Metric or Imperial

[Dyno Bill]

i lived in California all my life and spent an entire career working with Mercedes Benz..... all metric. I am well versed in both systems and to be honest it makes no difference one to another. Just do what you might be comfortable with.

 

[Druid]

Use what your buddies use. As you're in the US that means imperial.

Those posters who say they can convert easily from metric to imperial have no idea what it means to be truly bilingual unless they've lived in Britain: I use metric when I dive, so my tanks are 230bar, but my car tyres* have 30psi. My dive last week was to 34m, but the church I can see from my window is 200 yards away. Water freezes at 0C, but a warm summers day is 70F. The fuel in my car costs £1.15 per litre, and it does 40mpg (although Imperial gallons are bigger than US gallons) The road signs might tell me that it's 200 miles to London, or 200 metres to a junction. If I go to the pub this evening I'll drink pints of beer, but a measure of spirits is 35ml, and a glass of wine is 125ml. It's no wonder I'm confused.


*It took a particularly bizarre mind to decide that the tyres on my car should be 195/50 15 - 195mm wide, 50% of that figure deep, and 15" in diameter

 

[Blackwood]

Use what your buddies use. As you're in the US that means imperial.

Those posters who say they can convert easily from metric to imperial have no idea what it means to be truly bilingual unless they've lived in Britain: I use metric when I dive, so my tanks are 230bar, but my car tyres* have 30psi. My dive last week was to 34m, but the church I can see from my window is 200 yards away. Water freezes at 0C, but a warm summers day is 70F. The fuel in my car costs £1.15 per litre, and it does 40mpg (although Imperial gallons are bigger than US gallons) The road signs might tell me that it's 200 miles to London, or 200 metres to a junction. If I go to the pub this evening I'll drink pints of beer, but a measure of spirits is 35ml, and a glass of wine is 125ml. It's no wonder I'm confused.


*It took a particularly bizarre mind to decide that the tyres on my car should be 195/50 15 - 195mm wide, 50% of that figure deep, and 15" in diameter

Not to mention whomever decided to misspell "tire" (which FWIW are marked the same way everywhere I can think of).

:mooner:

Nice post. I laughed.

 

[Akimbo]

Here is a thread with poll that may be of interest:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/343159-units-measure-diving.html

 

[Rhone Man]

Interesting, I normally use imperial as my natural point of reference in diving, but whenever I do exams, I ask for the metric version because the maths is so much easier (and I am that lazy). I know in my heart I ought to convert to metric full time, but it is hard to change comfortable shoes.

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

I have spent the past 7 years abroad. I don't like speed or temperature in metric, but depth and pressure are sooooo much easier. So, in my own unique fashion, I use both. Of course, some of our gauges are in psi and some in bar. I like bar much better. Little numbers and all, but when I am blending gas, I use psi.... I know, I know..... I'll just stop.......

 

[highdesert]

Not to mention whomever decided to misspell "tire" (which FWIW are marked the same way everywhere I can think of).

:mooner:

Nice post. I laughed.

If you're living in Britiain, your viewpoint is that Americans constantly misspell "tyre."

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

If you're living in Britiain, your viewpoint is that Americans constantly misspell "tyre."

That and aluminium...... Or do they just pronounce the extra "i"...?

 

[Druid]

If you're living in Britiain, your viewpoint is that Americans constantly misspell "tyre."

That and aluminium...... Or do they just pronounce the extra "i"...?

The language is called English, not American. So we must be right, and you are wrong

 

[TMHeimer]

I'm a dual citizen & live in Canada but I use Imperial because I grew up with that. Not a bad idea to know both, though. The only metric stuff I still don't relate to is millilitres, etc.