Do you think it would be possible to convert America to the Metric system? (Marines, weapon)
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What so illogical or inconvenient in feet, inches, pounds, ounces? The imperial system is the superior to the metric system when it comes to measuring the lengths of objects of small or medium sizes (such as the height of a person, or the length of a dinning table). It is better to use feet and inches than meters and centimeters.
When it comes to feet and inches the imperial system uses a base 12 system, so instead of counting by 10’s (as in the metric system) you count by 12’s. One foot is 12 inches, so two feet is 24 inches, three feet is 36 inches and so on. While it may appear to be more difficult to count by 12’s than 10’s, the advantage that 12 has over 10 is in its divisibility. Twelve can be divided by 2, 3, 4, and 6 (these numbers are called “factors” of 12), ten can only divided by 2 and 5. In our daily lives being able to divide things up evenly easily is a huge plus. For example if you had 12 slices of pizza you could share it evenly with 2 people ( 6 slices each), 3 people (4 slices each), 4 people (3 slices each) or 6 people (2 slices each). On the other hand you had 10 slices of pizza you could only share it evenly with only 2 people(five slices each) or 5 people (2 slices each). Therefore a foot unlike a meter can be cleanly divided by two , three and four, which for a carpenter or tailor makes it the better unit to work with.
This is all nonsense with zero basis in logic.
If you want to work in a base 12 system, change to a base twelve number system. If you want to work in a base 6 system, change it categorically to 6. But don't cobble together a bunch of different random bases that have absolutely no logical basis in the modern real world.
Why do you think the hex system is used in computer science? Is it because a kings foot happened to be such and such and such long... so that is the basis for our entire system of measurement? Is it because a pizza is more easily cut into 16 pieces rather than ten pieces?
And for your information, we already HAVE converted to the metric system in nearly all industries that use scientific measurement (the most obvious exception is the building industry... which is also converting slowly). The only place we have not switched to the more logical SI system is pop culture. And the only reason pop culture hasn't converted is because "that's the way we do things." Luckily everyone hasn't thought that way or we'd still be living in caves.
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Originally Posted by Rocko20
It's not going to happen in a million years. We had our chance to do it a long time ago.
Again, we already have in almost all industries and sciences that use measurement to any significant degree.
A Roman who was used to the Roman numeral system would be vehemently opposed to switching to our Arabic number system. To see how pigheaded that Roman is, go ahead and do even BASIC arithmetic in the Roman numeral system and tell me what you think of it. Now here is an analogy for you: a person who understands the advantages of the SI system feels the same way about the "American system" as you feel about the Roman numeral system (after you tried using it for a week or so). You are being as pigheaded as that Roman would have been about his number system. Or a caveman would have been about scratches on the cave wall. I am intimately familiar with both systems because I have been teaching them for thirty years. I know what I'm talking about on this one.
Yeah, that's it! The drug dealers did it so that does it for us. Let's switch while We are all high. The Metric came from the French during the French revolution of cutting off people's head. I guess they tried to be more accurate in how far heads would fall and how far they would reach.
Do you think it would be possible to convert America to the Metric system?
Sure. We are already there in part. Just glance at a bottle of water or beer.
Professional sports could continue to use imperial (I cannot imagine a 7 foot center being introduced as "A 2.1336 meter center from Kentucky."). The have always been alternate forms of measurement in certain industries-- Printing uses something called Picas.
Now will we? Considering we fight about anything, everything, and lots of stupid stuff in between, I would say no.
If you want to work in a base 12 system, change to a base twelve number system. If you want to work in a base 6 system, change it categorically to 6. But don't cobble together a bunch of different random bases that have absolutely no logical basis in the modern real world.
Why do you think the hex system is used in computer science? Is it because a kings foot happened to be such and such and such long... so that is the basis for our entire system of measurement? Is it because a pizza is more easily cut into 16 pieces rather than ten pieces?
