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

[Discordian 6,015]

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?" 

 

 

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)

 

 

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.

The metric and imperial systems are no different to the average person. Period. That's what I'm getting at. I'm not saying that people shouldn't be taught the metric system but it's not making that much of a difference that we know the imperial system. Unless you're someone who uses it on the job you won't ever need to know that the metric system even exists, let alone how to use it.

 

People arguing over one or the other is a moot point. Fact is, we here in the US were taught the imperial system just because. We use it just fine and it doesn't impede our lives in any way, shape or form.

 

If we were arguing which one we should teach then I wouldn't care either which way. My issue comes with the fact that people truly believe that those of us who already know the imperial system should learn a totally different system we'll never use in our entire lives because it's "logical" and "the rest of the world uses it". These reasons are irrelevant. What we use works for us and there's no reason to change that.

[IceeBrony 251]

People arguing over one or the other is a moot point. Fact is, we here in the US were taught the imperial system just because. We use it just fine and it doesn't impede our lives in any way, shape or form

 

 

Beyond having to learn a second system if we want to interact with other parts of the world. For someone who never leaves the states or does anything beyond simple measurements, that's fine I guess. But it still doesn't address why we don't transition? I don't think most people here (if any) want to force an immediate change on the whole society. A gradual change, starting with a requirement to learn both systems for all new students (we almost do that already).

@Blue posted this earlier and suggested a 40 years time frame:

[Discordian 6,015]

Beyond having to learn a second system if we want to interact with other parts of the world. For someone who never leaves the states or does anything beyond simple measurements, that's fine I guess. But it still doesn't address why we don't transition? I don't think most people here (if any) want to force an immediate change on the whole society. A gradual change, starting with a requirement to learn both systems for all new students (we almost do that already).

@Blue posted this earlier and suggested a 40 years time frame:

speed limit change.png

I don't know why we don't transition but don't much care either. I suspect it's something like "this is what we know so it's easier to teach that than a system we don't" for most.

 

I should put it on the record that I personally wouldn't mind learning the metric system more accurately (I know some thanks to it's constant use in anime, manga and non-American webcomics) but I like to argue opposing viewpoints, even if I'm not the one in direct opposition.

[TheSupremeLeaderOfChaos 1,206]

Yeah, it's kind of ridiculous that we have this different system that so random and complicated when the rest of the world uses a system of ten.

 

I guess we just think we're cool or something.

 

Yes, I understand how difficult it would be to change an entire nation, but honestly, it's such a simple concept that it's silly to not try.

 

I mean, 10. It's that simple.

 

I'm not very good at math and don't particularly like it either, but even I would be willing to get used to the metric system. I think I already know it better than ours anyway.

[I used to be a stranger 7,993]

yes the signage in canada is very convinient also can I bring up the fact astronaughts were killed because someone fail to change imperial to metric

 

Which astronauts, may I ask?

No astronaut has ever been killed directly or indirectly due to miscommunication of units. All space-related causalities, as a matter of fact, have died due to mechanical stress-related equipment failures.

 

You are making up information based upon hearsay and combining them into a story, invented for confirmation bias of your opinion that America should not convert to metric.

 

I think you are trying to refer to the Mars Climate Orbiter, an unmanned Martian atmospheric satellite which crashed in 1999. The vehicle was designed with accelerometers which outputted Newton-seconds (N*s), but due to a miscommunication in programming the receiving software between NASA and Lockheed (the builder of the probe), its information was read in Pound-Foot-seconds (lbf*s), leading it to interface an entry into the atmosphere at a horrendously shallow 57 kilometers, instead of the planned 160 kilometers.

Edited July 24, 2014 by Blue

[crazitaco 596]

But...but... I like imperial! I know we *should* use the metric system because it's easier to convert and everyone else nags us about it, but I don't want to personally. When I say something's a foot, an inch, or a mile long, it's easy for me to visualize because I associate it with real tangible things. A foot is like a foot, an inch is like the mid section of my index finger, a yard is 3 feet, etc. When it comes down to comparing millimeters to kilometers I haven't a clue what they are supposed to actually look like. The only use I see in the metric system is when you need perfectly exact measurements of something.

