The three countries that don't use the metric system

[BurnItDwn]

Top gear uses both Miles and Kilometers, kinda annoying at times but still my favorite show >.>

but yeah, Clarkson seems partial to Miles

I mostly meant to imply that England was still using the inferior imperial system quite a bit (all their street signs are in MPH)

 

[Train]

Indeed! Drinks in Canada are sold in pints as well, so I tried looking up how much that was. US pint and British pint are not the same thing?? what a piece of shit system.

Metric would be a load of bullshit too if definitions changed from country to country. French kilogram vs Belgian kilogram. UK meter vs Finland meter.

You think that's bad, U.S. Gallon and Canadian gallons are different as well.

 

[Broheim]

I mostly meant to imply that England was still using the inferior imperial system quite a bit (all their street signs are in MPH)

yeah, but that has already been established and debated in this thread..

it's mostly because changing all the road signs are costly and an overnight change could cause confusion.

 

[ShawnD1]

You think that's bad, U.S. Gallon and Canadian gallons are different as well.

I'm looking at unit converter and it seems US uses different volume units for almost everything.
http://www.digitaldutch.com/unitconverter/volume.htm
-bushels, UK vs US
-fluid ounces, UK vs US
-gallons, UK vs US dry vs US fluid
-pints, UK vs US dry vs US fluid
-quarts, UK vs US dry vs US fluid

I mostly meant to imply that England was still using the inferior imperial system quite a bit (all their street signs are in MPH)

It's probably not a big deal since you generally don't need to use the speed limits for calculations or tolerances. Switching the speed signs between mph, km/h, or penis lengths per minute would make no difference at all.
Where the imperial system kills me if shit like feet and inches where you need to work with both at the same time using a standard base 10 number system (0-9) but neither of them is a base 10 unit!!! GRR!!!112lkj;alisdjkf;lie

I would be perfectly happy using inches if they were kept base 10. Instead of saying 5+11/16 inches, write it as 5.6875 inches. I smash my head against the wall every time I need to enter fractions in AutoCAD or when I need to add fractions when building shit. Seriously, just use decimal inches. Decimal feet. No more stupid fractions.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

I would be perfectly happy using inches if they were kept base 10. Instead of saying 5+11/16 inches, write it as 5.6875 inches. I smash my head against the wall every time I need to enter fractions in AutoCAD or when I need to add fractions when building shit. Seriously, just use decimal inches. Decimal feet. No more stupid fractions.

That doesn't make sense either, because more Imperial units are in base 16 than in base 10. Sorry.

 

[Train]

I'm looking at unit converter and it seems US uses different volume units for almost everything.
http://www.digitaldutch.com/unitconverter/volume.htm
-bushels, UK vs US
-fluid ounces, UK vs US
-gallons, UK vs US dry vs US fluid
-pints, UK vs US dry vs US fluid
-quarts, UK vs US dry vs US fluid



It's probably not a big deal since you generally don't need to use the speed limits for calculations or tolerances. Switching the speed signs between mph, km/h, or penis lengths per minute would make no difference at all.
Where the imperial system kills me if shit like feet and inches where you need to work with both at the same time using a standard base 10 number system (0-9) but neither of them is a base 10 unit!!! GRR!!!112lkj;alisdjkf;lie

I would be perfectly happy using inches if they were kept base 10. Instead of saying 5+11/16 inches, write it as 5.6875 inches. I smash my head against the wall every time I need to enter fractions in AutoCAD or when I need to add fractions when building shit. Seriously, just use decimal inches. Decimal feet. No more stupid fractions.

I think you are mixed up as to what a number base is.

12 inches per foot can be represented in any base. Usually 10.

Base 12 would mean that 10 inches = 1 foot.

That doesn't make sense either, because more Imperial units are in base 16 than in base 10. Sorry.

You are also mixed up.

 

[JohnOfSheffield]

I mostly meant to imply that England was still using the inferior imperial system quite a bit (all their street signs are in MPH)

Depends on where you live.

