• Standard (Measurement) is fucking stupid.
    269 replies, posted
The standardized system is okay. I would much rather go with the metric system than the whole "12 = 1 and 154564=5", but its not like we currently have any say to it. And as many people stated, it would be difficult for a couple billion people/a whole country to switch to a whole new system. We still use it on a regular basis in science class, thankfully. Otherwise the country is fine. Amazingly I'm not fat.. [i]yet[/i]. :911: [editline] Hi [/editline] And as for the measure of temperature, I've just gotten use to the fact that 50- is cold and 80+ is hot. But having the temperature outside always linger around the 30s (Celsius) wouldn't be all that bad.
It also makes me mad to see such bad posts, all the time I assume it's by a retarded American. I look at the lua request section. :smithicide:
You forgot tons.
I love how physics got me to think in meters, Kilograms and Newtons. Much better than the "foot*pounds" unit calculus liked to use for work (instead of Joules).
[QUOTE=Richard Simmons;21491469]Its the Imperial and metric system you fucking noob. Go learn some simple science, then bitch about something you know.[/QUOTE] Actually, the government calls it the "Standard System."
[QUOTE=johanz;21491224]While we're at measurements, how does Fahrenheit work? At 0 Celsius water freezes, but what happens at 0 Fahrenheit?[/QUOTE] Water freezes at 0.something Celsius actually, it's kinda outdated. Kelvin is the equivalent of the metric system for temperature measurement.
[QUOTE=pondefloor;21492798]the metric system is cool and all, but why the hell is the metre defined as some incredibly arbitrary fraction based on light? distance in 1/299,792,458 of a second? seriously?[/QUOTE] Because the speed of light is a universal constant. [editline]08:46PM[/editline] [QUOTE=Demache;21493129]My friend always says this too. But I don't get why. Isn't that why there are decimal points? 1.5 meters, is simply, 1 meter, 5 centimeters. With imperial, 1.5 feet is 1 foot, 6 inches. I don't get how one is more precise than the other. Or does everyone have a different definition of "precise" from what I'm thinking of?[/QUOTE] You made a mistake: 1.5 meters is 1 meter and 50 centimeters, or simply 150 cm (as it's written on our driver's licences). But I agree with your premise that it's not more "precise", but it is more convenient (since 1 meter 50 centimeters is just 150 centimeters or 1.5 meters, whereas 1 foot 6 inches is either 1.5 feet or 18 inches)
[QUOTE=One Ear Ninja;21493980]Trust me, I live in the U.S. I know both systems well [I]BUT[/I] America is full of retards who can't even do basic math. It angers me. It makes me sad too, for it sets a negative paradigm for internationals. You should see the school I am forced to go to, in all my classes (even AP ones) people are bugging me for answers and call me words I do not care to repeat. Mini-rant :dance: [B][U]GO METRIC![/U][/B][/QUOTE] If anything, we should go to metric because we are retarded in math. I can expect someone who has a hard time in math to be able to do 4 times 1000 more reliably than 4 times 5280 without a calculator.
[QUOTE=wuzzimu;21494057]I love how physics got me to think in meters, Kilograms and Newtons. Much better than the "foot*pounds" unit calculus liked to use for work (instead of Joules).[/QUOTE] Being a physics major means when the metric revolution and people's minds are plunged into the chaos of unlearning imperial and learning metric, I will be smiling serenely to myself and when a poor crazed person asks why I haven't gone over to gibbering insanity due to the mental turmoil of so many conflicting measurements, I will say, "Ah, but you see: I am a physics major." And the world will bow down to me
[QUOTE=shill le 2nd;21494096] You made a mistake: 1.5 meters is [b]1 meter and 50 centimeters[/b], or simply 150 cm (as it's written on our driver's licences). But I agree with your premise that it's not more "precise", but it is more convenient (since 1 meter 50 centimeters is just 150 centimeters or 1.5 meters, whereas 1 foot 6 inches is either 1.5 feet or 18 inches)[/QUOTE]Err, yeah that's what I meant. Dumb mistake.