Edited July 24, 2014 by crazitaco

[Bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb 167]

Which astronauts, may I ask?

No astronaut has ever been killed directly or indirectly due to miscommunication of units. All space-related causalities, as a matter of fact, have died due to mechanical stress-related equipment failures.

 

You are making up information based upon hearsay and combining them into a story, invented for confirmation bias of your opinion that America should not convert to metric.

 

I think you are trying to refer to the Mars Climate Orbiter, an unmanned Martian atmospheric satellite which crashed in 1999. The vehicle was designed with accelerometers which outputted Newton-seconds (N*s), but due to a miscommunication in programming the receiving software between NASA and Lockheed (the builder of the probe), its information was read in Pound-Foot-seconds (lbf*s).

Ah yes thanks for the correction I heard it from my brother when I was like 7 so I think I mixed certain things wrong thanks for the correction :3

[crazitaco 596]

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)

We describe things in ways that work best with our system. In your pool example, I obviously wouldn't be setting my goal in miles, I'd decide how many yards I want to swim that day. Or instead of the pool being marked as 25 yards, it'll be marked as whatever fraction of a mile the pool is.

Alot of places will provide information for you in whatever way is easiest to convert. For instance, there's this indoor track that has a ground markings which display how many laps equal a mile. I don't know exactly how many inches are in that track, but based on what little information is provided I can determine how many laps I need for nearly any goal I set. Point is that we live with the imperial system every day, and it doesn't inconvenience us until you all start demanding we convert it based on your system.

Edited July 24, 2014 by crazitaco

[Omega Centauri 317]

It would be nice for america to switch to the metric system like everyone else, but that would be alot of work, everything we use is based on the english system, our cars, speed limit signs, rulers, everything.

 

If we did switch, it would have to be very gradual. Like, make speed limit signs have the limit in both mph and kph, but then again, that could cause confusion.

 

Again, I'd like to see us switch to the metric system, but I just don't see it happening anytime soon.

[Princess Periwinkle 3,775]

Yes. Kill the Imperial System with fire.

[Frith is Magick 1,471]

I think that America should go metric, at least for official/technical functions. Most everyday situations don't call for great precision, so what matters is something that is easy to visualize (even official guides for learning drivers use the ambiguous measure of "car length"). In these scenarios system really doesn't matter, thus there is no need to convince the average person to use metric in everyday life. On the other hand, metric is a great system when it comes to conversions, not to mention being the system used by the scientific community. Having an international standard for engineers, scientists, or really any field requiring precision is useful and something that the next generation of students could benefit from having at least a basic understanding of (although the beauty of Metric is that a basic understanding is all you need).

 

Does every facet of american life need to convert? No, but going metric for technical purposes would get rid of a giant headache.

 

 

 

Typical highway speed is about 100 kilometers per hour.

False. Typical highway speed is 120 km/h, even if the signs say 100-110. 

[I used to be a stranger 7,993]

 

I think that America should go metric, at least for official/technical functions. Most everyday situations don't call for great precision, so what matters is something that is easy to visualize (even official guides for learning drivers use the ambiguous measure of "car length"). In these scenarios system really doesn't matter, thus there is no need to convince the average person to use metric in everyday life. On the other hand, metric is a great system when it comes to conversions, not to mention being the system used by the scientific community. Having an international standard for engineers, scientists, or really any field requiring precision is useful and something that the next generation of students could benefit from having at least a basic understanding of (although the beauty of Metric is that a basic understanding is all you need).

 

Does every facet of american life need to convert? No, but going metric for technical purposes would get rid of a giant headache.

 

 

 

False. Typical highway speed is 120 km/h, even if the signs say 100-110. 

 

 

The average commuting Canadian considers the Maximum Speed Limit For Ideal Conditions ("the Max Speed Limit") to be only a recommendation, and that the margin for error permitted by patrolling RCMP officers is 1km/h less than 10km/h over the posted speed limit for a given section of road, unless it is an intercity highway with a reasonable proximity to a change from 60km/h to 80km/h, whereat most will default to 80km/h instead. However, most Canadians will be respectful to School Zones, where the Limit is 30km/h between the hours of 7:00 and 17:00 on weekdays.

