• Should the whole world follow 1 unit of measurement?
    129 replies, posted
Why should we use an American system, a European system or any other system? What makes our systems superior to any other? People can use whatever measurements they want. Sure it makes trade a lot easier but trade and making money isn't everything. People shouldn't have to change their measurement system in order to fit our economic system.
[QUOTE=Mythman;35292723]Why should we use an American system, a European system or any other system? What makes our systems superior to any other? People can use whatever measurements they want. Sure it makes trade a lot easier but trade and making money isn't everything. People shouldn't have to change their measurement system in order to fit our economic system.[/QUOTE] It's better when everything is completely standardised. Every person on Earth should know and be fully literate in the decimal system, and Metric measurements. Otherwise you get crap like components of machines and tools breaking down and failing due to a mix of Metric and imperial. (Or sole use of imperial) When you consider that nearly every single important instrument, device, machine or component of one needs to be accurately measured this is a huge problem. There have been cases of incorrect medicine doses being given to people due to mix ups, in some cases they have been fatal. Every other measurement system minus Metric should be eradicated.
Those talking about how imperial measurements don't make sense, bear in mind they come from a time when we weren't able to measure things accurately (we had no "set" measurements to compare things with, as with metres etc. today), so we had to make do with what we had. For example, a yard was defined as the distance from King Henry I's nose to his thumb when he stretched his arm out. However, since most people didn't have King Henry I on hand when they were building shelves and such, they used their own nose-thumb distance as a rough guide. Same story for hands, cubits and so on. Other measurements (such as oil being measured in barrels) came about simply because there was a commonly-used quantity that you could compare other quantities with, which became known as the "1" value. Even today measurements like this are common in science. For example, 1 Astronomical Unit is the average distance from the Earth to the Sun, and 1 Mole is the number of atoms of Carbon-12 required to make exactly 12 grams. These values in SI units/metric are 149 598 000 000m and 6.02214179 x10^23 respectively, which are hardly convenient or easy to remember. Converting everything to one unified system (à la metric) would make quantities much easier to compare on a grand scale, but it wouldn't make sense for specific areas. It's not much use comparing a proton (mass 1.67262158 × 10^-27 kg) to a horse (mass ~440 kg). That's why different measurement systems of various scales are useful.
[QUOTE=booster;35287788][img]http://memefolder.com/image/609.png[/img] I know the pic is a bit silly and all, but it has a good point. Metric is the way to go, and imperial does nothing but bring confusion. If everyone used metric, communication between countries like the US and Europe would become much better.[/QUOTE] Technically, the US has been a metric country since [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_Conversion_Act]1975[/url]. It's just that it's incredibly difficult and time-consuming to change all the road signs, cars, rainfall apparatuses, and everything else into metric terms, so it's not going to be a fully-metric country for a while.
[QUOTE=CoolCorky;35295090]Those talking about how imperial measurements don't make sense, bear in mind they come from a time when we weren't able to measure things accurately (we had no "set" measurements to compare things with, as with metres etc. today), so we had to make do with what we had. For example, a yard was defined as the distance from King Henry I's nose to his thumb when he stretched his arm out. However, since most people didn't have King Henry I on hand when they were building shelves and such, they used their own nose-thumb distance as a rough guide. Same story for hands, cubits and so on. Other measurements (such as oil being measured in barrels) came about simply because there was a commonly-used quantity that you could compare other quantities with, which became known as the "1" value. Even today measurements like this are common in science. For example, 1 Astronomical Unit is the average distance from the Earth to the Sun, and 1 Mole is the number of atoms of Carbon-12 required to make exactly 12 grams. These values in SI units/metric are 149 598 000 000m and 6.02214179 x10^23 respectively, which are hardly convenient or easy to remember. Converting everything to one unified system (à la metric) would make quantities much easier to compare on a grand scale, but it wouldn't make sense for specific areas. It's not much use comparing a proton (mass 1.67262158 × 10^-27 kg) to a horse (mass ~440 kg). That's why different measurement systems of various scales are useful.[/QUOTE] Except the main question is not about the difference between Imperial and metric but about standardisation. And I think we can both agree, that it's better for the world to use one single system, however arbitrary compared to each nation having their own specific measurements. Or even there being two major measurement systems etc. [QUOTE=Fhenexx;35295406]Technically, the US has been a metric country since [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_Conversion_Act]1975[/url]. It's just that it's incredibly difficult and time-consuming to change all the road signs, cars, rainfall apparatuses, and everything else into metric terms, so it's not going to be a fully-metric country for a while.[/QUOTE] Don't you still use imperial in schools though?
lmao we don't user imperial in science classes and the two are both used in math classes
[QUOTE=Sickle;35289162]Fuck the imperial system. It literally makes no sense. The conversion from pounds to kilos is like 0,45942747 or something. Who the heck wants to be tasked with remembering a conversion like that?[/QUOTE] actually its a pretty simple conversion. you multiply or divide by 2.2
[QUOTE=wraithcat;35295552]Except the main question is not about the difference between Imperial and metric but about standardisation.[/QUOTE] Which is what I was getting at with my second paragraph. A degree of standardisation (such as between nations) is good, but a single unified system using something similar to SI units wouldn't be much use generally.
