We use metric for absolutely everything with one exception: Screen sizes are almost always in inches. I have no idea why. It applies to everything from phones to TVs. It's so weird.
[QUOTE=SoaringScout;46439835]I really don't see how it's a pressing issue for the U.S. to switch to the metric system in everyday life. I'd imagine anybody in a field of work where it's crucial to understand metric understands it sufficiently enough for the job, and it's so easy to learn that if an American scientist/engineer/etc somehow made it through his career without ever learning metric and suddenly needed to, it wouldn't be a problem. And of all the issues with America's decaying infrastructure and roadways, is switching the signs to metric really worth putting any funding towards? The average person can function in day-to-day life on imperial units. This seems like an only slightly less trivial complaint than complaining about American spellings such as 'honor' over 'honour' and the like. If you can explain to me how the average American using imperial over metric is a problem, I will eat my words. I'm not arguing for the use of imperial. I know it's illogical and arbitrary, but I just don't see how it's so important for an average joe to use metric in day-to-day life. If their career requires metric, they can learn it quickly, no problem.[/QUOTE]
because 90% of us don't use it? It's easier to use imperial instead. I can get a good sense of an inch, to a foot, and temperatures are more or less on point, 0 degrees Fahrenheit is cold, but -18 degrees celsius doesn't really look right to me. also construction uses imperial here aswell, If you forced a switch to metric everyone would run around like a chicken with it's head cut off
[QUOTE=confinedUser;46440071]because 90% of us don't use it? It's easier to use imperial instead. I can get a good sense of an inch, to a foot, and temperatures are more or less on point, 0 degrees Fahrenheit is cold, but -18 degrees celsius doesn't really look right to me. also construction uses imperial here aswell, If you forced a switch to metric everyone would run around like a chicken with it's head cut off[/QUOTE]
Instead you make it more difficult for things to be transferred between the US and any other country, yes the US is big but the world is huge.
[QUOTE=ben1066;46440118]Instead you make it more difficult for things to be transferred between the US and any other country, yes the US is big but the world is huge.[/QUOTE]
no shit sherlock, i can use metric it's just a bit slower than imperial since that's all i was taught in school. I'm not the problem it's our educational establishments that are.
[QUOTE=papaya;46439311]I use the metric system for everything except the height and weight of people and for long distances
Using miles for long distances makes it sound better too e.g I know I walk 1 1/2 miles to college. In km that's 2.4something and it sounds a lot worse to be walking 5km than 3 miles each day
or the speed limit is a casual 70mph rather than an insane 112km/h
things like quarts and yards and acres are fuckin weird tho[/QUOTE]
what
this is the stupidest shit I've heard in my life
Oh no, I can't round to the nearest number, 2,5 km is outside my grasp, whatever will I do?!
and just fyi, nobody anywhere uses a "112 km/h" speed limit.
[QUOTE=Zukriuchen;46439586]last time there was an argument you were literally the only person arguing for imperial
[editline]8th November 2014[/editline]
FOR TWELVE PAGES[/QUOTE]
Oh damn I guess I was wrong all along then.
[QUOTE=.Lain;46439489]yeah if you're like a billion years old[/QUOTE]
Every single person I've met here other than gym freaks use stone for measurement of body weight.
[QUOTE=Hugg;46439504]Also called Scandinavian mile
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_mile[/url][/QUOTE]
I honestly had no idea that was just a Scandinavian thing
[QUOTE=Robber;46439864]We use metric for absolutely everything with one exception: Screen sizes are almost always in inches. I have no idea why. It applies to everything from phones to TVs. It's so weird.[/QUOTE]
Yep, and I really can't judge how large a 24 inch screen is but there's no finding a cm measurement.
[QUOTE=lazyguy;46439317]Last time there was an argument about metric vs Imperial it went on for half a dozen pages and everyone got very upset, so it would be best if you all just accepted that Imperial is superior.
[sp]"BUT 1254 METRES IS 1.254 KM! THAT'S EASIER EVEN THOUGH IT'S THE EXACT SAME NUMBERS!"[/sp][/QUOTE]
"It's easier because its the same number"
Well duh, that's why its easier. It makes conversion easier and with a higher precision, two numbers can mean different things.
100 000 millimeters and 1000 meters is very different in terms of precision. It's the same as 1,000 and 1,0
Also I'd like you to convert 1776 miles into inches and you cant use a calculator.
[QUOTE=Robber;46439864]We use metric for absolutely everything with one exception: Screen sizes are almost always in inches. I have no idea why. It applies to everything from phones to TVs. It's so weird.[/QUOTE]
Same here and I'm guessing it's the same all over Europe, for some reason screens escaped the metric system.
The metric system is used all over the place on the roads in the UK and no one even notices it. All new signs are measured in metric (hence you get weird shit like 115 yards of things). Also the "driver location signs" (the signs on the motorway that show distance from / to a start point) are all km.
Slowly but surely we are starting to use the metric system, it will be great when it finishes.
[editline]8th November 2014[/editline]
[QUOTE=Electrocuter;46440217]Same here and I'm guessing it's the same all over Europe, for some reason screens escaped the metric system.[/QUOTE]
I have seen it written in cm on boxes (under it in imperial), I had always assumed people in Europe used that. I wonder who actually refers to screen sizes in cm then...
