Imperial and Metric systems. - General

[QUOTE=Flyboi;32458888] given how much independence means to American citizens, having the imperial system which dates back to the British Empire is somewhat ironic.[/QUOTE] But Metric is French, and that's even worse!

[QUOTE=FFStudios;32458929]Do you really think that we care whether or not our system of measurements comes from the British Empire?[/QUOTE] Well you do speak English, so no, not really :v:

[quote="US Traffic Committee"]Engineering costs with respect to signing are more difficult to define. If a 3 month study results in installation of only 3 signs, it may not be equitable to charge the whole egineering cost to those installations. Normally, engineering costs are treated separately, but if there is a need to take them into account, then a rule of thumb estimate is engineering cost = 10% to 15% of construction cost. * Sign panels: o Regulatory/Warning/Marker: $15 to 18 / sq.ft. o Large Guide Signs: $20 to 25 / sq.ft. o Electronic Variable Message Sign: $50,000 to $150,000 each * Sign Posts: o U-Channel: $125 to $200 each o Square Tube (Telespar): $10 to $15 per foot o Large Steel Breakaway Posts: $15 to $30 per foot o Cantilever Sign: $15,000 to $20,000 each o Sign Bridge: $30,000 to $60,000 each * Foundations: o Square Tube: $150 - $250 each o Breakaway Post: $250 to $750 each o Cantilever / Bridge: $6,000 - $7,000 each [/quote] You guys do the math. Let's take every large guard sign in the United States, which could probably be estimated at 10 million signs. $20 plus the $2 for installation is $22 times 10 million. We're already at $220 million, and that's only for the really huge signs. Keep adding $75 million for each other type of sign and we're up into the billions of dollars.

I love my lbs. Your metric can go away. Imperial is great. It's not simple, but we've passed laws allowing us to use it alongside your metric.

P.S. And that $20 is just for one square foot! Each of those huge signs is maybe 4-5 square feet!

[QUOTE=AK'z;32455552]6 foot tall is more acceptable in conversation than 1.9 metres tall. Think about it.[/QUOTE] Yeah, except for the part that in a country where everything is measured with the metric system, people wouldn't say "it's 1.9 meters tall" they'd simply say "it's around 2 meters tall". it's called rounding numbers,people don't need exact measures always. And talking in metric units is perfectly normal and socially acceptable in most parts of the world.

Due to the fact that our Neighbour, the US, still uses Imperial, I have to learn both systems in my university engineering course. I can't remember conversion factors either from metric to imperial or within imperial itself. Imperial makes no sense, with nonsensical conversions between units within the system. Metric makes more sense, it's easier to remember, and easier to work with. That being said, there are still things commonly measured in imperial around here, just not officially. People still measure weight in pounds, personal height in feet and inches, burgers like "quarter-pounder" still exist, a mile is often used as just an arbitrarily long measurement, "goes on for miles" makes more sense than "goes on for kilometres," and fuel efficiency is still measured in miles per gallon. Though more people have an idea on the length of a centimetre than an inch, a metre than a foot, and a kilometre than a mile. We learn metric in school, and use metric for volume measurement (mL or L versus fl.oz. or gal.), distance (km versus mi), speed (km/h versus mph), and all government ID and information is in metric. Metric just makes more sense, and it's easier to remember and work with. I mean, how many weight ounces does one fluid ounce weight? There's exactly 1 gram per millilitre in the metric system. There's one cubic centimetre (cm^3) per millilitre for volume conversion. Water freezes at 0 and boils at 100, I actually don't even know what points these are on the imperial system. All I know about temperature in the imperial system is that 100 is quite a hot summer temperature and the 2 systems meet at -40. That, and conversion from degrees C to Kelvin is easy, just add 273.15. It's that easy, simple addition. I know Fahrenheit to Celsius is some ridiculous equation of some kind, I can't even remember.

The unit fluid ounce makes me want to punch a baby.

Imperial system stole my money and raped me.

[QUOTE=barttool;32459067]Yeah, except for the part that in a country where everything is measured with the metric system, people wouldn't say "it's 1.9 meters tall" they'd simply say "it's around 2 meters tall". it's called rounding numbers,people don't need exact measures always. And talking in metric units is perfectly normal and socially acceptable in most parts of the world.[/QUOTE] You misunderstood. Nobody is 2 metres tall.

[QUOTE=AK'z;32459740]You misunderstood. Nobody is 2 metres tall.[/QUOTE] Say hello to my friend, he is 203 cm tall.

[QUOTE=FFStudios;32458981]You guys do the math. Let's take every large guard sign in the United States, which could probably be estimated at 10 million signs. $20 plus the $2 for installation is $22 times 10 million. We're already at $220 million, and that's only for the really huge signs. Keep adding $75 million for each other type of sign and we're up into the billions of dollars.[/QUOTE] Compare to the military budget, and then realise that converting is a one off fee, and will only get more expensive as time goes on. In addition to that, it can be done over a decade or so. Also, why not start producing signs that show both? Car speedometers here often show both miles per hour and kilometres per hour, which is useful, especially when you live near to the Channel tunnel. Also, stop using it in schools. This kickstarts the metric system in the younger generations. Seriously, the only time I'll hear metric is from my friends who have parents who insist on the usage of imperial - school pretty much ignores the existance of it. Also, some people are over 2 metres, it's just rather rare. I think that Christopher Lee might be... not sure though.