It's OUR measurement and in some ways there is some reluctance to let it go, the no one reason that makes people change their minds is that one former lesser colony still use our old invention.

We pity you and don't want you to feel alone.

 

[JohnOfSheffield]

That doesn't make sense either, because more Imperial units are in base 16 than in base 10. Sorry.

The measurements won't work in the end anyhow.

Not unless you're fine with a job that wouldn't be accepted in any other western nation but apparently, in the US, you're fine with shacks as houses.

 

[Train]

Depends on where you live.

It's OUR measurement and in some ways there is some reluctance to let it go, the no one reason that makes people change their minds is that one former lesser colony still use our old invention.

We pity you and don't want you to feel alone.

Fomer lesser?

So we are now the greater?

 

[AstroManLuca]

miles per gallon
stone
pints

wait why isn't england listed as one of the countries that uses non-metric measurements?

 

[BurnItDwn]

Depends on where you live.

It's OUR measurement and in some ways there is some reluctance to let it go, the no one reason that makes people change their minds is that one former lesser colony still use our old invention.

We pity you and don't want you to feel alone.

Ehh, that wasn't a bash to the English, just sort of a blind stab back at the OP, whom I actually have grown fond of on these forums... even though he does look a lot like a troll, hehehe...

Anyhow, you keep your miles, I want to be rid of the deficient imperial system here, and hopefully when the old timers all finally die the US will finally modernize a bit...

 

[zinfamous]

There is pricesely no reason for us to stick to our ridiculous King's system; and it is officially hilarious, the hypprocisy of those that hold onto it like a religion--these are the same people that are anti-Brit, anti-Europe, super pro-American, yet they cling to this King's system as if it's some pure American contrivance.

The fact is, that literally no one over here fucking understands the system. No one past the 6th grade can consistently and instantly convert ounces to pounds and cups to quarts and gallons and all that bullshit. It's completely confounding, and completely useless.

It would literally change nothing to convert overnight, b/c no one fucking understands it anyway. I can only imagine that the food and processed shit industry are the ones lobbying to keep us in the stone age, b/c they bitch and moan that a week's worth of adjusting their equipment or cutting their profits by 3% for a quarter to convert to the system is far too damaging and would somehow starve countless American babies. Congress will listen to them b/c their heads are up the industry's well-paid asses.

All of Science uses metric/Celcius anyway (hell, I understand this shit better on a daily basis than I do our own system). So it wouldn't affect anything that actually matters--progress, R&D would continue, this would change nothing for the ave citizen that is already confused, and only the CEO's of the processed shit industry would be hurting--leasing a Maserati this year instead of their Bugatti.

One thing we do correctly, however, is drive on the fucking proper side of the road. You people are fucking crazy.

 

[HAL9000]

I agree with above.

 

[OOBradm]

Instead of the USA changing from metric to imperial, I say the world changes from base 10 numbers to base 12. Then there would be 10 inches per foot, and everyone would be happy.

 

[Scotteq]

<SNIP> It would literally change nothing to convert overnight, b/c no one fucking understands it anyway. I can only imagine that the food and processed shit industry are the ones lobbying to keep us in the stone age, b/c they bitch and moan that a week's worth of adjusting their equipment or cutting their profits by 3&#37; for a quarter to convert to the system is far too damaging and would somehow starve countless American babies. Congress will listen to them b/c their heads are up the industry's well-paid asses.

<SNIP>

One thing we do correctly, however, is drive on the fucking proper side of the road. You people are fucking crazy.

Simple Solution: Tell people that we'll be "raising" the national speed limit from 55(MPH) to 100(KPH). And you're absolutely guaranteed to get millions and millions of positive votes!!


And, if you track the results properly, you'd even be able to create a list of everyone who should *not* be allowed to reproduce for fear of passing on the recessive genes responsible for their low intelligence.

Instead of the USA changing from metric to imperial, I say the world changes from base 10 numbers to base 12. Then there would be 10 inches per foot, and everyone would be happy.

That'll never work.


