SIGforum
Would you embrace the Metric system in the US?
August 30, 2020, 12:10 PM
SevenPlusOneWould you embrace the Metric system in the US?
quote:
Originally posted by ensigmatic:
quote:
Originally posted by ruger357:
No. As Ronald Reagan said, let them learn our measuring system.
Except it's not "ours." As RoC explained, just above, it's actually British. is no more "American" than the Pound Sterling.
So, it's like our language then.
"Ninja kick the damn rabbit" August 30, 2020, 12:14 PM
reloader-1quote:
Originally posted by SevenPlusOne:
quote:
Originally posted by ensigmatic:
quote:
Originally posted by ruger357:
No. As Ronald Reagan said, let them learn our measuring system.
Except it's not "ours." As RoC explained, just above, it's actually British. is no more "American" than the Pound Sterling.
So, it's like our language then.
American English is very distinct in tone, words, accent and usage from British English, Australian English etc. I think the point that ROC is making is that it’s a holdover from British rule, more like wearing white wigs in a courtroom than something uniquely American.
August 30, 2020, 12:25 PM
DoctorSoloAs many engineers have already said, a lot of us routinely use both. I can convert mils to mm in my head. I like that. It makes me look like I have my shit together.
August 30, 2020, 01:00 PM
TRIOquote:
Originally posted by vinnybass:
Nope. I do conversions almost daily in both directions. Doesn't bother me a bit.
quote:
Originally posted by feersum dreadnaught:
handy desktop conversion app...
https://joshmadison.com/convert-for-windows/
Same for me.
One thing I do find annoying is a single machine (ex. car), having both systems at same time!
My current workplace, parent company in Germany, insists on metric usage and our us engineers insist on using english. Now we have machines with both on them
--Tom
The right of self preservation, in turn, was understood as the right to defend oneself against attacks by lawless individuals, or, if absolutely necessary, to resist and throw off a tyrannical government.
August 30, 2020, 01:11 PM
lkdr1989Windows 10's Calculator also includes conversion tools:
...let him who has no sword sell his robe and buy one. Luke 22:35-36 NAV
"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves." Matthew 10:16 NASV August 30, 2020, 01:55 PM
OgieTo be honest, I have only read the first page in this thread but it is not necessary to read any further. NO, screw the metric system!
August 30, 2020, 03:13 PM
KampfhamsterYes, please do! Recently had to get imperial tools to get some work done on a US-made gun.
I used some really colorful swearwords when I found out that I had to buy new tools.
The citizen watches the watchman, not the taxpayer.
August 30, 2020, 04:57 PM
prairieviperNo. There is nothing wrong with learning the metric system but I wouldn't embrace it over our current system.
"In God We Trust"
August 30, 2020, 05:27 PM
kramdenquote:
Originally posted by mike56:
Nope. That was Jimmy Carter's deal and look what happened to him.
Although, in time, he was replaced as biggest dick president by obama.
Absolutely right. Carter was by far #1 worst president in modern history. That is until Obama told Carter "here hold my beer".
August 30, 2020, 05:40 PM
Fla. JimWould you embrace the Metric system ?
No.....Hell no! Grabbes his 1 foot ruler and yardstick and turns away.
August 30, 2020, 05:58 PM
corsairNo issues for me, I can see it being a PIA for others.
If you've been in or, worked in engineering, chemistry, pharmaceuticals, beverage or, the military, you already use the metric system.
August 30, 2020, 07:11 PM
sigcrazy7Don’t we, like many other countries, utilize both already? Almost all new cars use metric measurements. We buy soda by the liter, and it’s been a long time since you could buy a standard imperial shingle for the roof. Then there’s medicine, science, and the military.
OTOH, in Canada you buy hamburger by the pound, and in Ireland their speed is measured in MPH (at least when I was there awhile ago). One of my Irish colleagues even gave his weight as “12 stones.”
At the end of the day, we’re really talking about weight, distance, and speed. A conversion wouldn’t be that difficult, because there’s really not that much new with which to become accustomed.
