Sree's right; we don't urgently have to switch over to metric units. What's the hurry?
Besides, I don't think anyone in Colorado wants Denver to be known as the "1,609-Meter-High-City". We're fine with the Mile High City, thank you.
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| Author: | Inverse Tiger [ Wed Sep 06, 2006 2:56 am ] |
| Post subject: | The Metric System |
Was gonna random thought this, but it got too long and not random. Um.. the US needs on the metric system. Every time I take a science class I have to deal with metric. Conversions are so much easier, and units relate to each other in ways that make sense. And now people are worried about US students falling behind in science. It's a small thing, but it'll help. How about this: instead of going straight to metric, have a 5-10 year period where the English units are adjusted slightly. There are certain measures that are close to metric units that they'd only take a slight adjustment Make a yard = a meter, so a foot is 1/3 meter and an inch is 1/36 meter. A mile would have to stay the same, but who really cuts miles up into yards and feet anyway? Make a quart = a liter, so a pint is 1/2 liter (slightly more beer for everyone!), a cup is 1/4 liter, a gallon is 4 liters etc I can't think of one for weight or temperature, but I'm tired right now and slightly delirious. And if someone doesn't want to deal with the possibility of confusing "old" yards and "new" yards, they could just switch to metric and be done with it. So why bother with a silly transition like this? I heard the reason we didn't switch is because people would choose products measured the old way over those measured the new way, so the market chose English over metric. So if we made the English system metric, at least conversions would be 5 million times easier, and people wouldn't have to feel they're making some huge sacrifice because they're only 2 meters tall instead of being a whole 6 feet. Anyone who isn't a metric fan, tell why! |
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| Author: | StrongRad [ Wed Sep 06, 2006 3:02 am ] |
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I really don't think metric is "religion" or "politics". I use "standard" or "english" units, as well as metric. Metric is a lot easier to convert between various units, for sure, but a lot of people are used to things like feet, miles, etc. I don't see a need for a switch. There's no real advantage to having metric in everyday life. Sure, if you're into science, you'll use metric (unless you're in meteorology/atmospheric science, then you'll use both and be able to convert from one to another in your head, on the fly), but not every person is a scientist, and most people know English units. Why make them learn a new system? What's the advantage? |
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| Author: | ramrod [ Wed Sep 06, 2006 3:14 am ] |
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I think we tried to switch to the Metric system in the 70's (Someone back me up here), but it didn't turn out all too well .We're too used to the Standard way to switch. Maybe if we teach it more at a younger age, we might switch to the metric system in a generation or two. |
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| Author: | Inverse Tiger [ Wed Sep 06, 2006 3:19 am ] |
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StrongRad wrote: I really don't think metric is "religion" or "politics". Heh, I think I was thinking about how they made some metric law, but no one followed it.. and that made the subject political somehow. Also, I was feeling a bit argumentative (in a non-hostile way). It made sense in my brain at the time, but not so much now that you mention it. Quote: I use "standard" or "english" units, as well as metric. Metric is a lot easier to convert between various units, for sure, but a lot of people are used to things like feet, miles, etc. Which is why, if we were gonna switch, a transition where a tiny shift takes place might be preferable. Quote: I don't see a need for a switch. There's no real advantage to having metric in everyday life.
