What is so great about the Metric System?

[GinandTonic]

So the metric system seems the clear victor. So long as the landlord can still sell beer by the 473.176473 milliliters

 

[JohnRM]

American (duh) for Metric.

The Metric system's superiority to the Imperial system is self-explanatory.

 

[Winner]

Anyway, there is much worse thing than miles or pounds: the Fahrenheit temperature scale.

I've never seen something so stupid and I can't understand how anybody, anybody can use it in the 21st century. It is neither practical or logical, it is simply idiotic.

0 °F - the lowest temperature measured in the author's home town in winter
100 °F - the body temperature of the author (apparently, he suffered of fever, so it is not even accurate )

In this scale, the freezing point of water is 32 degrees Fahrenheit (written "32 °F"), and the boiling point is 212 degrees, placing the boiling and freezing points of water exactly 180 degrees apart. Thus the unit of this scale, a degree Fahrenheit, is 5/9ths of a degree Celsius, and negative 40 degrees Fahrenheit is equal to negative 40 degrees Celsius.

What the hell...?!

 

[GenMarshall]

Yeah, every time unmetrified people are asked to rationalize using obsolete and complicated pseudo-system of measurment, they say "it is practical".

Sorry, but I dont see the Imperial System obsolete. Were Imperial Standard Unit Users, Where here. Get used to it!

Get over it, metric system is much, much more practical even for everyday use. You just have to make that little effort to learn it, that's all. Every kid can do it, so why the adults have a problem with it?

Sorry, but I dont see how metric is practical for everyday use . I dont go to the gas station just to get some 44L of Gas, I go and I get 10 Gal of Gas. All the highway signs I see are in Miles. Even my speedometer has the speed in MPH in BIG pretty letters . And dont get me on temprature now. When I see it is 30 degrees C, I would get the impression that it is COLD out.

Sorry, but I am sticking to the Imperial Standard. Not to some confusing and wacky Metric System.

Then there are another great things like one liter of water weights exactly one kilo. Simply put, it's great. I can't imagine I'd use that medieval units you're using, it is absolutely crazy.

WTFun Cat Day!!! is a kilo?! Are we talking about cocane now?! . I dont see what is great about this thing called the "Metric" System. I am happy with my feet, inches, miles, yards, gallon, pint, and all thoes wonderful Imperial Measurements. Just be glad that I am not asking you to measure 33 Cubits .

 

[Arcadian83]

Anyway, there is much worse thing than miles or pounds: the Fahrenheit temperature scale.

Yeah, but that gets more complicated, because Kelvin is better than Celsius.

Just shift your scale 273 degrees to the right....

 

[Cheetah]

3) Metric systems derived from science, so why are they useful to you?

Can I quote you on that?

Anyway, as most people here have already said, the metric system is superior.

And it is fully possible to switch. Sweden had it even worse: During one night in the 1960's Sweden went from driving on the left side of the road and to the right side of the road! And they managed!

Now people are stating that the metric system is to complicated in comparison to the imperial system, and that it is to much trouble for americans to switch to the metric system??

You think it is hard to think in metric? If you just tried, you would probably find that it isn't so hard:

1 Meter is roughly equal to 1 Yard + 1/3 Foot
1 Kilo is roughly equal to 2 lbs
1 Hour is roughly equal to...

You know, it's a shame that they haven't standarised the time more. The SI system holds 1 second as the base unit for time, but minutes and hours (and days, weeks and months) are not fixed.

Yeah, but that gets more complicated, because Kelvin is better than Celsius.

Just shift your scale 273 degrees to the right....

Actually, that's not so much of a problem. I would love to only use the Kelvin-scale, but Celsius is more practical in everyday life at the moment. However, 1 Kelvin-degree = 1 Celsius-degree, which makes it very easy to handle both.

If I were to express my opinion of Mr. Fahrenheit, I would probably recieve a ban from one of the mods, so I shall refrain from doing so.

 

[aussieboy]

I suppose the reason many Americans like the Imperial system is that they can make estimates based on their bodies, since theoretically imperial measurements are the measurments of an average man.

However, a lot of products here are marked in both Imperial and metric measurements, and the metric system is used in science and to a lesser extent, mathematics.

 

[Arcadian83]

Sorry, but I dont see the Imperial System obsolete. Were Imperial Standard Unit Users, Where here. Get used to it!

But when you travel almost anywhere outside your insular country you will be stranded in Metric land, or perhaps even communicating over the internet. Similar to how English is the predominant language of the technological world, Metric is predominant in the measuring world. In something like this it makes sense to adjust to the standard.

WTH is a kilo?! Are we talking about cocane now?!

Yes, "kilo" refers to weight... perhaps of cocaine, but generally of anything that has weight. It is amusing that imported drugs are a common exposure to the metric system for Americans. Why can't those drug-smugglers use Imperial when they enter this country?!

 

[Trajan12]

Can I quote you on that?

Anyway, as most people here have already said, the metric system is superior.

And it is fully possible to switch. Sweden had it even worse: During one night in the 1960's Sweden went from driving on the left side of the road and to the right side of the road! And they managed!

Now people are stating that the metric system is to complicated in comparison to the imperial system, and that it is to much trouble for americans to switch to the metric system??

You think it is hard to think in metric? If you just tried, you would probably find that it isn't so hard:

1 Meter is roughly equal to 1 Yard + 1/3 Foot
1 Kilo is roughly equal to 2 lbs
1 Hour is roughly equal to...

You know, it's a shame that they haven't standarised the time more. The SI system holds 1 second as the base unit for time, but minutes and hours (and days, weeks and months) are not fixed.

