Metric or Imperial?

[StefinSB]

I moved to the US over 20 years ago and work in technology. Funny thing is on the job everything is metric. Working on cars is interesting as Americans mix metric and imperial. Even though I am now used to most "funny units" I cringed at the stupidly awkward imperial calculations for my AN/DP class. Funny thing was that my studying material was all imperial but the class was oversees so the test was in metric which is as Kevrumbo pointed out in epic length already so much more straightforward. Globalization will force the US to change eventually but I doubt that will happen in my lifetime

 

[dmaziuk]

Working on cars is interesting as Americans mix metric and imperial.

Back in Australia I was told when Japan went metric they had stocks of fastener blanks made before the switch -- but threaded after. So there was a period when you could go fixing a Japanese car and randomly run into nuts and bolts with "standard" heads but metric thread. What fun.

 

[Gareth J]

One of the great things about being British is that we are unique in mixing imperial and metric units.

Distance is measured in mm, and Meters, distance on the road are posted in miles, road speed limits are posted in miles per hour. Fuel for cars is sold in litres. Fuel efficiency is still qouted in miles per gallon, or litres per kilometer!

Just to upset my European customers I qoute measurements in inches and feet +/- a mm or so.
I do the same to the Americans .

Because of my age, I was educated in a period of transition between metric and imperial unit, the transition is still going on (see my note on road speeds). For years I didn't really understand weight because i started with ounces, pound, stone (what's a stone?) Grams, kilograms, etc.

To be honest, working in meters, litres, and kilo's for diving is great it is so easy for all the maths.

Gareth

 

[beester]

I once lost a screw on my old salvo light goodman handle. I went to a metal store and showed him the other screw (other side of the handle) and they basically told me we don't stock this, it's a US screw (thread). So I finally mailed the Salvo guys and got some send over ;-) So it's not only measurements.

 

[Peter69_56]

Yes matching threads is hard. In OZ we have imperial, metric and a mix of other threads. All hard. Buy some dive gear in UK and its BSPP, buy some in US and its NPT, buy it off internet and its a stab in the dark often

 

[jnowak100]

I teach OW to Tec in the US, I teach the courses in Metric, no one has a problem. Most doors are 2 meters, a big bottle of soda 2 liters, and atmospheric pressure is 1. Students can understand the calculations easily.

A standard tank is clearly less than 80 cubic feet, bigger than a square inch and doesnt weigh 3000 pounds so there is no fundamental understanding of those concepts and you need a computer to do the calculations. Although raised in the US, I never learned the 14.7 times table, nor the 3.3 times table.

The dive professionals should just go metric and forget the imperial systems.

 

[Kevrumbo]

I teach OW to Tec in the US, I teach the courses in Metric, no one has a problem. Most doors are 2 meters, a big bottle of soda 2 liters, and atmospheric pressure is 1. Students can understand the calculations easily.

A standard tank is clearly less than 80 cubic feet, bigger than a square inch and doesnt weigh 3000 pounds so there is no fundamental understanding of those concepts and you need a computer to do the calculations. Although raised in the US, I never learned the 14.7 times table, nor the 3.3 times table.

The dive professionals should just go metric and forget the imperial systems.

Again I'm going to bump this short but great article link below as reference and motivation to begin the Imperial translation and eventual conversion over to the Metric System, especially for Tech & Overhead Divers:

http://api.ning.com/files/KHeKOD-fw...pVsh/BattlefieldCalculationsDeliaMilliron.pdf

 

[TMHeimer]

My `80 Honda Civic had a speedometer with kilometers in big numbers and miles small. Over the years this is how I learned to relate to kilometers without having to switch it to miles in my head. Our new car has whichever one you want by pushing a button, but only one showing at a time. Too easy--it probably would have slowed my learning process back then.

 

[Freak*Flag*Flyer]

Anyone who has a little scientific education immediately realizes how much easier metric is than Imperial. If you plan to mostly dive solo, then it wouldn't be unreasonable to buck the US system and do your own calculations in metric. But when you have to plan a dive with a buddy who prefers Imperial, you will find that using metric for your numbers and Imperial for your buddy's, is inconvenient and has the potential to introduce errors and result in miscommunications.

Yes, I can see where if you are each using a different method, the misunderstanding that could occur. I have decided I'll get one that calculates both metric and imperial.

D

 

[agilis]

Aesthetically, imperial is far superior to metric. Using simplistic metric measures can make one intellectually lazy and, judging from this discussion, tends to create a dour and humorless perspective.

I doubt very much that using metric measures has ever saved anyone's life, and it's unlikely that the imperial system has ever resulted in a fatality.

In any case, working with simplistic decimals is not as deeply satisfying as making fractional calculations. Imperial measurement systems are rich in metaphor. The metric system's terminology is deadly dull, not a trace of poetry, just the bleak efficiency of of a soulless machine.

Go Imperial for the benefit of your soul!