Do you want the United States to use the metric system?

[Admiral Regulus 2,769]

Now, the Celsius Scale and the Centigrade scale are almost the same. However, please bear in mind that there are differences between the two.

 

The Celsius scale remains a Centigrade scale in which there are 100 degrees between the freezing and boiling points of water. However, the size of the degree has been more precisely defined. A degree Celsius is what you get when you divide the thermodynamic range and the triple point of water into 273.16 equal parts. There is a 0.01 degrees difference between the triple point of water and the freezing point of water at standard pressure.

 

The problem with the centigrade is that a grade is a unit of planar angle. So, 1 centigrade is 1/100 of that unit and it lacks in precision.

A lot of people actually get the scales confused thinking it is exactly the same where it is not. (It is almost the same).

 

So, anyway, centigrade is outdated here. We tend to talk in Celsius or Kelvin.

I actually looked this up on Wikipedia before I posted that, and it said Celsius is the same thing as Centigrade. I had no idea one was more precisely defined than the other. I just said centigrade because it sounds 20% cooler.

[boiteporte 591]

 

 

I actually looked this up on Wikipedia before I posted that, and it said Celsius is the same thing as Centigrade. I had no idea one was more precisely defined than the other. I just said centigrade because it sounds 20% cooler.

 

Wikipedia is wrong, lol

Centigrade does sound 20 % cooler  

[ThePurpleK 71]

Wikipedia is wrong, lol

Centigrade does sound 20 % cooler

British people use celsius. Seeing as us British people are the English-speaking centre of the metric system, use celsius or HM Queen Elizabeth II will not be happy.

[-Inactive- 78]

I don't really know, I like the imperial system more for some reason, I like to use it for some reason, however the metric system is easier

[Kay Dreamer 884]

Plus I find the gigantic skip from centimeters to meters to be absolutely insane. The "foot" is a larger measurement without being too large and far easier to visualize than trying to imagine what 50-100 tiny little centimeters is.

 

A standard sized school ruler which kids use from Year 1 through to Year 12 is 30cm long. When I'm visualising the size of something, I tend to think in 30cm 'lumps' because I've used those rulers for years. Also, a metre is about the stride length of the average person, which makes measuring out lengths on the ground super easy. For a lot of people, a metre can also be from your shoulder to the fingertip of the opposite arm if you hold it out to the side.

 

It's all a matter of having used it from childhood. That doesn't help any of you guys but it will benefit the younger generation. It's certainly a lot easier to learn than the Imperial system. The Metric system is inherently logical, being built upon multiples of 10 and consistent across volume, weight and length. I was terrible at math in school, I'm glad Australia made the switch decades ago!

[Clover Heart 978]

Yes, I do and we should. The only thing I'm not terribly keen on is centigrade vs. fahrenheit, but I think that's my own personal bias. I feel like centigrade is less precise than fahrenheit, and as such, I struggle a lot with it. For example, body temperature differs between people. It's said that the temperature is 37 C/98.6 F, but different people have a different base temperature. So the point-somethings at the end, in fahrenheit, I tend to ignore. 99 degrees? Not a fever. 100.5 vs 101? Basically the same. For centigrade, however, 37 may not be a fever, but 37.5 may be. However, since I normally ignore everything after the decimal, it's basically 37 to me, and I end up walking out of the house with a fever. I know it's not any unit's fault, nor my own, really. It's just a hassle. It's also the most difficult to convert and is a total pain in the ass.

 

Anywho, America's one of only a small handful of countries that even uses the imperial system, and the others that do (as their primary system of measurement, anyway) aren't really the most developed of countries. I think if we think about the scientific community, we probably look like total idiots.

I hate this common reaction from other Americans which boils down to either "I don't wanna change!" "Learning another unit of measurement is too hard!" and "But this is the way we've always done it!" These reactions are incredibly stupid and non-arguments. I'm an expat from America and after a few years of living in another country, I handle metric just fine. ...'Cept, as I mentioned, temperature... But that's only body temperature. I'm actually fine with the weather. 

 

First, people act like if we change to metric, it has to happen automagically overnight. It doesn't. We can take it in steps. Second, I think people really underestimate the power of immersion. If you're exposed to the usage of something long enough, eventually, you get used to it. I think how this ought to be handled is actually quite obvious.

