[manowar821]

Hopefully...

 

[BurnItDwn]

Originally posted by: montanafan

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: BurnItDwn
Yes, I think in the next 30-40 years the transition will really speed up.

I disagree. According tp my third grade teacher, full conversion in the US is just around the corner.

Then again, that was in about 1977.

MotionMan

This.

My first year teaching, I was told to convert all references to measurements to metric so that the kids could get used to the system the country would be switching to in a couple of years. That was 1979.

Once all the people who went to school before the 80s dies, then metric transition will really speed up... I estimate that to be about 30-40 years

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: BurnItDwn

Originally posted by: montanafan

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: BurnItDwn
Yes, I think in the next 30-40 years the transition will really speed up.

I disagree. According tp my third grade teacher, full conversion in the US is just around the corner.

Then again, that was in about 1977.

MotionMan

This.

My first year teaching, I was told to convert all references to measurements to metric so that the kids could get used to the system the country would be switching to in a couple of years. That was 1979.

Once all the people who went to school before the 80s dies, then metric transition will really speed up... I estimate that to be about 30-40 years

I doubt that. My kids are not learning metric any more than I did.

MotionMan