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On March 24 2012 00:23 Saumure wrote:Show nested quote +On March 24 2012 00:13 ZasZ. wrote:
Well you better start believing. I am an engineer who exclusively uses the imperial system of measurement for every single thing I do. There are thousands of state records (in my state alone) that all have measurements in feet, acres, and acre-feet because that's the way things have been done here for 150 years. Converting them all would be pointless (since all of our work is local and everyone here is comfortable with the units) and expensive.
I never understood why the rest of the world (since the U.S. is one of the last countries to use Imperial) feels compelled to argue why imperial is bad (we know it is) and why we should switch. Does it really matter? How does it affect you at all? Metric may be a lot more intuitive, but I still can't visualize height in meters or weight (mass) in kilograms. It just doesn't register with my brain, and I have to convert it because I grew up with a different system.
Converting our entire country to metric would accomplish virtually nothing and cost a ton of money. I like to think we have more important places for that money to go. Funny because you certainly used SI during your studies didnt you?
Depended on the class. Chemistry and Physics almost exclusively used SI. Some of my Civil/Environmental classes used one or the other exclusively. It usually depended on the professor, their background, and their own personal beliefs as to which was more useful/more prevalent.
Regardless, it was obvious that depending on what you did when you got out of school, you would use Imperial or Metric, or in rare cases something that required you to use both. But there was no way to know, so they tried to prepare us as best they could for any of them.
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actually i do look to buy drinks in mL!
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On March 24 2012 00:13 ZasZ. wrote:Show nested quote +On March 23 2012 22:14 zeru wrote:On March 23 2012 22:08 Smackfools wrote:
The reason I believe the US doesn't standardize to metric is because of costs and that we really don't need to. Working in the aerospace industry for a large aircraft manufacturer, I can imagine the huge costs to overhead accounts, and/or customers to convert all engineering drawings, specs, CAD software, CNC machines, inspection equipment, etc to a metric system. The benefits really do not outweigh the costs required to do so. I find it hard to believe that 99% of the things in engineering, physics, chemistry, arent in metric even in the US. Well you better start believing. I am an engineer who exclusively uses the imperial system of measurement for every single thing I do. There are thousands of state records (in my state alone) that all have measurements in feet, acres, and acre-feet because that's the way things have been done here for 150 years. Converting them all would be pointless (since all of our work is local and everyone here is comfortable with the units) and expensive. I never understood why the rest of the world (since the U.S. is one of the last countries to use Imperial) feels compelled to argue why imperial is bad (we know it is) and why we should switch. Does it really matter? How does it affect you at all? Metric may be a lot more intuitive, but I still can't visualize height in meters or weight (mass) in kilograms. It just doesn't register with my brain, and I have to convert it because I grew up with a different system. Converting our entire country to metric would accomplish virtually nothing and cost a ton of money. I like to think we have more important places for that money to go.
I don't think anyone cares half as much as you seem to think they do. Everyone used imperial before Napoleon changed it and popularized the metric system.
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On March 23 2012 13:52 meatbox wrote:![[image loading]](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-x2CPbsK3n28/TsmFG637QpI/AAAAAAAAANc/y6wtNPrKm4g/294567_10150426749276578_222796286577_10830656_1925709968_n.jpg) Close thread.
rofl this wins
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I use Metric for the most part, but I usually prefer to use feet and inches for a person's height and, as a Dungeon Master, I obviously use Imperial measurements within D&D games on the occasions that we play. ^_^
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Metric =/= SI ...... one example is the litre .... it is a metric unit .... the SI unit for volume is m^3
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On March 24 2012 01:50 Vejovis wrote:
Metric =/= SI ...... one example is the litre .... it is a metric unit .... the SI unit for volume is m^3
Are you suggesting that meters are not also metric?
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He means that the litre was not adapted as a SI standard. mostly due to it's dependance on non-reproducability, as it only really works for water under a certain air pressure, and a certain temperature, and even there it's night unreproducible.
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On March 24 2012 01:32 Pulimuli wrote:rofl this wins
yeah this wins haha
awesome graphic
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On March 23 2012 13:52 meatbox wrote:Close thread.
Ahahaha, hilarious
Australia used to use what america use now (feet, yard etc), but now they completely changed to metres and litres so no excuse not to change.
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On March 24 2012 10:08 sharky246 wrote:Ahahaha, hilarious Australia used to use what america use now (feet, yard etc), but now they completely changed to metres and litres so no excuse not to change.
I think I can summarize this whole debate by pointing out: When about half your country believes that gay marriage is a sin, is anti abortion and elects presidents based on what they look like, do you really believe they would be open minded enough to change their whole system of units?
I'm Canadian. I speak English and French and I study engineering in metric and imperial.
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The thing is, the rest of the world does not exclusively use day/month/year. I've seen it done with the year first in numerous places.
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On March 31 2012 11:17 Voltaire wrote:
The thing is, the rest of the world does not exclusively use day/month/year. I've seen it done with the year first in numerous places.
Yes but the idea is that Month will always come between Year and Day not matter which way it's written.
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I have very little concept of the imperial system, except for the inch, the foot and the mile (and even then, I see mile ~= 1.6km). I never use the imperial system unless I absolutely have to.
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DMY and YMD are both logical, either largest unit to smallest or smallest to largest. MDY isn't.
As an engineer, I really wish that america would switch to metric. I have to use their stupid dysfunctional system far too often.
As a final note (and I'm sure this has been addressed many times - I admittedly haven't read through the thread though), as someone who was raised in metric (but since trained in imperial out of necessity) 375mL has much more meaning than 12oz for drink sizes etc, and it's just as easy to say "half a kilo" as it is to say "half a pound".
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American here. I may have already posted in this topic, I can't remember. Anyways, as a science student, I far prefer metric for everything except speed and outside temperature (like weather). And even when it comes to both of those I would gladly switch them over to be able to have everything measured in metric.
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Standard is retarded. Metric all the way.
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On March 24 2012 10:08 sharky246 wrote:Ahahaha, hilarious Australia used to use what america use now (feet, yard etc), but now they completely changed to metres and litres so no excuse not to change.
Only thing I disagree with here is the date system.
It actually makes perfect sense in American English. We write the date the same way we say it.
Nobody says "The first of April, 1986". It's said "April 1st, 1986". Hence 04/01/1986.
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I'm curious, so in a car, your speed will read 50 miles instead of 60 KM of something?
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On April 01 2012 01:21 muzzy wrote:Show nested quote +On March 24 2012 10:08 sharky246 wrote:On March 23 2012 13:52 meatbox wrote:Close thread. Ahahaha, hilarious Australia used to use what america use now (feet, yard etc), but now they completely changed to metres and litres so no excuse not to change. Only thing I disagree with here is the date system. It actually makes perfect sense in American English. We write the date the same way we say it. Nobody says "The first of April, 1986". It's said "April 1st, 1986". Hence 04/01/1986.
Why does it make sense when you use the illogical order both in written as well as in spoken English?  In other languages you do say "The first of April, 1986" which really makes more sense once you think about it.
It's simply a matter of being used to one way of ordering or the other. Of course the kind you're used to makes the most sense to you.
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EPT