 

First, teach it in schools. Just stop teaching the imperial unit altogether. This may seem like a drastic step, but it's really not. While if we had to suddenly change the units of measurement we use, it would be jarring, for kids who've never learned about units of measurements, it would be incredibly easy. Kids' brains are very malleable and pick up new information quickly. More than that, it's easier to learn something for the first time than it is to correct or alter something you've already learned. Once a neural pathway is formed, it can be difficult to break and reroute. Which makes sense why adults wouldn't want to bother with it, but makes little sense as to why we should continue to teach our kids this way, thus putting generation after generation at a disadvantage. It wouldn't even have to be immediate within the schools. If you start to change the curriculum from kindergarten or first grade, then gradually change the curriculum as that class gets older, you have a group of students who grew up with the metric system in merely a little over a decade. If it continues, it'll be less than 100 years before the majority of the population can use the metric system. Hell, probably closer to 50 years, if not less.

 

Second, everything doesn't need to change instantaneously. I'd heard (though you can confirm if it isn't true) that when European countries switched to the Euro, they had the old prices listed along with the price in Euros in order to ease the transition. We could totally do the same thing with our units of measurement. It wouldn't be that hard.

 

That's actually basically all I have in terms of ideas, but I think that's all that would really be required. As an American who uses metric on a daily basis, it's really not as hard as people make it out to be. People make it seem like it's this insurmountable task that we can never accomplish so it's not even worth trying. Rather, it's just rooted in stubbornness. And it's stupid. America, get with the program.

[Rainbow S.D. 546]

I use imperial (I can use metric too) but for some reason I can't use Fahrenheit if my life depended on it. 

[Discordian 6,013]

The Imperial system is insane. Small distances, let's measure in 1/1000th inch. A little bigger, it's in inches. A bit bigger and we use feet. A bit more and it's yards. Somewhere in there is fathoms, chains, and leagues. Bigger still and we use miles. And the step up makes no sense. 12 inches to a foot, then 3 feet to a yard, then 5280 feet to a mile.

 

1 barrel? Do you mean oil barrels, US barrels, or UK barrels? 1 mile? Do you mean a statue mile, a US nautical mile, or a UK nautical mile?

 

If it makes no difference, then explain to me what a horsepower is in terms of pressure and rate. How many horsepower does a light bulb use? Define force in terms of electrical current. Explain the difference between pounds force and pounds mass. In metric, all of the units are related to each other without stupid conversion factors.

 

 

A standard sized school ruler which kids use from Year 1 through to Year 12 is 30cm long. When I'm visualising the size of something, I tend to think in 30cm 'lumps' because I've used those rulers for years. Also, a metre is about the stride length of the average person, which makes measuring out lengths on the ground super easy. For a lot of people, a metre can also be from your shoulder to the fingertip of the opposite arm if you hold it out to the side.

 

It's all a matter of having used it from childhood. That doesn't help any of you guys but it will benefit the younger generation. It's certainly a lot easier to learn than the Imperial system. The Metric system is inherently logical, being built upon multiples of 10 and consistent across volume, weight and length. I was terrible at math in school, I'm glad Australia made the switch decades ago!

You know the difference between the two systems seems to be little more than semantics to me. While they create a standard we can visualize the measurements don't actually change. As you said, Kay, you call/visualize the "foot" as a "lump". We're still talking about the same length with a name given to that specific quantification.

 

So personally, I don't care if it's "illogical" just because it doesn't follow a pattern or a specific scale. All the imperial system does is put a name on a measurement and that's all we use it for. The fact that people fight over exactly what measurements and names to use, to the extent that people attack each other or their respective countries, baffles me completely.

 

You can be taught any system, whether it follows a pattern or not, and it would still create the same visualization to those who have learned it as long as the measurements themselves are correct.

 

To this day we still use casual measurement semantics like "I'd say it's about three people tall" or "I'd say it's about three swimming pools' worth" or something along those lines. You can visualize it purely because of the name and the given standard. I see absolutely no reason the metric system should stand above the imperial system when they both do the same job when it's doing the exact same thing.

