Americans can't handle the metric system

NAC4EV

Golden Member
Feb 26, 2015
1,882
754
136
The metric system is the tool of the devil.
We are going out wait Burma and Liberia so we can be the sad-sack metric losers
 
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nickbits

Diamond Member
Mar 10, 2008
4,122
1
81
I grew up with both systems and hate metric. I guess that is my American half talking.
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
60,044
10,533
126
Anyone who can't do metric, and has the standard issue of fingers, is a moron. It's superior in every way. You know your measurement system is a failure when you have to do math before you do the math you really want.
 

Denly

Golden Member
May 14, 2011
1,435
229
106
Also grew up with both systems, for me they are

length - cm, inch, ft, km
weight - lb, ton
volume - L
area - sq ft

Yet I am f'ed up.
 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
70,574
13,804
126
www.anyf.ca
Metric is just so much more logical because everything is base on 10. That's how normal numbers work too. Trying to measure something in inches then having to reproduce it in a way where you want to make calculations is like pulling teeth, I just end up converting to cm, it's just easier. Like for example if I want to design something on CAD software and I measure something IRL to be represented in that software, if I was to measure it in inches and it's say 5 inches and 4 lines on the tape then I can't just put 5.4 because there is more than 10 lines. Have to figure out the fraction crap and do conversions. Or I can just measure in cm and be done.

Unfortunately a lot of standards are based on both so in some situations it makes more sense to use imperial if strictly dealing with it. Like windows and doors come in inches so I'm not going to measure in cm.
 

Ban Bot

Senior member
Jun 1, 2010
796
1
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American, can use both systems, prefer metric but as it isn't used as often it is hard to "visualize" the measurements at times relative to objects. Meters and Kilometers are fine but square meters takes some thought. I am constantly converting grams to ounces but Liters are simple due to a quart of fluid being common enough.
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
60,044
10,533
126
Like for example if I want to design something on CAD software and I measure something IRL to be represented in that software, if I was to measure it in inches and it's say 5 inches and 4 lines on the tape then I can't just put 5.4 because there is more than 10 lines. Have to figure out the fraction crap and do conversions. Or I can just measure in cm and be done.

You can get yourself an engineers tape. They're in decimal feet. No reason not to use metric in Canuckistan though.
 

dullard

Elite Member
May 21, 2001
26,042
4,689
126
They both have their places. Imperial units seem crazy but they have their place. Which is better binary or decimal? The answer depends on the use.




Imperial units are great when you don't want math but you want to scale something up.
  • Want to double a receipe? No problem. Just change cups to pints, pints to quarts, quarts to half-gallons, etc. No math needed. Want to cut a receipe in half? Again, easy with no math at all. Pints become cups, cups become 1/2 cups, 1/8 cups become tablespoons, etc. The Imperial units for volume are essentially binary. The only problem comes with that stupid 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon definition.
  • Want to scale up/down on measurements? Pretty easy. Half of a foot = 6 inches and there is a line on your ruler for it. A third of a foot = 4 inches, again there is a line for you. A fourth of a foot = 3 inches, again a line is there. Try to draw a line at precisely a third of a meter, you can't easilly as you are guessing where a line at 33.33 cm would be on your ruler.
  • Weather is great in Fahrenheit. Weather below 0°F for very long is deadly and weather above 100°F for very long is deadly. Temperatures in the middle are pretty mild. Metric temperatures suck for weather. Below -18°C is deadly, above 38°C is deadly and 20°C is pretty pleasant (how crappy is that to use?). Plus 1°C is just too large of a temperature jump so you really need decimal places.
Metric is great in other uses. Don't get me wrong. It is fantastic not needing to know what a hogshead is.

But Imperial units were based in what people actually needed when they didn't have much education and didn't want to do math and didn't want decimal points. Those are quite useful points rather than forcing everything into arbitrary 10s. It is even worse when the arbitrary 10s aren't actually correct. Pure water melts at -0.0001°C (not 0°C) and the triple point is 0.01°C, and it stops motion at -273.15°C. And that requires pure water, at the precise correct pressure, with the correct vessel surface. Thus, even the Celsius scale is not truely based on 10s.