Didn't Canada switch in the 70s because America was going to, and then they never did?
But everyone [i]does[/i] learn the metric system; I highly doubt even a middle school science class uses the U.S measurement system; every class from life science up to physics uses metrics, period. We've tried moving over to metric several times; it just won't happen. Calculators can do the awkward conversions for us now anyway, so I don't really see the point in trying to fight a battle the U.S won't win by trying to force metric on everyone. All of our scientists use metric, international business I'm sure is done on the metric system, so it really is not a big problem.
Try being taught something your entire life and It won't be hard nor dumb.
[QUOTE=Sergeant Turtle;21494255]Didn't Canada switch in the 70s because America was going to, and then they never did?[/QUOTE] In town, there are two signs that show the Speed Limit in imperial and metric. Both are on I-90 (runs north and south). I guess its for Canadians, but I never understood why they were the ONLY ones for miles (I'm sure there is another a few hundred miles away in North Dakota). Every other speed limit along the interstate is in regular imperial.
I'm an American and I am far more comfortable with using the metric system. With the exception of things like car MPH and the like where you can't really flip-flop easily.
i'm glad we have it just to piss you european fucks off
There will always be an imperial "shit ton" and a metric "fuck ton" as far as I am concerned.
I like our Imperial system, I don't understand the metric system for shit. "BUT ITS SOOOOOO EASAY!!!" Fuck off, I don't care. You all understand that we will never change our system, or at least not for a loooong ass time.
I like imperial as well. I wouldn't mind too much switching over, but imperial is burned into my mind.
I'm American. I know much more about the metric system than I know about the other system. I know my car's meter should be on 60 when the black and white sign says "60". I know approximately how long a foot is and approximately how many inches are in several feet based on my memorization of multiples of 12 - but I didn't memorize that very far. Also, how many feet are in a mile? I don't know that one without looking it up. I actually don't care how many feet are in a mile because it's an arbitrarily irrelevant number that may have a bit of symbolic meaning yet it has absolutely no relative value. I have to do a stupid conversion in my head when someone measures something in "yards". Seriously, it gets old. Multiples of 10 are very easy to convert on the fly and much easier for anyone who has to deal with measurements for a living. The only thing keeping us back is the monetary cost, I think. Most American cars have km/h listed on the inside ring of the speedometer while mp/h is listed on the outside. Cars are already equipped to handle this, aging street signs that are going to be replaced anyway should be replaced with signs that have both measurements on them. Not just speed signs, but also "Exit HWY 67 in 2 miles" signs also. Measuring tapes already have both standards, as do rulers and most digital surveying equipment. The only standard that may be a problem is temperature. It would be pretty cool though if you never had to specify what units you're referring to. Yeah it's 40 degrees outside. C or F? If that's F then it's cold. If that's C then it's REALLY hot. I'm 1.9 meters tall. Oh that's 190cm. That's 6.2 feet which is.... uh... something... inches... /calculator I mean, time is relatively standard. 05:31:59 is understood everywhere. I don't understand why there's 60 units to every 1 unit of seconds/hours/minutes and where 12/24 hours were set in stone but I'm guessing that it derives from 360 degrees making a complete circle (another strange measurement standard) and the [url=http://www.facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=926059]Eath[/url] is a sphere. Those shitty conversions have wasted countless CPU cycles trying to figure out how many minutes, seconds, days are left for X or how many feet you need of X material for your big project. It's just inefficient as hell. I think we should do the future generations a big favor and set them up with some nice, round standards. Also, fuck the base 10 number system. Base 8 represent. :sax:
US doesn't even use "imperial", they use an americanized version of it called "US customary units" if they used imperial, they would weigh people in stones
[QUOTE=shill le 2nd;21494981]US doesn't even use "imperial", they use an americanized version of it called "US customary units" if they used imperial, they would weigh people in stones[/QUOTE]Now why in the holy hell would we call a national standard by it's correct name? That's just... un-American! :patriot:
We've been trying to switch but you see, THAT COSTS ALOT OF FUCKING MONEY. Not exactly the smartest thing to do in the middle of a recessions. Plus, schools here barely teach it anymore. I know my grade school taught us the us customary units in first grade, then promptly taught us metric and used it almost all the time.