[QUOTE=wraithcat;35295552]Don't you still use imperial in schools though?[/QUOTE] They teach both, but you definitely learn more metric in science classes though, for obvious reasons.
[QUOTE=Itachi_Crow;35295666]actually its a pretty simple conversion. you multiply or divide by 2.2[/QUOTE] hell, as far as people really need to memorize it for general approximations, rounding that number to 2 is close enough dealing with multiple systems isn't nearly as complicated as you all make it out to be
[QUOTE=wraithcat;35295552] Don't you still use imperial in schools though?[/QUOTE] Science classes beyond middle school usually use metric.
The world pretty much does follow one unit of measurement, I'm sure plenty of entities based in the United States would use metric over imperial for dealing with whatever they deal with. Saying that though, I don't see much of a problem with Imperial existing. When someone says they are 5'10" you know roughly how tall they are, and distances such as an inch are easy to estimate. Imperial can be pretty practical for use now and then, but if you're doing something serious then use Metric. Saying all that, I'm in Australia so Imperial measurements are pretty rare to come across. However I'm surprised that things such as a new set of sockets in our toolbox carry those in both millimetres and inches.
yeah imperial blows when it comes to conversions but if you're taking a science class of your own accord, you're going to be using metric
Yes. [highlight](User was banned for this post ("This is NOT debating - Read the updated rules sticky." - Megafan))[/highlight]
[QUOTE=Lazor;35295696]hell, as far as people really need to memorize it for general approximations, rounding that number to 2 is close enough dealing with multiple systems isn't nearly as complicated as you all make it out to be[/QUOTE] in nursing you have to sometimes convert from lb to kg in order to give the proper prescribed dose of a medicine based on their weight in that case i really wouldnt risk rounding not really relevant just an fyi kinda deal
[QUOTE=Itachi_Crow;35297421]in nursing you have to sometimes convert from lb to kg in order to give the proper prescribed dose of a medicine based on their weight in that case i really wouldnt risk rounding not really relevant just an fyi kinda deal[/QUOTE] well yeah in that case definitely don't round i'm just talking about your average "this guy told me he weighs 140 pounds, what does that mean to me??" sort of thing
America and the rest of the would should use the metric system instead of the imperial system. Most of Asia uses meters instead of inches and kilograms instead of pounds. Metric system is and will always be the most easiest method of measurement By the way, what is the boiling point of water measured in Fahrenheit? Celsius is 100 degress
[QUOTE=Antdawg;35295952]The world pretty much does follow one unit of measurement, I'm sure plenty of entities based in the United States would use metric over imperial for dealing with whatever they deal with. Saying that though, I don't see much of a problem with Imperial existing. When someone says they are 5'10" [B]you know roughly how tall they are[/B], and distances such as an inch are easy to estimate. Imperial can be pretty practical for use now and then, but if you're doing something serious then use Metric. Saying all that, I'm in Australia so Imperial measurements are pretty rare to come across. However I'm surprised that things such as a new set of sockets in our toolbox carry those in both millimetres and inches.[/QUOTE] I actually don't know how tall 5' 10" is, if it's particularly tall or if it's rather short. That's the issue - people say that a particular unit is easy to understand, but that's because they already understand the units. I had to convert it to metres to figure out what it is. An inch I can just about guess, but only as I know that it's about 2.5cm.
[QUOTE=Krinkels;35287189]I don't think any country has entirely switched over to the metric system. Weight isn't measured in Newtons. Pounds are typically used instead. Height isn't measured in centimetres. At least, I would be surprised if one were to consider oneself 175cm. Power isn't always measured in Watts. Cars have horsepower and food has Calories. Volume isn't always measured in Litres. Oil comes in barrels. Pressure isn't always measured in Pascals. Blood is measured in mmHg and air in atm. Angles can be measured in three units, as can temperature. If the world is to conform to the metric system, you yourself would be inconvenienced by the imposition of new units and you'd end up learning new measurements.[/QUOTE] Kilograms is the one to use, also SI units for length is metres, not centimetres (in fact kilograms would be wrong as it has the kilo prefix, but no-one can be arsed to changed it so we just use that).