If metric was so great because it is based on 10s, why aren't you proposing we go to a metric clock and metric calendar? I can't wait for my 33.333 metric hour workday!
 
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Humpy

Diamond Member
Mar 3, 2011
4,464
596
126
Metric is just so much more logical because everything is base on 10. That's how normal numbers work too. Trying to measure something in inches then having to reproduce it in a way where you want to make calculations is like pulling teeth, I just end up converting to cm, it's just easier. Like for example if I want to design something on CAD software and I measure something IRL to be represented in that software, if I was to measure it in inches and it's say 5 inches and 4 lines on the tape then I can't just put 5.4 because there is more than 10 lines. Have to figure out the fraction crap and do conversions. Or I can just measure in cm and be done.

Unfortunately a lot of standards are based on both so in some situations it makes more sense to use imperial if strictly dealing with it. Like windows and doors come in inches so I'm not going to measure in cm.

If you're measuring stuff with a tape measure and have issues it's because you're just not very good at it. The fractional inch to decimal conversion should be automatic when there are only a few possibilities. It's the stuff you learn in third grade. :)

A tape measure just provides a "close enough" estimate anyway so it hardly matters what the unit is.
 
Feb 6, 2007
16,432
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They both have their places. Imperial units seem crazy but they have their place. Which is better binary or decimal? The answer depends on the use.

Imperial units are great when you don't want math but you want to scale something up.
  • Want to double a receipe? No problem. Just change cups to pints, pints to quarts, quarts to gallons, etc. No math needed. Want to cut a receipe in half? Again, easy with no math at all. Pints become cups, cups become 1/2 cups, 1/4 cups become tablespoons, etc. The only problem comes with that stupid 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon definition.
  • Want to scale up/down on measurements? Pretty easy. Half of a foot = 6 inches and there is a line on your ruler for it. A third of a foot = 4 inches, again there is a line for you. A fourth of a foot = 2 inches, again a line is there. Try to draw a line at precisely a third of a meter, you can't easilly as you are guessing where a line at 33.33 cm would be on your ruler.
  • Weather is great in Fahrenheit. Below 0°F is deadly and above 100°F is deadly. Temperatures in the middle are pretty mild. Metric temperatures suck for weather. Below -18°C is deadly, above 38°C is deadly (how crappy is that to use?) Plus 1°C is just too large of a temperature jump so you really need decimal places.
If metric was so great because it is based on 10s, why aren't you proposing we go to a metric clock and metric calendar?

Agreed. The metric system is great for scientific applications; trying to find the exact boiling point of Beryllium or figuring out how much fuel you'll need to send a Saturn V to the moon. It would be stupid to use Imperial units for those things. But for everyday activities like measuring a recipe or sawing lumber or describing the weather, the Imperial system is objectively better. 12 has more factors than 10, so feet are easier to reduce than meters. Fahrenheit is a much more useful scale than Celsius for describing the weather. The Imperial system is good for casual measurements.

So, yeah, use the metric system for science and shit; it's perfect for that. But don't mess with units that are better for common activities; that's pretty much all I'm going to be using them for.
 

Humpy

Diamond Member
Mar 3, 2011
4,464
596
126
I need a board cut from 3ft and 9/16 down to 2 feet and 5/8ths.

How much do I need to take off?

LOL Who cares?

How wide is the saw blade?

Why would anyone ever measure the waste to get back to the piece they want to keep?

They wouldn't.
 

TheGardener

Golden Member
Jul 19, 2014
1,945
33
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We are the nanny state for the world. We are the policeman of the world. Damit! Force those people to use our standards of measurement, or we won't invade you while giving out trillions of dollars.

And while we are at it, we need to come up with a new currency system, not based on 10. Heck, we are changing our bills and coinage all the time, what's a bit more confusion.
 

GagHalfrunt

Lifer
Apr 19, 2001
25,284
1,998
126
We won two world wars so that no Euro nancyboys could tell us how to add. My car gets 40 rods to the hogshead and that's the way I likes it.