And for your information, we already HAVE converted to the metric system in nearly all industries that use scientific measurement (the most obvious exception is the building industry... which is also converting slowly). The only place we have not switched to the more logical SI system is pop culture. And the only reason pop culture hasn't converted is because "that's the way we do things." Luckily everyone hasn't thought that way or we'd still be living in caves.
Again, we already have in almost all industries and sciences that use measurement to any significant degree.
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American physicists and electrical engineers use the metric system very heavily. American mechanical engineers, civil engineers, and aerospace engineers tend to emphasize the US customary units (which are NOT the same as imperial units). American technicians who build and support equipment for the scientists and engineers do most of their work in US customary units.
Yeah, go tell the people that are part of building the best economy in history that they don't make no sense and have No logic or leaving in a cave. Keep teaching math in school and let our technicians, mechanical engineers, civil engineers and aerospace engineers keep using what works for them which is the US customary units. It has work fine for the U.S.
American physicists and electrical engineers use the metric system very heavily. American mechanical engineers, civil engineers, and aerospace engineers tend to emphasize the US customary units (which are NOT the same as imperial units). American technicians who build and support equipment for the scientists and engineers do most of their work in US customary units.
Yeah, go tell the people that are part of building the best economy in history that they don't make no sense and have No logic or leaving in a cave. Keep teaching math in school and let our technicians, mechanical engineers, civil engineers and aerospace engineers keep using what works for them which is the US customary units. It has work fine for the U.S.
I didn't say it makes no sense. I said it was illogical and inefficient. And it is. Take a standard physics book, do some of the more complicated conversion problems in both the American system and the metric system. Now, without lying, tell me which is more efficient, faster, and easier. I can do fairly complicated conversions in the SI system in my head (it's most often just a matter of slipping some decimals). No way in hell can I (or you) do them in my (your) head in the US system.
Of course, if you are letting a computer do all the thinking for you, it doesn't matter. Some programmer who understands both systems took care of that for you.
Ultimately, it doesn't really matter all that much to me because I know both. If folks want to do things the hard way, so be it. They are free to do so. But I'm also free to point out the Rube Goldberg Machine aspect. I've never been one to prefer doing things the hard way unless there is some actual benefit of doing so. And there isn't in this case. It's just a matter of choosing between an overly complicated cobbled-together labeling system or an efficient labeling system that follows our number system consistently. I tend to choose the latter.
I'm being a bit of a stickler there, but Canada never used " the American system ". The Canadian Imperial System was almost the same as the British one, except we didn't use stone for a weight measurement.
There is a difference between a US gallon and the former Canadian one, a difference in fluid ounces as well.
Same with a pint. A US pint is 16 US ounces, a Canadian pint is 20 Imperial ounces.
In Canada it's still very common for people to refer to height by feet/inches and weight in pounds even if everything else is metric and official government documents measure height in meters and weight in kg
Sure it is, just need one generation in school to learn it. Many foreign folks who came here already know it. I try to get it while worked overseas.
My generation was taught the metric system back in the '70s, but here we are still talking in inches, feet, yards, cups, pints, and quarts 50 years later.
I remember them making a big push for it when I was in grade school, but it seemed to peter out by the time I hit junior high. I did use it when I was stationed in Germany. I'd be for switching.
I remember a big push for it when I was in elementary school in the 1960's, but it kind of petered out, but not entirely.
A lot of food and beverages are sized by the metric system now. They show the Imperial measure, but it is a liter of Coke, or 500ml for a sack of flour.
But to change every machine in the country that uses inches and half inches for bolts, every automobile, every home that has bolts and screws.... we will be on a parallel track for a very long time I think.
As to SHOULD we switch? I say no, there is no reason to. The U.S. is large enough that it doesn't hurt us not to use metric.
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Originally Posted by tinytrump
Sure it is, just need one generation in school to learn it. Many foreign folks who came here already know it. I try to get it while worked overseas.
Already tried that and it bombed. It isn't a simple "know how to use it", but what it takes to convert the trillions of objects in the U.S. that are held together with Imperial bolts and screws.
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