Feel free.

America has one of the largest interstate highways in the world. Maybe the largest.(?)

Such a conversion would take a lot of work.

Also, what is with driving on the other side of the road?

And why do toilets swirl in two different directions?

What a strange world.

 

[Tee Kay]

Metric system is great. 6.2 billion people can't be wrong.

 

[Fugitive Sisyphus]

America has one of the largest interstate highways in the world. Maybe the largest.(?)

Such a conversion would take a lot of work.

Who pays attention to the speed limit signs on the interstate anyway?

 

[GenMarshall]

But when you travel almost anywhere outside your insular country you will be stranded in Metric land, or perhaps even communicating over the internet. Similar to how English is the predominant language of the technological world, Metric is predominant in the measuring world. In something like this it makes sense to adjust to the standard.

Do you have a list on what counties uses Metric or both?

Personaly, I cannot adjust to metric because I find that I have no use for it.

 

[Winner]

Sorry, but I dont see the Imperial System obsolete. Were Imperial Standard Unit Users, Where here. Get used to it!

Well, the fact that there is a bunch of barbarians who still use insane units and refuse to convert won't convince me, that it is a viable system

Sorry, but I dont see how metric is practical for everyday use . I dont go to the gas station just to get some 44L of Gas, I go and I get 10 Gal of Gas. All the highway signs I see are in Miles. Even my speedometer has the speed in MPH in BIG pretty letters . And dont get me on temprature now. When I see it is 30 degrees C, I would get the impression that it is COLD out.

Don't you see how short-sighted this argument is? To me saying that it is 70 degrees F out there sounds equally crazy. It is just a matter of education. And because of all that advantages the metric system has, you should switch to it ASAP, it will make your life easier.

Sorry, but I am sticking to the Imperial Standard. Not to some confusing and wacky Metric System.

Confusing

1 kilometer = 1000 metres or 100000 centimeters (that's really confusing, right?)
1 mile = 5,280 feet or 63,360 inches (pretty easy to remember, huh? )

1 litre = 10 decilitres or 100 centilitres or 1000 mililitres
1 gallon = 231 in³ or 128 U.S. fluid ounce

(as I said - crazy )

WTFun Cat Day!!! is a kilo?!

Kilogram.

Are we talking about cocane now?! . I dont see what is great about this thing called the "Metric" System. I am happy with my feet, inches, miles, yards, gallon, pint, and all thoes wonderful Imperial Measurements. Just be glad that I am not asking you to measure 33 Cubits .

Wonderful useless relicts

 

[Splime]

In my opinion, the people who refuse to accept that metric is easier are the ones who just aren't giving it a chance. The thing is, many countries have (within the past 50 or so years) changed to metric, showing that it's possible, and easy to change to the metric system.

I live in America (though I'm not American) and I'm annoyed that we don't use the metric system. It makes so much more sense. Plus, a lot of the conversions from the US system to metric are simple. For instance, 61 F is 16 C, and 82 F is 28 C (I think...). There are only three countries in the world that don't use the metric system -- three too many in our international society today.

 

[Trajan12]

Do you have a list on what counties uses Metric or both?

Personaly, I cannot adjust to metric because I find that I have no use for it.

Everyone except America, Liberia, and Myanmar(Burma).

 

[Blazer6]

I will never want to forget all my years of schooling just to learn some system that will be too expensive to implement. Will I have to buy replacements for everything I own because all of the shapes and sizes of my property are impossible to measure/fix/replace?

 

[GenMarshall]

Well, the fact that there is a bunch of barbarians who still use insane units and refuse to convert won't convince me, that it is a viable system

Don't you see how short-sighted this argument is? To me saying that it is 70 degrees F out there sounds equally crazy. It is just a matter of education. And because of all that advantages the metric system has, you should switch to it ASAP, it will make your life easier.

I do not see how my argument is short sighted. I just perfer the Imperial Standard over Metric. I am happy being in the Imperial Standard where it is less confusing than the silly metric system.

Confusing

1 kilometer = 1000 metres or 100000 centimeters (that's really confusing, right?)
1 mile = 5,280 feet or 63,360 inches (pretty easy to remember, huh? )

1 litre = 10 decilitres or 100 centilitres or 1000 mililitres
1 gallon = 231 in³ or 128 U.S. fluid ounce

Sorry, but I dont understand this silly metric stuff. Its easyer to remeber the Imperial standard than some metric system that I will never use.

 

[GinandTonic]

Everyone except America, Liberia, and Myanmar(Burma).

The UK and others use some elements of Imperial. So they are slowly trying to persuade people to measure themselves in cm and kilos not feet and stone. Some stay for tradition, a pint of beer, a twenty furlong horse-race. They dont seem to be making much progress switching acres to hectares.

 

[Winner]

Well, the fact that there is a bunch of barbarians who still use insane units and refuse to convert won't convince me, that it is a viable system

I do not see how my argument is short sighted. I just perfer the Imperial Standard over Metric. I am happy being in the Imperial Standard where it is less confusing than the silly metric system.

Sorry, but I dont understand this silly metric stuff. Its easyer to remeber the Imperial standard than some metric system that I will never use.

I give up, you're lost cause.

 

[GinandTonic]

I give up, you're lost cause.

It does seem to amount to I know what I likes and I likes what I know.