Should America Start Using the Metric system?

Should America use the metric system?

  • Total voters
    196
Being based on powers of ten is what makes the metric system better. Using meters or inches as a base unit is arbitrary. It's only the progression centimeters -> meters -> kilometers that is inherently superior to the imperial system.

As for the rest of the world wanting to adopt it, well it's just easier for all. In many of our jobs we have to communicate with US citizens (and vice versa) and in some odd cases inches do show up even here for things like screen sizes.

Now if only we could get support to reform our time units to work with powers of ten...
 
Taniciusfox said:
Well, it being easy yet not making much sense aren't mutually exclusive. :p :mischief:

...though, either way, basing all conversions on denominations of ten just makes more sense.

Plus, we have inches, feet, yards, miles. Only four units to go with for length/distance/etc. I forget how many the metric system has, but it certainly allows much more precise measurements, and all you need to remember is a prefix!
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In the UK, most engineering drawings are in mm or m. Also many drawing just show a number such as 250 or 0.250; there will be a note somewhere on the drawing saying that all dimensions are in mm (or m) unless otherwise stated, but it is nearly always obvious.
 
Winner said:
BTW, how do you even handle really small things, which we measure in millimetres? What do you say - "it's 0.1 inch long"?
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Probably easier to just show a couple of products...

Craftsman 12 pc. Standard 6 pt. Combination Wrench Set
"Set includes 1/4, 5/16, 11/32, 3/8, 7/16, 1/2, 9/16, 5/8, 11/16, 3/4, 13/16 and 7/8 in. combination wrenches"

Craftsman 12 pc. Metric 6 pt. Combination Wrench Set
"Set includes 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18mm combination wenches"

Or, for the multifaceted fella...
Craftsman 28 pc. Standard and Metric 6 pt. Combination Wrench Set
"Set includes 14 standard (1/4, 5/16, 11/32, 3/8, 7/16, 1/2, 9/16, 5/8, 11/16, 3/4, 13/16, 7/8, 15/16, and 1 in.) and 14 metric (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19mm) wrenches"
 
Has anyone link the obligatory xkcd comic yet?

vh8Zn.png
 
VRWCAgent@
Clicked links and the Imperial/standard set is £32.20 and the metric one is £28.98.

Are you trying to tell us something.:)
 
Silurian said:
Clicked links and the Imperial/standard set is £32.20 and the metric one is £28.98.

Are you trying to tell us something.:)
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Hehe! I didn't even catch that. It's on sale. Sears is having a little sale from Oct 14th - 20th on select craftsmen items. Here's a link to the web-equivalent page of the email I got as a member of the Sears/Craftsman club.

Both are normally $39.99, with the metric set going for $35.99 right now. Just out of curiosity, did that site really show it in £ instead of $ for you, or did you manually convert? And if you had to manually convert, isn't that a reason to adopt the USD as your currency??? :D
 
The site gave £s - I assume they want to sell in UK so $ would discourage most people.

The cost of tools like this are not that much if you spread it over the number of years they should last if treated properly.
 
VRWCAgent said:
Both are normally $39.99, with the metric set going for $35.99 right now. Just out of curiosity, did that site really show it in £ instead of $ for you, or did you manually convert? And if you had to manually convert, isn't that a reason to adopt the USD as your currency??? :D
Click to expand...

There are reasons to keep different currencies. I dunno if the reasons are any good. If they're not, then yes we should all adopt a common currency. There aren't any good reasons to keep different systems of measurement though.
 
CELTICEMPIRE said:
I have thought for a long time that things would be so much easier if everyone just used the metric system, I mean, its based on multiples of ten making it so much more efficient.
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Efficient in what way? What actual, measurable (har har) benefit does the metric system provide? Do factories work better? Does a farm produce more food? Do the workers get better health care??

Nope. All measuring systems are arbitrary. There's no benefit from recording the length of a sheet of paper as "27.94 centimeters" instead of "eleven inches" or "279.4 millimeters" or "three wibblys" or "half a doodleblargh". Doesn't make any actual difference in the way things work. Doesn't matter if my Dr. Pepper comes in a 2-liter bottle or a 12-ounce can. It tastes exactly the same. And still makes me burp louder than a nuclear weapons test..... :D

I've used both systems, and there's no special benefit from either.
 