[QUOTE=Krinkels;35287189]I don't think any country has entirely switched over to the metric system. Weight isn't measured in Newtons. Pounds are typically used instead. Height isn't measured in centimetres. At least, I would be surprised if one were to consider oneself 175cm. Power isn't always measured in Watts. Cars have horsepower and food has Calories. Volume isn't always measured in Litres. Oil comes in barrels. Pressure isn't always measured in Pascals. Blood is measured in mmHg and air in atm. Angles can be measured in three units, as can temperature. If the world is to conform to the metric system, you yourself would be inconvenienced by the imposition of new units and you'd end up learning new measurements.[/QUOTE] My head imploded when reading that. A lot of countries have. But yeah, in my opinion the metric system makes the most sense. Its really easy for almost anyone to use, really easy to learn (as long as you can multiply or divide by 10) and pretty simple. There's a reason why for example the US armed forces use the metric system and most nations in the world. Also we should all use kelvin for temperature or celsius, they make a lot more sense. I guess kelvin is a bit more scientific but it still makes the most sense. Celsius is pretty simple, like 0°c is freezing point and 100°c is boiling point of water.
Please let us switch to SI. People may argue that it would take a lot of money to change the system, but it contiguously takes money to produce parts and manuals for both systems of measurement. In other words, we would save money in the long run and things would be a whole hella a lot less confusing.
[QUOTE=newbz;35305532]Please let us switch to SI. People may argue that it would take a lot of money to change the system, but it contiguously takes money to produce parts and manuals for both systems of measurement. In other words, we would save money in the long run and things would be a whole hella a lot less confusing.[/QUOTE] It would cost next to nothing, as you can phase it in. Signs have to be replaced every now and again, presumably very often due to the fact that they're outside. They can be replaced by signs giving both SI and imperial units, and the same for factory machinery and car speedo's. As they will be replaced eventually anyway, why not make them show both? It's done with nearly every single modern car in the UK.
[QUOTE=Terminutter;35305925]It would cost next to nothing, as you can phase it in. Signs have to be replaced every now and again, presumably very often due to the fact that they're outside. They can be replaced by signs giving both SI and imperial units, and the same for factory machinery and car speedo's. As they will be replaced eventually anyway, why not make them show both? It's done with nearly every single modern car in the UK.[/QUOTE] I 110% completely agree with you! Why are my fellow Americans so backwards? :(
I don't think it really matters. It's not like us Americans don't know what the metric system is. We're taught it in school and we use it for some things.
[QUOTE=Krinkels;35287189]I don't think any country has entirely switched over to the metric system. Weight isn't measured in Newtons. Pounds are typically used instead. Height isn't measured in centimetres. At least, I would be surprised if one were to consider oneself 175cm. Power isn't always measured in Watts. Cars have horsepower and food has Calories. Volume isn't always measured in Litres. Oil comes in barrels. Pressure isn't always measured in Pascals. Blood is measured in mmHg and air in atm. Angles can be measured in three units, as can temperature. If the world is to conform to the metric system, you yourself would be inconvenienced by the imposition of new units and you'd end up learning new measurements.[/QUOTE] Newtons is the SI unit for force not for mass. Kilograms is the correct unit Australia does all of these, but angles are taught in degrees to lower end maths students to keep it simple [editline]27th March 2012[/editline] People talk about horsepower when buying a car but our laws talk in watts. A P plate driver (after learner but not open) can't drive anything over 200 kw, and if it has a turbo and is a petrol it needs to be under 125 kw/tonne and you need a permit [editline]27th March 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=Hruhf;35287602]Australia Not too sure about everything else but everything I've come across in highschool and uni has been in radians. Haven't really seen angles outside of education though.[/QUOTE] no we use degrees for everything but advanced math courses [editline]27th March 2012[/editline] even the sciences use degrees
[QUOTE=McGee;35311649] no we use degrees for everything but advanced math courses [editline]27th March 2012[/editline] even the sciences use degrees[/QUOTE] Really? I haven't seen degrees for ages. [editline]Edited:[/editline] Nevermind, my mechanics lecturer gave angles in degrees today.
[QUOTE=McGee;35311649]Newtons is the SI unit for force not for mass. Kilograms is the correct unit [/QUOTE] Weight =! Mass Weight = The force a mass creates on the earth's surface as a result of gravity [img]http://sae.tweek.us/static/images/emoticons/emot-eng101.gif[/img] [editline]27th March 2012[/editline] But in everyday speech weight is used as a synonym for mass.
[QUOTE=Da_Maniac_;35315165]Weight =! Mass Weight = The force a mass creates on the earth's surface as a result of gravity [img]http://sae.tweek.us/static/images/emoticons/emot-eng101.gif[/img] [/QUOTE] Weight is a force though, so he's right.
[QUOTE=newbz;35307634]I 110% completely agree with you! Why are my fellow Americans so backwards? :([/QUOTE] We're not backwards, we just don't care as much really. Both systems taught in schools, but because so many people in the US are used to Imperial, then it's fine for everyday uses. In business however, yes, metric should be used. However, you should explain to me why my car, which was made in Germany, has a MPH-only speedometer.
Yes. (it will happen eventually anyway) [highlight](User was banned for this post ("This is not debating - Read the rules sticky." - Megafan))[/highlight]
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