 

The habit of speeding in such a manner raises serious questions about British Columbian infrastructure, now that there are sections of highways in the province with speed limits as high as 120km/h, which means there will be drivers going in excess of 130 on a regular basis.

Edited July 25, 2014 by Blue

[Brony Number 42 10,069]

 

 

Yes. Kill the Imperial System with fire.

How many BTUs of fire? How many horsepower-hours would that be? 

[Midnight Gaze 131]

I wish they had just used it in the first place. America not using the metric system makes it so much harder for us.

[skbl17 199]

Technically, the United States has been using the metric system since 1866, but the reasons for our continued use of non-metric units is complicated.

 

In 1866, Congress allowed use of the metric system for the first time. The 1893 Mendenhall Order standardized our system of customary units to metric units; the U.S. customary system we use (not the same as Imperial) has been defined in terms of metric units ever since. In fact, we were a signatory to the original Metric Convention of 1875.

 

Fast forward a century. In 1975, Congress passed the Metric Conversion Act, which provided for the creation of a U.S. Metric Board to support an orderly, voluntary transition of the U.S. to metric. Unfortunately, as the rest of the world made mandatory conversions to metric in the second half of the 20th century, the voluntary nature of our switch led to a general feeling of apathy (and in some cases antipathy) towards a switchover to metric. Bottom line, support for metrication dropped off after the 1970s, and the Metric Board was abolished in 1982.

 

Of course, not all is bad for metrication supporters. Most science, medicine, and engineering fields use metric extensively or exclusively, and manufacturers have begun listing quantities such as length and volume in both metric and U.S. customary, with some even listing units solely in metric; a 2 liter bottle of Coca-Cola is a prime example of this. Some roads in the U.S. also use metric units alongside customary units, or, in the case of Interstate 19 in southern Arizona, almost exclusively metric¹. Most of this was done in preparation for the U.S. Department of Transportation's switchover to metric in the 1990s; legislation prevented that plan from advancing. Also, some legislators believe that now may be the time to move forward on metrication, as a state legislator in Hawaii has introduced legislation that, if passed, would mandate the use of metric units in all Hawaiian public institutions, including public roads, beginning on January 1, 2018.

 

Now, all that being said, I support a mandatory, but gradual switch of the U.S. to metric, beginning with public institutions. It's easier to use (base ten versus our current system), and it's already used by much of the rest of the world, so trading would be a bit easier. By phasing out all aspects of customary units in public education early, a gradual switch of road signs to metric units, and long-lasting public service announcements detailing the changes, the foundation for a full U.S. adoption of metric would be laid, prompting more private companies and businesses to switch. After about a generation or so, Americans would be able to, in theory, work and live by metric units only. Of course, customary would take a while to die out in this country, and there would be the inevitable private business or noncompliant local or state government that would say no to metrication and engage in a process not too dissimilar to the "massive resistance" policies of the 1950s and 60s.

 

And no, the NFL wouldn't have too many problems, as 10 m = 10.936 yd. So there's that. 

 

¹ As the Arizona DOT installs new signs, however, Interstate 19 is gradually being switched to customary. Speed limit signs were already listed in miles per hour.

Edited July 27, 2014 by skbl17

[Lateon 589]

 

 

where the Limit is 30km/h between the hours of 7:00 and 17:00 on weekdays.

 

 

Damn, speed limits around schools are 35 mph here. If I was forced to go 20 mph for about half a mile on a road that normally has a limit of 50 (like 80 km/h), I'd probably fall asleep at the wheel.

 

But yeah, cops let us chill at or below 10 over the limits, which would be like 15 over for everyone else. 

 

As for my stance on the subject, yes, I support switching to metric, simply because I've operated in metrics for a while now (in the lab) and it's annoying to switch back and forth.

[Miles 2,512]

Ah, the age old argument of measurements...

I'm an idealist, but in this case I am going to be realistic.

It won't happen.

Now, let me first say, as an American... America is stubborn and traditional, no matter the political divides of liberal vs conservative.  The country takes pride in being stubborn and traditional, just because that's pretty much the way in which it was founded.  "We'll do what we want, and give no *apples* what the rest think of us."