Much better to tell all the guys they'll go to sleep on December 31st with 6 inches, and wake up on Jan 1st with 13.2!!

 

[ShawnD1]

Simple Solution: Tell people that we'll be "raising" the national speed limit from 55(MPH) to 100(KPH). And you're absolutely guaranteed to get millions and millions of positive votes!!

lol

Reminds me of a story where a physics professor was in trouble because for failing students who sucked at physics. In response he said he would "add 5% to everyone's grade before applying the curve" and people were satisfied with that. (hint: the entire curve shifts over 5% and you still fail)

 

[Howard]

You think that's bad, U.S. Gallon and Canadian gallons are different as well.

No we don't. It's US gallons and imperial gallons that are different, and we typically use US gallons.

God, so much ignorance in this thread.

 

[Howard]

So when I go to Europe, instead of ordering a pint of lager I have to order a 568ml of lager?

That alone should make imperial volume measurements vastly superior.

 

[zinfamous]

Simple Solution: Tell people that we'll be "raising" the national speed limit from 55(MPH) to 100(KPH). And you're absolutely guaranteed to get millions and millions of positive votes!!

:awe:

that would TOTALLY work!

 

[jonks]

Instead of the USA changing from metric to imperial, I say the world changes from base 10 numbers to base 12. Then there would be 10 inches per foot, and everyone would be happy.

No, everyone will be happy when 6 inches = foot.

 

[Train]

No we don't. It's US gallons and imperial gallons that are different, and we typically use US gallons.

Soooooooo, US Gallons and "Whatever you want to call gallons in Canada"..are in fact different?

Seems like a stupid thing to disagree with.

 

[ShawnD1]

No we don't. It's US gallons and imperial gallons that are different, and we typically use US gallons.

God, so much ignorance in this thread.

No. I live in Canada and Canada uses British gallons.

The best place to see this relic unit from a galaxy long long ago is on car websites. Companies in Canada still list miles per gallon because that's what older Canadians are familiar with. Here are the specs for the most reliable car ever, the Toyota Corolla. Under fuel consumption it says:
Manual 7.4 L/100km (38mpg)

If you go through the unit conversion, you'll see that they are using British gallons. 100km / 7.4L * 4.55L/gal / 1.6mi/km = 38.4mpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_Canada

Until the 1970s, Canada traditionally used the imperial system of measurement units, defined as "Canadian units of measurements" under Schedule II, Section 4 of the Weights and Measures Act (R.S., 1985, c. W-6).[1] These units have the same name and, with the exception of capacity measures such as the gallon, the same values as U.S. customary units. For example, before metrication in Canada, gasoline was sold by the imperial gallon (4.55 litres) whereas, south of the border in the U.S., it was sold by the U.S. gallon (3.78 litres). In cross-border transactions, it was often confusing whether values quoted in pints, gallons, tons, etc. were referring to the U.S. values or the imperial values of these units.

 

[Colt45]

Simple Solution: Tell people that we'll be "raising" the national speed limit from 55(MPH) to 100(KPH). And you're absolutely guaranteed to get millions and millions of positive votes!!

Well, 100km/h is 62mph, so it is an increase from 55mph.

 

[ShawnD1]

Well, 100km/h is 62mph, so it is an increase from 55mph.

Interesting....

Every Canadian highway I've seen was either 100 or 110km/h. 100 is single lane, 110 on double lane. Is 55mph (~90km/h) a common US highway speed?

 

[Colt45]

No we don't. It's US gallons and imperial gallons that are different, and we typically use US gallons.

God, so much ignorance in this thread.

We use(d) UK gal, you see US gal stuff on occasion though, paint and things like that, by virtue of being made in the US... But things made here would either be UK gal (4.55L) or hard metric (4L, 4.5L)

We still have all sorts of weird throwback soft metric stuff that is based on our old UK measurements. eg, a 1.14L vodka is... 1 uk quart, and it isn't a coincidence. Pop is US dominated, so we have 20 US fl oz bottles (591mL) rather than 1 UK pint (568mL).