There's the occasional multi-million dollar mistake averted (because as long as English units are in popular use, stuff like that could happen), savings to consumers when companies can use the same packaging instead of having to print a metric version and an English version, and the societal benefit of making science easier for everyone. Sure, not everyone is gonna be a scientist, but when we need more of them why make it harder? |
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| Author: | lahimatoa [ Wed Sep 06, 2006 3:25 am ] |
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Quote: I think we tried to switch to the Metric system in the 70's (Someone back me up here)
Wikipedia knows I'm not opposed to using the metric system here in the US, but it seems society has rejected it. Reminds me of Prohibition... you can legislate all you want, gov't, but unless the people support it, it's not gonna happen. |
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| Author: | StrongRad [ Wed Sep 06, 2006 3:28 am ] |
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Inverse Tiger wrote: Quote: I use "standard" or "english" units, as well as metric. Metric is a lot easier to convert between various units, for sure, but a lot of people are used to things like feet, miles, etc. Which is why, if we were gonna switch, a transition where a tiny shift takes place might be preferable. Those "shifts" would make more trouble than a sudden switch to metric. If something is made in feet, and people know what feet are, and they know how many feet of that thing it takes to do something, but the meaning of "foot" is changed, it'd cause complete chaos. Quote: Quote: I don't see a need for a switch. There's no real advantage to having metric in everyday life. There's the occasional multi-million dollar mistake averted (because as long as English units are in popular use, stuff like that could happen), savings to consumers when companies can use the same packaging instead of having to print a metric version and an English version, and the societal benefit of making science easier for everyone. Sure, not everyone is gonna be a scientist, but when we need more of them why make it harder? I don't see how consumers would save by metric packaging, either. Most manufacturers put both metric and standard on their packages. Finally, I seriously doubt that metric units are the reason people shy away from science.. I'm not arguing against using metric, it's just that I really think people ought to weigh the benefits (and I'm not entirely sure there are any) against the problems a switch would cause. To me, it's a case of "If it ain't broke..." |
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| Author: | IantheGecko [ Wed Sep 06, 2006 3:36 am ] |
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Sree's right; we don't urgently have to switch over to metric units. What's the hurry? Besides, I don't think anyone in Colorado wants Denver to be known as the "1,609-Meter-High-City". We're fine with the Mile High City, thank you.
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| Author: | Inverse Tiger [ Wed Sep 06, 2006 3:38 am ] |
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IantheGecko wrote: We're fine with the Mile High City, thank you.
But you could be a whole 1.6 kilometers high! And 1.6 is clearly greater than 1 
I'm gonna count to ten before starting new threads in the future, btw... |
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| Author: | Didymus [ Wed Sep 06, 2006 3:41 am ] |
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10!! Metric!! Get it?? |
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| Author: | Inverse Tiger [ Wed Sep 06, 2006 4:09 am ] |
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Man, I wish that was intentional! And this is the tenth post on the thread! Metric will take over eventually, but since there's no direction, it'll be slow and awkward instead of just getting it over with. I don't care all that much... it just seems stubborn to be the lone holdout from a more rational system, and it's making me take unnecessary steps in my chemistry homework 
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| Author: | Rogue Leader [ Wed Sep 06, 2006 9:28 pm ] |
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Well, we could try to convert to metrics. But then again we would have to replace virtually every road sign in the country, along with rulers, and virtually everything else that involves measurement. So we probably will stay with American units for a while. |
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| Author: | PianoManGidley [ Wed Sep 06, 2006 9:49 pm ] |
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We need metric time! 10 hours a day, 100 minutes an hour, 100 seconds a minute! |
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| Author: | sb_enail.com [ Thu Sep 07, 2006 1:52 am ] |
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PianoManGidley wrote: We need metric time! 10 hours a day, 100 minutes an hour, 100 seconds a minute!
Of course, if we did that, we'd need to redefine what a second is. The current definition: Under the International System of Units, the second is currently defined as the duration of 9 192 631 770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom. This definition refers to a caesium atom at rest at a temperature of 0 K. So yeah, we'd have to change that, and that sounds like too much work for me. On a side note, metric time reminds me of a Simpsons episode... |
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| Author: | lazadisk [ Thu Sep 07, 2006 3:44 am ] |
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Rogue Leader wrote: Well, we could try to convert to metrics. But then again we would have to replace virtually every road sign in the country
Ah! But we started doing that in the 70's [/backingupdormar] and got like, a tiny bit of the country into metric road signs. So if you think about it, it could be easier for the entire country if we just switched and got it over with! But oh well, if the past has taught us anything, that's about as possible as us actually GETTING RID of global warming. Not in this country!
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| Author: | ramrod [ Thu Sep 07, 2006 3:47 am ] |
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You know what needs to be (and probably already is) done? Teach the Metric system heavily in school. Teach the kids metric along with Standard. That way, when they get older, we could make a transition to metric easier, because they already know about it. the reason why it didn't work in the 70's was because it wasn't really taught in school, unless it was for a specific course, like science. |
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| Author: | Didymus [ Thu Sep 07, 2006 5:05 am ] |
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Not true, Rammy. I was in school during the 70's, remember? And in all the math courses, science courses, etc. (i.e., just about any place that measuring systems would be mentioned anyway), Metric was pushed pretty heavily. In fact, I rmember one science teacher I had who said she ALWAYS uses metric in her kitchen. The simple truth is that it just didn't catch on in society, and that's where it really counts. |
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| Author: | ramrod [ Thu Sep 07, 2006 12:56 pm ] |
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Actually Dids, what I was talking about was the adults in the 70's, not the students. I'm talking about the people that were in school during the 60's and 50's. I'm saying that they probably weren't taught about it then like it was when you were in school. |
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| Author: | firemarc924 [ Sat Sep 09, 2006 12:52 am ] |
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If I am not mistaken, isnt there a country in Africa that uses standard? P.S (We should seriously not call it standard, being as unstandard as it is.) |
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| Author: | StrongRad [ Sat Sep 09, 2006 1:28 am ] |
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firemarc924 wrote: If I am not mistaken, isnt there a country in Africa that uses standard?