Edited July 23, 2014 by Discordian

[Brony Number 42 9,886]

I see absolutely no reason the metric system should stand above the imperial

I showed examples. Metric units convert into each other

 

1 Watt = 1 Newton * 1 meter / 1 second

1 Watt = 1 Amp * 1 Volt

1 Newton = 1 kg * 1 m / 1 s^2

1 Pascal = 1 Newton / 1 m^2

1 Watt = 1 Pascal * 1 m^3 / s

1 Joule = 1 Newton * 1 meter

1 Joule = 1 Coulomb * 1 Volt

1 Amp = 1 Coulomb / 1 second

 

Those same physical relationships expressed in Imperial have arbitrary conversion constants. The metric system shows how things are physically connected. You see the relationships between distance, time, acceleration, force, power, energy, charge, electric field strength, etc.

Edited July 23, 2014 by BronyNumber42

[Discordian 6,013]

I showed examples. Metric units convert into each other

 

1 Watt = 1 Newton * 1 meter / 1 second

1 Watt = 1 Amp * 1 Volt

1 Newton = 1 kg * 1 m / 1 s^2

1 Pascal = 1 Newton / 1 m^2

1 Watt = 1 Pascal * 1 m^3 / s

1 Joule = 1 Newton * 1 meter

1 Joule = 1 Coulomb * 1 Volt

1 Amp = 1 Coulomb / 1 second

 

Those same physical relationships expressed in Imperial have arbitrary conversion constants. The metric system shows how things are physically connected. You see the relationships between distance, time, acceleration, force, power, energy, charge, electric field strength, etc.

The thing is that no one needs to really know the conversation rates on anything. We know what a foot is, we know what a yard is, we use those as they are. Done. We know what they are. The how isn't necessary information.

 

It's all approximation to the general public. Whether you're using metric or imperial you're still approximating.

Edited July 23, 2014 by Discordian

[Brony Number 42 9,886]

 

 

The how isn't necessary information.

I don't think so. It shows how things are related. And it makes calculations much easier. Why do we measure engine power in horsepower and electrical power in Watts? Is there a physical difference? Is pound a force or a mass? What is the difference? Metric measurements make science and engineering much easier. A big part of solving physics problems is understanding what the quantity is. There is a difference between the quantity and the unit measuring it. What metric does is make that relationship logical and easy. I know what power is. I know that electrical power is physically the same thing as mechanical power. Power is power. Imperial measurements do not make that clear.

 

If you don't think it's important to have an understanding of basic physics, then I can't argue.

[boiteporte 591]

You know, the scientific community adopted the metric system as the international standard for a good reason.

On a personal note, if I saw a modern scientific paper written in Imperial units, I would tear it apart and make the author eat it.

[Discordian 6,013]

I don't think so. It shows how things are related. And it makes calculations much easier. Why do we measure engine power in horsepower and electrical power in Watts? Is there a physical difference? Is pound a force or a mass? What is the difference? Metric measurements make science and engineering much easier. A big part of solving physics problems is understanding what the quantity is. There is a difference between the quantity and the unit measuring it. What metric does is make that relationship logical and easy. I know what power is. I know that electrical power is physically the same thing as mechanical power. Power is power. Imperial measurements do not make that clear.

 

If you don't think it's important to have an understanding of basic physics, then I can't argue.

And that's what I'm saying. No one actually needs an understanding of something they'll never use in their lives. All imperial and metric are for most people is a way to visualize the measurement of something. Knowing the exact numbers behind it won't change the measurement itself and that makes it superfluous.

[SolidTwilight 383]

 

You know the difference between the two systems seems to be little more than semantics to me. While they create a standard we can visualize the measurements don't actually change. As you said, Kay, you call/visualize the "foot" as a "lump". We're still talking about the same length with a name given to that specific quantification.

 

So personally, I don't care if it's "illogical" just because it doesn't follow a pattern or a specific scale. All the imperial system does is put a name on a measurement and that's all we use it for. The fact that people fight over exactly what measurements and names to use, to the extent that people attack each other or their respective countries, baffles me completely.

 

You can be taught any system, whether it follows a pattern or not, and it would still create the same visualization to those who have learned it as long as the measurements themselves are correct.