It would be almost impossible replacing all of the tools, nuts, bolts, ect that are in imperial. Most people in schools teach both metric and imperial. [editline]06:45PM[/editline] Though I agree that the imperial system is flawed to the nth degree.
I know the metric system in and out. But I can't use it practically. I can estimate a foot. I can't estimate a meter. If I knew how to use it practically, I'd ditch imperial in a heartbeat.
[QUOTE=Madman_Andre;21490790]Because America is a backwards Orwellian hellhole full of right-wing bigoted Fundies who think the Metric system is the work of Communism and Satan. Seriously.[/QUOTE] :downs:.. all I can say.
But I've gotten so used to the standard measurement. Why switch to the metric system now. I'm keeping my 12 inches in a foot and mile. You can keep your 39 inches in a meter and your kilometers. >:(
Hell while we're at it why not go full out and have metric time? [url]http://zapatopi.net/metrictime/[/url]
[QUOTE=NuclearAnnhilation;21494920]I like our Imperial system, I don't understand the metric system for shit. "BUT ITS SOOOOOO EASAY!!!" Fuck off, I don't care. You all understand that we will never change our system, or at least not for a loooong ass time.[/QUOTE] How is it hard? Seriously, look up some tables if you have trouble understanding units that are in powers of ten. Honestly, if my Physics class ever required me to do a calculation in feet and inches instead of meters and the like, I would have dropped out. Also, I've been slowly adapting to the metric system, I've been trying to apply it in as many activities as possible. I would argue a slow approach of replacement, roughly 20-30 years of tedious sign changing and education reforming. I know I'd be too old to give a fuck, but I'd be happy knowing my kids won't be using such a ridiculous system. Lest I be done ranting there. Let's look at the trouble already caused by this dilemma: [quote=News] [B]5. Mars Climate Observer metric problem (1998)[/B] Two spacecraft, the Mars Climate Orbiter and the Mars Polar Lander, were part of a space programme that, in 1998, was supposed to study the Martian weather, climate, and water and carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere. But a problem occurred when a navigation error caused the lander to fly too low in the atmosphere and it was destroyed. What caused the error? A sub-contractor on the [URL="http://www.cnn.com/TECH/space/9909/30/mars.metric.02/"]Nasa programme had used imperial units[/URL] (as used in the US), rather than the Nasa-specified metric units (as used in Europe).[/quote] Seriously, if you take any kind of scientific study seriously, you basically have to forget the bewildering stupidity of the imperial system. It's much easier to do any kind of calculations on a system based on powers of ten rather than a system using some old basis referring to a man's foot. I then turn my attention to the temperature scale used here in America. Fahrenheit has got to be the most impractical system ever. 32 degrees is the freezing point of water, while 0 degrees is the temperature of some obscure saline solution. The Celsius scale, on the other hand, has 0 degrees being the freezing point of water and 100 degrees is the boiling point. Then, the Kelvin scale is practical for more scientific usage as it uses 0 degrees as an absolute base of zero. I've actually been thinking of the subject for a few months, and I completely support the reformation of the American system of measurements as a whole. I know I'll be too old to care when it happens, but someone really needs to bring this debate up in congress, it really needs to be done. This is, however, just my view on things. My overall personal spectra of goals for humanity is to become as globalized as possible, be that through extreme standardization of world reformation, (Not in anyway harmful, politically or economically). I prefer to think of the premises in the book '[I]1985'[/I], but with less of a dystopian utopia. Anywho, I'm done ranting about this countries backwards cling on traditions and religious standards, I'm tired now.
The metric system is easy. Most Americans just think its hard because they try to convert it to imperial units. But the imperial measuring system has better units, like fathom, leagues, and furlongs.
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