[QUOTE=Stopper;46440147]what
this is the stupidest shit I've heard in my life
Oh no, I can't round to the nearest number, 2,5 km is outside my grasp, whatever will I do?!
and just fyi, nobody anywhere uses a "112 km/h" speed limit.[/QUOTE]
I think my point was that 2.5km sounds worse based on the number infront of the units because im a fuckin idiot
also in the UK the speed limit is 70mph, which is ~112km/h
makes me wonder what they'd make the speed limit on motorways if they changed everything to metric. 110km/h I guess.
PLEASE DON'T MAKE LAZYGUY LEAVE THIS THREAD
seriously
the last thread had so many gems in it I was able to get laughs off it for days after
[QUOTE=ben1066;46440118]Instead you make it more difficult for things to be transferred between the US and any other country, yes the US is big but the world is huge.[/QUOTE]
Most products are measured in imperial and metric, if that's what you mean.
I prefer using the Rebel system of measurement :)
[QUOTE=Robber;46439864]We use metric for absolutely everything with one exception: Screen sizes are almost always in inches. I have no idea why. It applies to everything from phones to TVs. It's so weird.[/QUOTE]
I always think of the 30cm rulers which are almost sorta roughly 12 inches. So if it's a 6 inch screen, I think of it as half a regular ruler.
I would say the most efficient way of handling this issue would be to learn from the IS, and ban numbers altogether.
[QUOTE=papaya;46440361]I think my point was that 2.5km sounds worse based on the number infront of the units because im a fuckin idiot
also in the UK the speed limit is 70mph, which is ~112km/h
makes me wonder what they'd make the speed limit on motorways if they changed everything to metric. 110km/h I guess.[/QUOTE]
Fuck that I want the motorway speed limit higher, crank that shit up to 150km/h
[QUOTE=credesniper;46439834]Unfortunately, I've used imperial all my life and that's all I can think in. I can't imagine how long a meter is, or how much a kg feels. Miles for distances just feels a ton easier.[/QUOTE]
I've used imperial my entire life and it's only been the last year I've put any effort (and minimal effort even then) on actively learning metric since so many of the people I talk to online live in countries where metric is the standard. It's straight forward and quite easy to learn. The only remotely difficult part is trying to mentally convert units. (Ie: 90ºF is something like 30ºC (32.2ºC exactly after checking) but even then the general idea is enough.)
[QUOTE=ben1066;46440118]Instead you make it more difficult for things to be transferred between the US and any other country, yes the US is big but the world is huge.[/QUOTE]
I'm fairly sure that imperial has actually caused issues before when US scientists or engineers were working with people from other countries too. (And I believe it was the cause of one of Nasa's accidents as well. I don't remember which one but if I recall correctly someone used imperial where they shouldn't have. Which could be solved by everyone just using freaking metric.)
[QUOTE=The Duke;46439339]I wish that the USA would reattempt incorporating the metric system, again. Even if it is limited to having both imperial and metric on highway signage, that at least makes it more probable for a future full conversion.[/QUOTE]
its expensive to try and do again. We dont have the money to try it
tl;dr people who think using imperial is easy especially when converting units (eg miles -> inches/feet) are dumbfounded
[QUOTE=Dark RaveN;46440765]tl;dr people who think using imperial is easy especially when converting units (eg miles -> inches/feet) are dumbfounded[/QUOTE]
tl;dr it's another metric system circle-jerk thread
As a european, the imperial system is absolutely confusing.
Miles are okay but for the rest, it just seems so confusing and outdated.
[QUOTE=Fatfatfatty;46440193]Also I'd like you to convert 1776 miles into inches and you cant use a calculator.[/QUOTE]
1776 x 5280 = 9377280 feet x 12 = 112527360 inches.
Imperial measurements aren't that hard to learn. It's just like memorizing any other formula or value in maths.
Maybe we should also change the value of pi to 3 because 3.14159265... is obviously too hard to remember.
[QUOTE=Dark RaveN;46440765]tl;dr people who think using imperial is easy especially when converting units (eg miles -> inches/feet) are dumbfounded[/QUOTE]
ITT: People who use metric know how to convert metric units. People who use imperial know how to convert imperial units.
[QUOTE=Trumple;46439218]I hope all the signs get changed to the metric system, not sure why we're still stuck with feetsies and yards:
[IMG]http://s3.amazonaws.com/theoatmeal-img/comics/senior_year/science.png[/IMG][/QUOTE]
What that comic, and indeed everyone crying on the internet for America to switch over, doesn't understand is the logistical clusterfuck that would entail. It's one thing to get the next generation using metric, it's another thing to find the money and time to replace every road sign, to replace every speedometer in people's driveways(Most of them show MPH only, the ones that do have KPH have it in tiny numbers nobody even sees), retrain the older generations, etc etc. It's a massive logistical shitstorm that makes it infeasible to convert the general American populace.
And besides, America already uses metric where it has to. Dealing with the rest of the world, usually. It doesn't matter what the average joe measures things with, the important people doing the global wheeling and dealing use metric.
[QUOTE=Genericenemy;46439308]Granted I do everything else Metric and I do know the basics of Kilometres but to me for me to say that I understand it I need to get a grasp of just how long something is in terms of distance (E.G. the distance between my house and the town where my college is among other places). If someone came up to me now and said "If I travel X km, roughly how long is that" I wouldn't be able to give an answer.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I mean I can judge what 100mph is like, but 160.9km/h? No idea.
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