 

To this day we still use casual measurement semantics like "I'd say it's about three people tall" or "I'd say it's about three swimming pools' worth" or something along those lines. You can visualize it purely because of the name and the given standard. I see absolutely no reason the metric system should stand above the imperial system when they both do the same job when it's doing the exact same thing.

here is where you are short sighted. I do a lot of swimming so this happens to me all the time. lets say I am swimming in a 25m lane and I want to do 2K worth of laps. I am at 1,325m how meany laps do I need to do to finsh my 2k swim? I can do the math in my head as I am swimming and know its 27 more laps. now same thing but I am doing 1, 1/4 mile swim in a 25 yard pool. I am at 1,450 yards. can you tell me how meany laps I need to do to get to 1.25 miles with out looking it up? can you even tell me how meany yards or feet are in a mile with out looking it up? Edited July 23, 2014 by SolidTwilight

[Brony Number 42 9,886]

 

 

No one actually needs an understanding of something

If someone wants to become an engineer or scientist then they need to know metric. I think that it is generally a good idea to have more knowledge, not less. If it doesn't matter to most people, then nothing is lost. But why not make things easier? Nothing to lose, something to gain.

 

Of course there is the money and time it would take to switch. But the government makes businesses spend billions on stupid regulations anyway. And we piss away billions on stupid shit. Might as well remake our signs.

[Discordian 6,013]

here is where you are short sighted. I do a lot of swimming. lets say I am swimming in a 25m lane and I want to do 2K worth of laps. I am at 1,325m how meany laps do I need to do to finsh my 2k swim? I can do the math in my head as I am swimming and know its 27 more laps. now same thing but I am doing 1, 1/4 mile swim in a 25 yard pool. I am at 1,450 yards. can you tell me how meany laps I need to do to get to 1.25 miles with out looking it up? can you even tell me how meany yards or feet are in a mile with out looking it up?

Why wouldn't I look it up? You find out how many laps you need before you go in and then you just count the laps. There's absolutely no need to count the exact meters as you go.

If someone wants to become an engineer or scientist then they need to know metric. I think that it is generally a good idea to have more knowledge, not less. If it doesn't matter to most people, then nothing is lost. But why not make things easier? Nothing to lose, something to gain.

 

Of course there is the money and time it would take to switch. But the government makes businesses spend billions on stupid regulations anyway. And we piss away billions on stupid shit. Might as well remake our signs.

But you're talking about a niche group of people.

 

What confuses me most is that people get so up in arms about this. In our everyday lives we use the imperial system and it confuses exactly none of us. It doesn't matter much to me that I'm not using the same system as another person as long as it's getting me the results I need.

[SolidTwilight 383]

Why wouldn't I look it up? You find out how many laps you need before you go in and then you just count the laps. There's absolutely no need to count the exact meters as you go.

lets say you just doing it spear of the moment, you got no phone since your in the pool. how meany 25yard lap do I need to do to get to 1.25 miles?

Edited July 23, 2014 by SolidTwilight

[Discordian 6,013]

so since you dont need to look it up, how meany 25yard lap do I need to do to get to 1.25 miles?

Not once did I say I didn't need to look it up. I said that there's no reason to not know that information beforehand. What purpose is there in knowing the length you've gone in the middle of the swim? Counting the laps is much easier on your brain. The length is only important in knowing how many laps you need to do. You're making the whole problem way more complicated than necessary.

[SolidTwilight 383]

Why wouldn't I look it up? You find out how many laps you need before you go in and then you just count the laps. There's absolutely no need to count the exact meters as you go.

 

But you're talking about a niche group of people.

 

What confuses me most is that people get so up in arms about this. In our everyday lives we use the imperial system and it confuses exactly none of us. It doesn't matter much to me that I'm not using the same system as another person as long as it's getting me the results I need.

it confuses me all the time. lets say I am out on a bike ride. when it is really hot I drunk about 1L of water per hour or just under 1 gal per 3h15m. I am 2,1/2 hours ride from home. they have 16oz water bottles. how meany do I need to make it home with out running out of water or buying more then I need? (this has happen to me)

[Brony Number 42 9,886]

 

 

niche group of people

Engineers and scientists are not a niche group. You can't justify why we should intentionally make things confusing and difficult. SolidTwilight is right. Why not make things simpler if we can? Where I work we measure volumes in m^3 and L. We measure concentrations in L/m^3 for large scale work. When we do small scale tests we convert that to mL/L. It is trivial to convert. 3 L/m^3 = 3 mL/L.  If that were Imperial, then it would be something like X gallons/barrel. If you wanted to do a small scale test, how many ounces/gallon is that? I don't know, I have to do unnecessary calculations to convert to from gallons to barrels and gallons to ounces. 

