EPTDo you use Imperial or Metric? - Page 72
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Deleted_143
Australia256 Posts
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Weebem-Na
United States221 Posts
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Hinanawi
United States2250 Posts
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yoten
United States57 Posts
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dannystarcraft
United States179 Posts
In Engineering (which is the reason it is still used in the United States) doing calculations in the English system is much easier with a Force based system. You just worry about Forces in pounds instead of masses and forces in kg and Newtons. That being said, it is only for structural problems... which is why when you get dimensions of structural things they are always in antiquitated Imperial units... 2x4's etc. Of course there are some fields, like Thermodynamics, which are much much easier to work problems in metric units. As of now, the US will probably never change. It would disrupt things too much. | ||
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GT350
United States270 Posts
Why? I learned that metric is efficient and universal from grade school. But why are institutions still using other forms, especially the hideous imperial unit of measurement? | ||
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NeMeSiS3
Canada2972 Posts
On October 15 2012 12:01 GT350 wrote: What irritates me is how NASA and other established institutions use 128,097 feet/24 miles during the Felix Baumgartner's record skydiving. Why? I learned that metric is efficient and universal from grade school. But why are institutions still using other forms, especially the hideous imperial unit of measurement? This is a very generalized statement that takes nothing into account. 1) It was shot in a nation that used the imperial unit system... 2) It showed both metric/imperial which is a far shot from 50 years ago when they only used imperial 3) That's the argument you're making. It doesn't fit and I'm Canadian and I use the metric system. | ||
micronesia
United States24768 Posts
On October 15 2012 12:01 GT350 wrote: What irritates me is how NASA and other established institutions use 128,097 feet/24 miles during the Felix Baumgartner's record skydiving. Why? I learned that metric is efficient and universal from grade school. But why are institutions still using other forms, especially the hideous imperial unit of measurement? People know how big a foot or a mile is (in fact, even an alien wouldn't have much trouble understanding feet.... can't say the same for meters XD) but they don't know how big a meter or a km is. Obviously this is an oversimplification, but that's generally what it is. | ||
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NeMeSiS3
Canada2972 Posts
On October 15 2012 12:04 micronesia wrote: People know how big a foot or a mile is (in fact, even an alien wouldn't have much trouble understanding feet.... can't say the same for meters XD) but they don't know how big a meter or a km is. Obviously this is an oversimplification, but that's generally what it is. I would argue your opinion is wrong. You are equating because of your specific knowledge that an alien would be able to easily understand imperial. Imperial is an absolutely astoundingly awful system of measurement. You can't possibly argue that an alien would find moving up by 10's harder than "Well this is 12, that is 24 and here is 1000 and well 4 make a x and 5 make a z" . | ||
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SnipedSoul
Canada2158 Posts
I prefer metric any time I have to do math, though. It's so much easier. | ||
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turdburgler
England6749 Posts
On October 15 2012 12:04 micronesia wrote: People know how big a foot or a mile is (in fact, even an alien wouldn't have much trouble understanding feet.... can't say the same for meters XD) but they don't know how big a meter or a km is. Obviously this is an oversimplification, but that's generally what it is. without using google tell me why a foot is a foot | ||
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NeMeSiS3
Canada2972 Posts
On October 15 2012 12:08 SnipedSoul wrote: Canadians are weird because we use a mix of the two. I'm 6'1" and 175 pounds, but my parents live 120 kilometers away. I buy milk in 4 liter containers, but my burger patties are 4 ounces each. I prefer metric any time I have to do math, though. It's so much easier. Yes well that's one of the funny things about being so closely connected with a culture that uses systems so vastly different. We get some hybrid mixture. The big reason why is that while science uses the metric system, engineering heavily involves itself with the imperial system. One could argue "because it's so easy 2 by 4!" but the real reason is that it just simply is what we ended up using by previous learned behaviors. Off topic I had a relatively interesting topic with my Professor, Rodney H. Cooper, on whether he thought if computer science went back 50-60 years they'd stick with the binary system. He seemed very content with the assertion that no, they would not and the main reason we use binary is that it is simply ingrained in our knowledge. | ||
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AUFKLARUNG
Germany245 Posts
Short distance, I have problems using cm and mostly use inches. But I try to force myself to use metric. | ||
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HumpingHydra
Canada97 Posts
I guess I forgot about wood measurement. That is still in feet and inches. I understand short term lengths in Metric much better. I can think quite accurately anywhere from angstroms (not an official metric unit oddly enough) to centimeters quite well. Additionally, anything relatively far, I can easily measure with kilometers. But I'd say theres a middle ground, 1 foot to 5 feet where I'd be more accurate with imperial. | ||
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S:klogW
Austria657 Posts
On October 15 2012 12:04 micronesia wrote: People know how big a foot or a mile is (in fact, even an alien wouldn't have much trouble understanding feet.... can't say the same for meters XD) but they don't know how big a meter or a km is. Obviously this is an oversimplification, but that's generally what it is. This is ridiculous. Imagine the hilarity. A ultra advanced civilization asks us how we measure things. We say by "foot". Why, they ask. We explain it is the length of a human foot, more or less when it was created. Now imagine the aliens laughing so hard at how this crude civilization did not even consider the difference it would make between people. | ||
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micronesia
United States24768 Posts
On October 15 2012 12:06 NeMeSiS3 wrote: I would argue your opinion is wrong. You are equating because of your specific knowledge that an alien would be able to easily understand imperial. Imperial is an absolutely astoundingly awful system of measurement. You can't possibly argue that an alien would find moving up by 10's harder than "Well this is 12, that is 24 and here is 1000 and well 4 make a x and 5 make a z" . I don't see why you think I made such a claim. All I meant was a 'foot' is somewhat self explanatory... it's roughly the length of a human foot. A 'meter' by itself doesn't mean anything as recognizable. I'm not saying feet are better than meters lol... you all need to calm down. Why is this such a touchy subject? Do we need to add it to the list with religion and the like? | ||
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aksfjh
United States4853 Posts
In the end, metric is a great system for mathematics and science. It makes calculations easy to make and keep track of. Imperial has it's strange niche as well though. While the conversions aren't easy, the amounts make a lot of sense. I'm reminded by a conversation in the book 1984 where an old man complains that liters and half-liters of beer don't give him the perfect amount of beer, whereas a pint does. The same could be said about temperature, with decimals of C are a little too fine of a measurement for environmental control and full degrees are too coarse, but full degrees of F works out pretty well. | ||
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Alex1Sun
494 Posts
I hope in the future (probably far-far future) everybody will be using Natural Units as a standard system, just because they are natural and precisely defined  | ||
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Alakaslam
United States17336 Posts
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oneofthem
Cayman Islands24199 Posts
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