Metric vs Imperial System

[tuckerkao]

I'm wondering why the United States still using Fahrenheit, foot and inch, pound and ounce, gallon and quart while almost all other nations are using Celsius, Meter, Kilogram and Liter.

Conversions between the 2 measurement systems aren't very hard for me, such as 1 mile = 1.60934 kilometer or 1 kilometer = 0.621371, so I say 5 miles ≈ 8 kilometers -

 

[BenitoChavez]

Because Americans don't like your 'logic' or 'science'. Facts...pfft.

 

[Truthy]

Switch to metric but keep fahrenheit

 

[IglooDame]

Hmmm, we do measure quantities of soda (though not milk, and usually not water) in liters, some ammunition types, some athletic details, and bits and pieces of other stuff in metric in the US, though.

 

[IglooDame]

Switch to metric but keep fahrenheit

Slippery slope, that is.

 

[Truthy]

Slippery slope, that is.

You're right. The rest of the world might realize a metric + fahrenheit hybrid is the way to go

 

[Zelig]

fahrenheit

No.

 

[tuckerkao]

Switch to metric but keep fahrenheit

0 °C = 32 °F, 5 °C = 41 °F, 10 °C = 50 °F, 15 °C = 59 °F, 20 °C = 68 °F, 25 °C = 77 °F, 30 °C = 86 °F, 35 °C = 95 °F, 40 °C = 104 °F

Basically the 5:9 ratio.

Since I convert between dozenal and decimal all the time, then all the metric and imperial conversions become way easier, so I guess it's not fair for me to judge on the 2 systems as I can do both really fast.

I tried the °C in dozenal, some called °Z, then it seemed to work as the scale in between the decimal °C and °F since the decimal 144 is larger than 100 but smaller than 180.

Note: 0 °C and 32 °F are freezing point, 100 °C and 212 °F are boiling point.

 

[IglooDame]

You're right. The rest of the world might realize a metric + fahrenheit hybrid is the way to go

Yes. Combine this with getting rid of daylight savings time and I will donate to your election campaign.

 

[MaryKB]

Fahrenheit is undeniably better for measuring air temperature. The US won't switch because there really isn't a need to, and it'd be incredibly expensive. Nothing would be gained by switching, and imagine having to update mile markers and everything everywhere. Most people can figure out the two systems easily enough, it's certainly easier than learning a foreign language

 

[tuckerkao]

Fahrenheit is undeniably better for measuring air temperature. The US won't switch because there really isn't a need to, and it'd be incredibly expensive. Nothing would be gained by switching, and imagine having to update mile markers and everything everywhere. Most people can figure out the two systems easily enough, it's certainly easier than learning a foreign language

The good question is that why nearly every European nation has switched and updated their road marks and not too expensive for them.

 

[MaryKB]

Please find a EU country the size of the US

 

[Zelig]

Fahrenheit is undeniably better for measuring air temperature.

I deny that.

 

[Farm Boy]

Yes. Combine this with getting rid of daylight savings time and I will donate to your election campaign.

The culture sort of gave up on people being active during the light with 12 hour shift work, 24 hour facilities, and 24/7 shopping, but bleh. Centering things during the light probably makes me less depressed than otherwise. If we're being real near the end of winter. I'm really looking forward to losing an hour of sleep next week. For like real.

I deny that.

I agree. They're both equally useful at measuring it. Describing a living in air temperature though, meh. F all the way.

 

[MaryKB]

I deny that.

You'd be wrong

 

[IglooDame]

The culture sort of gave up on people being active during the light with 12 hour shift work, 24 hour facilities, and 24/7 shopping, but bleh. Centering things during the light probably makes me less depressed than otherwise. If we're being real near the end of winter. I'm really looking forward to losing an hour of sleep next week. For like real.

But you get it back in October, so it's okay.

I don't really jetlag (certainly not over a mere hour change), and couldn't give a damn about the sleep thing, but the clock change domestically is a minor pain every six months, network/computer systems that occasionally have issues switching timezones are a less minor pain every six months, and eternal suffering to whoever decided to de-link North American and European daylight savings change days in the spring and fall because linked follow-the-sun call centers have to scramble for a week or two twice a year to sort out hourlong gaps and overlaps.

 

[Farm Boy]

The inconveniences are real, myriad, and easy to spot. The people that are never outside are never outside, the ones working messed up shifts are already working messed up shifts. But I am very much looking forward to my accessible daylight tripling next week. Winter wasn't even that bad, but it's caught me hard this time around.

 

[Zelig]

You'd be wrong

I don't think so. Humans live in temperatures from roughly -40° to 60°. Changing the scale to -40 to 140 doesn't improve anything. (Similar lack of improvement for cooking temperatures.) You get about the same accuracy with half-degrees in Celsius as you do in Fahrenheit, which is mostly needlessly precise anyway.

They're pretty much equivalent in terms of use for human living temperatures, but one is the standard.

 

[uppi]

Nothing would be gained by switching

This is completely wrong. You'd have:
- much easier and more trade
- less hassle with unit conversion
- no need to keep multiple sets of tools around
- no spaceships lost because of unit miscommunication
- less ridicule from the rest of the world

 

[Socrates99]

I wish we would switch. The conversions between units in the imperial system suck. It was worse when I started working at the brewery. The next step up from gallon is barrel which is 31.5gal. Brewers measure beer by the barrel. Kegs are 1/2 and 1/6 barrel. The other day I was trying to figure out how many cases of 12oz bottles were going to come out of a 10.5bbl batch.

You pretty much just have to memorize how many cases per barrel because it's not exactly mental math numbers. Easily solvable, sure, but kind of requires more thought than just moving decimals in metric measurements.