[SolidTwilight 383]

Not once did I say I didn't need to look it up. I said that there's no reason to not know that information beforehand. What purpose is there in knowing the length you've gone in the middle of the swim? Counting the laps is much easier on your brain. The length is only important in knowing how many laps you need to do. You're making the whole problem way more complicated than necessary.

ok, so I am in the pool. i have done zero laps, how meany do I need to do for 1.25 miles in a 25 yard pool. I did not look it up before because I did not know I was going to do that much untill I got in the pool and felt kind of good, so I decided to do a 1.25 mile swim that day. (also as a side note, the pool I swim in has 25yard, 25m and 50m lanes, and you don't know what one you will be in untill you get there because of who is using what lane) Edited July 23, 2014 by SolidTwilight

[Discordian 6,013]

Engineers and scientists are not a niche group. You can't justify why we should intentionally make things confusing and difficult. SolidTwilight is right. Why not make things simpler if we can? Where I work we measure volumes in m^3 and L. We measure concentrations in L/m^3 for large scale work. When we do small scale tests we convert that to mL/L. It is trivial to convert. 3 L/m^3 = 3 mL/L.  If that were Imperial, then it would be something like X gallons/barrel. If you wanted to do a small scale test, how many ounces/gallon is that? I don't know, I have to do unnecessary calculations to convert to from gallons to barrels and gallons to ounces. 

I'm the one making things difficult? Do you know how many times in the last 23 years I've ever had to know more than "this is a few feet long" or "I need a cup of water"? How many people do you think need to know all the tiny amounts to do anything? The metric system may be all fancy with tiny measurements but no one ever uses those tiny measurements.

 

 

ok, so I am in the pool. i have done zero laps, how meany do I need to do for 1.25 miles in a 25 yard pool. I did not look it up before because I did not know I was going to do that much untill I got in the pool and felt kind of good, so I decided to do a 1.25 mile swim that day.

So then you swim until you feel like you don't want/need to anymore. Simple as that. The measurements are pointless if you didn't plan out an exact number beforehand. You're still making it way more complicated than you need to.

[Brony Number 42 9,886]

 

 

no one ever uses those tiny measurements

No one but scientists and engineers. But since when has engineering ever been important? Why have two systems? One for the dumb, common folk and one for the scientists? Why not have the same, logical system for everyone? Then when a scientists says "it was 2 meters long" we don't have fat, toothless Americans saying "Wut is dat in 'merican?  'Bout for feet?" 

[SolidTwilight 383]

I'm the one making things difficult? Do you know how many times in the last 23 years I've ever had to know more than "this is a few feet long" or "I need a cup of water"? How many people do you think need to know all the tiny amounts to do anything? The metric system may be all fancy with tiny measurements but no one ever uses those tiny measurements.

 

 

 

So then you swim until you feel like you don't want/need to anymore. Simple as that. The measurements are pointless if you didn't plan out an exact number beforehand. You're still making it way more complicated than you need to.

really? that's all you have to say? I know how long the pool is and I know how far I want to go. but I cant go that far because I did not look it up before hand.?

here is one for you. your going camping and using dehydration food. you have 1g of water. you have 2 meals that need 8oz of water one that need 6oz and one that need 4 cups and one that need 10z. do you have the water you need or do you need to take a long detour to get more so you don't die. you can't look it up because your phone is dead.

 

also if I went swimming until I did not want to or could not keep going. it would be some where around 4 to 10 miles. and then I would be to tired to do the next working out in 2 or 3 days. (its more inpornt to workout ever few days then to do one big one like ones a week)

Edited July 23, 2014 by SolidTwilight

[IceeBrony 251]

 

 

And that's what I'm saying. No one actually needs an understanding of something they'll never use in their lives. All imperial and metric are for most people is a way to visualize the measurement of something. Knowing the exact numbers behind it won't change the measurement itself and that makes it superfluous.

Exactly, so why not use the simpler system? Why teach Imperial if it's only useful because some people already know it? Some people already know metrics, and it's easier to handle.