Do they still teach the metric system in schools? (Pittsburgh: costs, transit)

[barneyg]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

ha ha. No just a parallel showing that most people are very reluctant to change and most are rut seekers.

Very true. The metric system has been in effect here in Canada for 35 years and young people still use the imperial system for weight (food and people) and height.

One comment on something that was mentioned in this thread -- not sure I understand why the Fahrenheit scale should be used just for the sake of being more precise. One of the advantages of Celsius (especially here in Canada, lol) is that anything below 0 means it's freezing out there :-)

[Copanut]

I believe the Decabet is still being taught.

[Impala26]

Originally Posted by barneyg

Very true. The metric system has been in effect here in Canada for 35 years and young people still use the imperial system for weight (food and people) and height.

One comment on something that was mentioned in this thread -- not sure I understand why the Fahrenheit scale should be used just for the sake of being more precise. One of the advantages of Celsius (especially here in Canada, lol) is that anything below 0 means it's freezing out there :-)

That was me. That's just my personal preference. It is true that the Celsius scale is based on the properties of water (0 degrees is freezing, 100 degrees is boiling), but that further illustrates my point that is MOST practical when talking about thermodynamic properties. My point is that Farenheit is pretty much only useful for weather purposes; I hated doing thermo calculations in Farenheit in science classes.

[ki0eh]

The PA Liquor Control Board (motto: "Where Socialism meets Prohibitionism" ) sells in hard metric containers but shelf tags in unit prices per ounce. Very confusing...

[ki0eh]

Originally Posted by ditchdigger

Oh please. If that's not the stupidest thing I've ever read...

Written by a very smart man I must say, it's even truer now than it was in 1973.

[ditchdigger]

Originally Posted by ki0eh

Written by a very smart man I must say, it's even truer now than it was in 1973.

What, that we're "culturally isolated"? For not using the metric system?

[Buckeye Burgher]

They were working really hard to teach us the metric system in school back in the 70's.
By official policy the US Government was going to switch us to metric at some future date.
So they were working very hard to get us kiddies ready for that.

But ultimately most Americans concluded that if this was the brainchild of the Carter Administration
it must be a bad idea, and the public ultimately rejected that change. Canada went ahead with theirs.
To this day I'll bet you there's not a Canadian my age or older who honestly has any clue as to how
far a kilometer really is.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by Buckeye Burgher

To this day I'll bet you there's not a Canadian my age or older who honestly has any clue as to how far a kilometer really is.

I bet all the runners know. Plus a rough conversion is very simple.

I also think the change to metric did take effect in science and medicine. We never use anything but metric at work.

[doo dah]

I have some Tupperware that my mother gave me in the 70s that is in both measurements.

[Hopes]

I was taught the metric system. My children were taught the metric system. I don't understand this "European's" problem. We don't have trouble doing the conversions. It's easy to convert in either direction.