P.S (We should seriously not call it standard, being as unstandard as it is.) I don't know about any countries in Africa, but I do know that Burma and some other country in SE Asia use "English" units. It's also worth noting that the aviation community (ICAO) uses English units. |
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| Author: | Acekirby [ Sat Sep 09, 2006 7:42 pm ] |
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The only time I ever use metric is in science class, if we're doing a lab project. Otherwise, I never use it. Of course, since it's based on tens, it'd be easier to use. However, the average person (a category of which I am included in) is too lazy to try and learn a whole new system and apply it to everything. |
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| Author: | Funkstar [ Sat Sep 09, 2006 9:53 pm ] |
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The brilliance of the metric system is, you don't really have to learn it. It teaches itself. |
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| Author: | ed 'lim' smilde [ Sat Sep 09, 2006 11:46 pm ] |
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Acekirby wrote: However, the average person (a category of which I am included in) is too lazy to try and learn a whole new system and apply it to everything. Nah, it's really because of how much money it would cost to convert everything in the country to metric. For example, in my city, the roads are all based on mile blocks. Cars measure everything in miles and gallons, and machines are all based on the imperial units. Does anyone have any idea how much it would cost? Well, it wouldn't be worth it. We'd hardly get anything out of it. People shouldn't need to translate things -- if you're comparing things, use the same unit. For example, don't say "your house is 1,000 feet from mine and school is 4 miles and 3300 feet", say "your house is two tenths of a mile from mine and school is 4.6 miles".
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| Author: | Simon Zeno [ Sun Sep 10, 2006 1:22 am ] |
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Hrm, well, we wouldn't easily be able to switch, being a very large society. But there's absolutely no reason to use the crappy "standard" system, because it's based on nothing, and there's no pattern to conversions. Heck, I bet if you walked down any given American street and started asking people "How many feet are in a mile?" the majority would get it wrong. Honestly though, the only people who really need precise measurements, like scientists and doctors and whatnot already use SI, so conversion wouldn't help a whole lot. |
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| Author: | StrongRad [ Sun Sep 10, 2006 2:14 am ] |
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Santa Zeno wrote: Honestly though, the only people who really need precise measurements, like scientists and doctors and whatnot already use SI, so conversion wouldn't help a whole lot. You can make precise measurements in English units, too. It's no harder. Also, I think you'd be suprised how many "scientists" use English units as well as metric. Regardless of what your science teacher has told you, English units are still very much alive and well.
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| Author: | PianoManGidley [ Sun Sep 10, 2006 2:47 am ] |
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StrongRad wrote: You can make precise measurements in English units, too. It's no harder.
Except when you forget to convert between English and Metric, like that science team for that one Mars rover that crashed... |
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| Author: | StrongRad [ Sun Sep 10, 2006 2:50 am ] |
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PianoManGidley wrote: StrongRad wrote: You can make precise measurements in English units, too. It's no harder. Except when you forget to convert between English and Metric, like that science team for that one Mars rover that crashed... Actually, they screwed up between pounds (English "weight") and Slugs (English "mass"). |
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| Author: | firemarc924 [ Sun Sep 10, 2006 3:32 am ] |
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That is it! I am moving to England where there are less gun fights and more metric! Or Austraila, either or. |
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| Author: | IantheGecko [ Sun Sep 10, 2006 4:00 am ] |
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How does metric cancel out gunfights?  You sound like COLA, buddy.
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| Author: | firemarc924 [ Sun Sep 10, 2006 4:34 am ] |
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No, I am saying there is less crime in Europe. |
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| Author: | IantheGecko [ Sun Sep 10, 2006 4:35 am ] |
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And now, the obligatory R&P question: Do you have proof of this? Sources? |
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