Demand not that events should happen as you wish; but wish them to happen as they do happen, and you will go on well. -Epictetus August 30, 2020, 07:17 PM
HRKI'd give it a 5/8's chance of making it mainstream
August 31, 2020, 07:47 AM
henryazquote:
Originally posted by HRK:
I'd give it a 5/8's chance of making it mainstream
Make it a 3/4 chance, and you are interchangeable with both systems, as 3/4" is virtually identical to 19mm (.002 difference).
When in doubt, mumble August 31, 2020, 07:55 AM
bobandmikakoI'm comfortable with using the metric system and have spent a good portion of my life in countries that use it, but I see no reason to get rid of our current system and wouldn't embrace the idea.
十人十色 September 02, 2020, 10:10 AM
ruger357quote:
Originally posted by ensigmatic:
quote:
Originally posted by ruger357:
No. As Ronald Reagan said, let them learn our measuring system.
Except it's not "ours." As RoC explained, just above, it's actually British. The fact that the original name of the measurement system is "Imperial" units is a dead give-away. (Well, mostly. We made up our own fluid measurement "standards," which are almost, but not quite the same as, Imperial measurements.)
Nor is the metric system "socialist."
Good grief. Some of the things some of y'all come up with in defense of sticking with an outmoded, un-intuitive, clumsy measurement system are laughable
Laughable as in how, many years ago, a friend told me of a story about a conversation with an old man during which the issue of the (at the time) impending change to metric in the U.S. came up. The old man objected to it vehemently.
He didn't want to have to buy a new watch.
There's good "different" and different that's nonsensical. Our measurement system falls into that latter category. The Imperial measurement system is as illogical as DST, as outmoded as the horse and buggy, and is no more "American" than the Pound Sterling.
I’m aware of its origins but it’s “ours” as in we have used it since this country was born.
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September 02, 2020, 11:53 AM
mrvmaxI wish we’d stick to one or the other. I was taught metric in grade school too, since we are converting over to that... At work I deal with metric frequently for flows, pressures and length measurements. It gets confusing and my mind doesn’t comprehend metric as well. Who really needs to see pressure in bara? I always end up converting metric back so I can understand it.
September 02, 2020, 12:18 PM
darkest2000I can't help but shake my head at some of the comments that I'm reading here.
It's just a system of measurements, not some goddamn political statement. Why is this somehow politicized? It's not as if the inch system had an American origin.
So yeah, I would welcome the prominence of the metric system in the U.S., not necessarily as a replacement to the inch system but think of it just as another tool in our pocket. It's already happening anyway, in the military, automotive sectors...technology, etc. So whatever gets the job done.
There are times when fractions can be practical, such as 1/3 as an exact number instead of 0.3333333 that always needs to get rounded to an approximate. But it is also a lot easier to remember how many meters in a kilometer and the boiling point of water in Celsius. We need to be proficient in both.
September 02, 2020, 02:53 PM
92fstechJust about everything in automotive anymore is metric, even on American cars. The fact that it's base 10, and the relationship between units of length, volume, and mass have some correlation is also helpful...the metric system definitely makes more logical sense and is easier to work with than the imperial system.
That said, transition would be hard. Like most here, my mind works in terms of miles, gallons, and degrees fahrenheit. It would likely take years, if not a generation, to overcome that. Our grandkids would likely thank us, though...at least when they're in math and science class. And future toolboxes would need fewer drawers!
September 02, 2020, 03:56 PM
tacfoleyquote:
Originally posted by sigcrazy7:... and in Ireland their speed is measured in MPH (at least when I was there awhile ago). One of my Irish colleagues even gave his weight as “12 stones.”
the Republic of Ireland is another country that pays lip service to the metric system. The road speed limits and all distances are measured in Km/m, but ask a farmer how much land he has, and you'll get told in acres - same for his crop yields, too. However, Northern Ireland is part of the UK, and the UK posts all distances and speed limits in mph, ignoring the metric system.