Imperial. Main reason I grew up using it. 2 metric confuses the fuck outta me.

[QUOTE=RG4;32460323]Imperial. Main reason I grew up using it. 2 metric confuses the fuck outta me.[/QUOTE] How can base 10 confuse you? You count in base 10, so why not measure in it?

[QUOTE=OvB;32458509]Science has been in metric for as long as I can remember. I'd support making the US go metric, though I'd say we keep the roads in miles so we don't have to change out all the road signs and speedometers, as well as to avoid confusion from people.[/QUOTE] There's nothing to really change, though. Laypeople don't need metric and people who do use it to begin with or use conversion tables. Those roadsigns are really the only thing that would effectively change. I mean, fuck, I've never seen anybody in a hard science complaining about having more than one system of units to use, that's why god invented conversion tables and automatic conversion in various programs.

[QUOTE=HatredViral;32458996]I love my lbs. Your metric can go away. Imperial is great. It's not simple, but we've passed laws allowing us to use it alongside your metric.[/QUOTE] It's not great, not in any way. You've just gotten used to it.

I'm from Windsor, Ontario so I basically grew up watching Detroit news and weather so I'm fluent in both systems :v:

In all science classes in the United States, we use metric. Its even more of a pain to convert from imperial to metric. In all engineering sort of stuff, we still use imperial.

[QUOTE=AK'z;32455166]Imperial is nice too. In a boxing match you can't really imagine the guy saying "IN THIS CORNER, WEIGHING IN AT 80 KILOGRAMS" it doesn't sound right.. same with kilometres per hour...[/QUOTE] You have way too many subjective opinions in your arguments. We don't say "KILOGRAMS" we say "kilo", because people know what the fuck your talking about. To me measuring height with the imperial system simply seems totally wrong (and plain weird), but I understand that it's something you grew up with, and thus the metric system sounds like shit to you, when you use it.

YOU CANT FOOTBALL WITHOUT YARDS

[QUOTE=MeMassiveFag;32461034]YOU CANT FOOTBALL WITHOUT YARDS[/QUOTE] ...Yes you can. Maybe you can't American football without yards?

It wouldn't be just signs and stuff like that would have to change. Its everything. Everything that is made is measured with the imperial system. It would be a HUGE change, other than just changing signs.

[QUOTE=tyler3497;32462397]It wouldn't be just signs and stuff like that would have to change. Its everything. Everything that is made is measured with the imperial system. It would be a HUGE change, other than just changing signs.[/QUOTE] Yes, and most of everything can be converted slowly over time. Weighing scales can have both weights on them (most do, anyway), rulers and measuring devices can have both, most car speedo's (at least here) have both, and it allows for a slow phase in of the superior system.

[QUOTE=tyler3497;32462397]It wouldn't be just signs and stuff like that would have to change. Its everything. Everything that is made is measured with the imperial system. It would be a HUGE change, other than just changing signs.[/QUOTE] Fortunately everything that is made anywhere else is made using the metric system, and changing over to metric will allow you to be more competitive in the global economic arena.

Just fucking use the metric. I don't care how long it takes you, but just get rid of your backwards ass '12 inches in 1 foot', what? Seriously, do you expect anybody to have to remember how many Xs are in an X? Just fucking use powers of ten. Oh wait, that's what the metric system does.

[QUOTE=rosthouse;32455730]I don't think so. What if you aren't exactly 6 feet? Like 6 feet and 12 inches. How do you say that? The advantage with the metric system is that it's scalable. You only have to memorize one number, after that it's simple to convert it into another format. Let's say you're 175 centimeters tall. You can say that you are 1 meter and 75 centimeter (or I say "I'm one seventy-five"). Or you can say you're 1750 millimeters. It doesn't matter how you say it, everyone knows exactly what you mean. And if the value changes, like if you need more precision, you simply add more digits. You can't just do that in the imperial system.[/QUOTE] you say 6 feet and 12 inches as 7 feet

Of course metric, but implementing it is a difficult process.

For some reason imperial is found even in countries that use metric. I guess it's just cooler to say 22" screen, 24" rim, ounce of meat, pound of meat, etc. When i ask my mom when she bought an ounce of meat how much that is in grams, she doesn't actually know.

Being brought up in the United States, I'm of course accustomed to the imperial measurement system. It's a lot easier for me to imagine how large a yard is compared to a meter (yes, I know, it's a few centimeters difference). I can easily imagine how large and inch is, or a foot. Does that make it make anymore sense? Hell no. I [I]STILL[/I] think imperial is retarded.

[QUOTE=tyler3497;32462397]It wouldn't be just signs and stuff like that would have to change. Its everything. Everything that is made is measured with the imperial system. It would be a HUGE change, other than just changing signs.[/QUOTE] Nah, not really. Everything besides signage would be just telling people "hey start using metric units" when they draw up blueprints or measure shit or whatever. Anybody in a technical field already has to know and use both or they're useless the moment they deal with an international client.