Why doesn't the USA adopt officially the metric unit?

[Thalassamania]

distance and lenght

imperial

mile (mi) 1
furlong 8
rod (rd) 320
yard (yd) 1760
foot (ft) 5280
inch (in) 63360
...

You're missing the Scottish Mile, the Irish Mile, the rope, the wrap, the lea and the league (just to mention a few).

The point is that these are human measurements that bring comfort and scale to human beings and that are almost intuitable. Metric units are arbitrary and cold and the only thing to recommend them is an ease of calculation back when "calculator" was a job description rather than something in your pocket.

 

[wardric]

You're missing the Scottish Mile, the Irish Mile, the rope, the wrap, the lea and the league (just to mention a few).

The point is that these are human measurements that bring comfort and scale to human beings and that are almost intuitable. Metric units are arbitrary and cold and the only thing to recommend them is an ease of calculation back when "calculator" was a job description rather than something in your pocket.

metric units are not colder if you have been raised with them, which is not the case for most unitedstatians. I was raised with both. I dont see anymore warmth with feet than meters. But being conservative myself, I understand the difficulty to accept the change. That's why it has to be very slow.

 

[Thalassamania]

Body temperature of a large horse = 180 degrees F??????

Normal rectal temperature for the horse ranges between 99.5° and 101.5°F, with 100°F the average.


An I though were were all frogmen and frogwomen, er ... frogpersons.

 

[wardric]

Body temperature of a large horse = 180 degrees F??????

Normal rectal temperature for the horse ranges between 99.5° and 101.5°F, with 100°F the average.

I guess the horse he used had a heck of a fever

 

[BTravlin]

I don't think the average American is too interested in having to learn a whole new system just so businesses can find it easier to export their American jobs and further "globalize" the economy.

What's the option, isolationism? That doesn't work either. We take pride in our capitalism and therefore should be ready to compete with anyone and everyone.

 

[Skull]

Thal is correct ... they invented this little contraption called a "Pocket Calculator" which made any system based on 10ths ...meaningless. Then came this other contraption called a "personal computer" ...and you got it conversions are a mouse click away.

Measuring the distance from my house to Disneyland could be in lightyears and it wouldn't make a difference.

the metric system is no more viable than the Imperial. BTW check out your cell phone it has a calculator built right into the darn thing.

 

[Zeeman]

Ahhh ok would this make you feel better 3/16 inches = .1875 inches ...and like wise 3/16 of a mm = .1875mm.

BTW look up the ANSI pound ..they have a few of them.

Zeeman you miss the point the SI system is a system of units of measurement ...not the actual measuring a unit. Just like the Imperial system. There is no advantage to either when executing the actual means of measuring each system. A yard stick and a meter stick are just that a means of measuring units.

Must...not...bite...

Z...

 

[dlndavid]

bite bite bite!

 

[tedtim]

Check this out before shaking your head.

<snipped>Well, I know precious little about carpentry but I've seen my Dad build enough decking and things to know that a 2 x 4 doesn't exactly measure 2" by 4". When I questioned them about whether or not they had taken that into account, they all looked at me I'd just landed from another planet! Took some convincing and making one of them actually measure one before they believed me!

Now, if they switched to metric in carpentry, what would a 2 x 4 really be since it doesn't really measure 2" by 4"?

It really does not matter which system you use because it seems to me that most of what we do on a daily basis is approximation anyway.

Recipies can call for 250ml, a level teaspoon, a quarter cup; it does not matter because I doubt that anyone measures those precisely. How many cups are in 1/3 of a quart? How many millilitres are there in 1/3 of a litre. The calculation for these can be as precise as you want it to be, but the practical application probably does not require that degree of precision.

We went through the imperial/metric argument many years ago when Canada "switched" to metric. Well, almost. The older folks claimed that they would have big problem adapting, but they did not. The younger folks learn the metric system in school and they think in those terms. We both buy 2 x 4's in the local lumber store and we both buy litres of gas. When I travel to the US and the weather is reported as 68F it is just the same as when it is reported as 20C in Canada. Who cares? I can't tell the difference between 67F, 68F, 69F just as I can't tell the difference between 19C and 20C.

This is like the diving discussion I hear when about visibility. One person will say it is twenety five feet, another will say no, it has to be thirty feet. The margin of error is on the scale of "who cares."

So, you have 3000 psig in your tank - how many bar is that (206.84). Do you really have 3000 psig, or is it an approximation?

The main reason we were given for switching to the metric system had to do with international trade, and not internal reasons.

Measure with a micrometer, mark with chalk, cut with an axe.

 

[RV]

Body temperature of a large horse = 180 degrees F??????

Normal rectal temperature for the horse ranges between 99.5° and 101.5°F, with 100°F the average.

...snip....
.

LOL...

I guess the horse he used had a heck of a fever

sounds like a medium to medium well to me