BasketCase said:
Efficient in what way? What actual, measurable (har har) benefit does the metric system provide? Do factories work better? Does a farm produce more food? Do the workers get better health care??

Nope. All measuring systems are arbitrary. There's no benefit from recording the length of a sheet of paper as "27.94 centimeters" instead of "eleven inches" or "279.4 millimeters" or "three wibblys" or "half a doodleblargh". Doesn't make any actual difference in the way things work. Doesn't matter if my Dr. Pepper comes in a 2-liter bottle or a 12-ounce can. It tastes exactly the same. And still makes me burp louder than a nuclear weapons test..... :D

I've used both systems, and there's no special benefit from either.
Click to expand...

Because when try to calculate how much long something is in metres and in kilometres, you only need to move the decimal place. It saves the person a lot less frustration in calculation. This is essential in maps or images of scaled objects. Sure, one can get used to the Imperial system and do the same. But I bet I can convert lengths on a 1cm:650m scale map faster than you can for 1inch:16.15yards since I only need to divide or multiply by 100s or 1000s and you need to divide by 12s and 3s.
Example, I have 20 litres, that's 20,000 mililitres.
or
I have 4 galleons, that's 8 quarts, wait... argg!! I got confused trying to work it with a calculator!

Furthermore, the smallest unit for the Imperial system is inch, (because nobody uses thou, which is smaller than a millimetre) That means inches are your smallest unit.
Meanwhile, metric systems have lengths that go down to the size of quarks in atoms, all based on unit values of 10s. Scientist are unable to use the Imperial system for any work and research. And also because it's so darn clunky.

It makes a difference to both everyday uses, who don't have to stumble their way through a half-arsed estimate on how big or large or tall or long something is, it's easier for conversion and for scientist, it allows them to measure things too small for imperial measures. I'll like to see you try work out molar quantities in Imperial for chemistry.
 
BasketCase said:
Efficient in what way? What actual, measurable (har har) benefit does the metric system provide? Do factories work better? Does a farm produce more food? Do the workers get better health care??

Nope. All measuring systems are arbitrary. There's no benefit from recording the length of a sheet of paper as "27.94 centimeters" instead of "eleven inches" or "279.4 millimeters" or "three wibblys" or "half a doodleblargh". Doesn't make any actual difference in the way things work. Doesn't matter if my Dr. Pepper comes in a 2-liter bottle or a 12-ounce can. It tastes exactly the same. And still makes me burp louder than a nuclear weapons test..... :D

I've used both systems, and there's no special benefit from either.
Click to expand...

True, but that assumes that everyone only uses one system. There's a lot of wasted time and effort when you constantly have to convert between the two. So we have to pick one, and since Metric is so much easier, that should be the one picked.
 
I'm an American; however I lived in a "metric" country for ten years. The metric system is just so much simpler and easier to use. The reason for not changing has always been it would be too expensive and too disruptive. I disagree with that view but I don't see it changing.
 
BasketCase said:
Nope. All measuring systems are arbitrary. There's no benefit from recording the length of a sheet of paper as "27.94 centimeters" instead of "eleven inches" or "279.4 millimeters" or "three wibblys" or "half a doodleblargh".
Click to expand...
Ease of use and conversion are actually quite relevant. A set standards is also something that is extremely useful.

All these counter-arguments about how the imperial system is just fine reeks of bias and bad faith.
 
Winner said:
I am sure it's "easy" once you get used to it, but for us, what would be the point?
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The USA is very prone to "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" in these things. :p

We just have one - metre. All you need is indeed the right prefix to fit the circumstances.
Click to expand...

Well, by many, I mean milli, centi, etc. You have many more units to use, even if they're all derivatives of meter, and thus can get very good measurements.

how do you even handle really small things, which we measure in millimetres? What do you say - "it's 0.1 inch long"?
Click to expand...

Precisely. <Fraction> inch long!
 
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