With that being said, (and as a conservative, even), I feel that the metric system is much more logical.  I mean, basing everything on 10 - how much more simple and to the point can it be!?  

However, again with that being said, I still like the Imperial system.  It's just what most of us are used to here.  And, especially considering (what others have mentioned) the whole miles per hour vs. kilometers per hour thing.  We just have that *sense* of understanding speed in mph here.  Even to the point that I feel that the measurement of miles makes more sense than kilometers.  As for inches/feet/yards (even though miles would be next), versus mm/cm/m - the metric system allows for more precise measurements.  I mean, using fractions of inches can be confusing and bothersome.  But, back to miles vs kilometers - somehow miles just makes more sense to use.  

Therefore, I think it best to use a mixture of the two systems.  Metric is much better for smaller measurements, but I feel Imperial to be better for large measurements.  (this is in terms of only speaking of distance [and length], not volume, etc.).  

Going further, I'm neutral about the temperature measurements.  I'm used to Fahrenheit, but Celsius is, of course, based on 100 (which is based on 10).  I wouldn't care if America switched to using Celsius.

In the end, I can talk all I want to about my opinions on each system, but the fact of the matter is, it would take way too long for a complete switch.  This is why (as others and myself have mentioned) America uses a mix of the two already (or at least the whole conversions stuff regarding laws, etc.).  

Heck, look at my username ;-)

I'm Miles. My full Pony name is Miles Glidershy, and long story short:
Miles because of distance (and a subtle regards to Pegasi flying);
Glider- because, well you know, gliding... flying... yah;
and shy, well, I'm not really shy, just introverted, but nonetheless I took the suffix of Fluttershy's name for the sake of it, as it makes sense to me.

 

[KatieBelle 302]

YES! Oh my goshhhh, yes! We have to know both anyway in science class, so why not use it all the time! Conversion is so much easier in metric.

We were supposed to by now, too, but that didn't happen.

[Cyan Blue 946]

No, because then I would have to re learn crap.

[verycreativeusername 1,800]

*necroing thread*

 

Obviously, yes, I do believe, as an American, that the USA should switch to the Metric system because it is a much more efficient and simple system than America's Imperial system once you get used to it (which is easy too.) There are more valid reasons to switch than there are not to switch.

 

Also, as a 14-year-old student, I do think that America, or at the very least, where I live is in a way, slowly switching already. My school has been teaching students (Including me) on how to use metric in science class and such, talking about how better it is to use Metric and that my generation may be the one to make the complete switch to Metric. I have not been taught the Imperial system at school in my life. Might be a sign that we're slowly switching.

Edited October 20, 2014 by qwertyasdf

[DormantAccount 308]

It makes a heck of a lot more sense and we won't have the problems that crop up converting between everyday units and scientific ones like that one probe suffered.

[Andaasonsan 3,205]

I think many Americans would assume that the Metric system is somehow socialism because those fruity Europeans use it. And Americans all "know" that anything that might be socialist is pure evil because it is exactly the same thing as communism and fascism.

 

I wish I was just making a joke here, but I'm pretty sure that is exactly what will happen if there is another big push to go Metric in the US.

[Admiral Regulus 2,769]

I'm pretty sure they teach both imperial and metric nowadays.

 

As an engineering student, I'm required to know both. Sometimes measurements are in foot-pounds, and sometimes measurements are in newton-meters. Personally, I use metric whenever I can, just because it's so significantly easier.

 

If we switched to metric overnight, it wouldn't bother me one bit. I wouldn't mind buying a 4L jug of milk and driving home on a road labeled at 70 km/h.

Edited October 21, 2014 by Regulus

[Twilight The Creator 298]

Yes, because it's so much easier to convert than the imperial system. Everyone benefits and is happy.

[Discordly Cutiepie 2,065]

i dont get this one bit i live in the uk and we use both in the same thing

distance would be miles yards and feet for like driving but we also use meters centimeters and millimeters for like smaller things

 

when it comes to weight of like a person we use stone and pounds but say we were making a cake we use grams and kilograms

 

so what im saying is we use both and its fine why does it need to be one or the other