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Changing to the Metric system

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Blurst
Posts: 13577 - Karma: 10,169
Seriously? Why doesnt the US get with the times and scrap the shitty imperial system. It makes no sense and the entire world runs on the metric system now. The US just needs to stop being so damn stubborn with their ridiculous measurement system.
Dec 15 2011 9:31AM
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*Butters*
Posts: 189 - Karma: 136
agreed
Dec 15 2011 9:34AM
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Stose
Posts: 7109 - Karma: 4,123
clearly the rest of the world is the one who should change
Dec 15 2011 9:34AM
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KravtZ
Posts: 6637 - Karma: 2,629
just did a speech on this i agree
Dec 15 2011 9:35AM
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1337
Posts: 31054 - Karma: 29,232
I'm an American and I agree
Dec 15 2011 9:35AM
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why
Posts: 2064 - Karma: 65
this
Dec 15 2011 9:37AM
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.RYAN66
Posts: 5381 - Karma: 235
It would be way to difficult to get everyone to want this. Think of all of the old pe
Dec 15 2011 9:38AM
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PJS.
Posts: 11943 - Karma: 895
Because spending money we don't have to change literally everything using the noble system or whatever the hell it is, is retarded right now.
Dec 15 2011 9:40AM
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TheBlueMtSkier
Posts: 909 - Karma: 42
I'm pretty confident that the majority of Americans agree that a change to the Metric system would be a good thing.

Being an American, I also agree with a change to Metric.
Dec 15 2011 9:40AM
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CheddarJack
Posts: 5203 - Karma: 7,380
It would simply cost too much. That is really the only reason.
Dec 15 2011 9:47AM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,750
and because, for a lot of things, it's much much more useful.  such as anything to do with construction it completely wins over metric. the reason why any sensible person in construction in Canada uses imperial. 

Even for every day needs imperial is a much better thought out system.  That's why we measure our hight and weight still in imperial in a supposedly metric country.  It's much better to say 6'2" than 1.8796 meters.  And pounds are much more accurate measurement for human weight than kilos without having to use fractions or decimals.

And fractions are in general easier to use than decimals.

if something's 8 1/8th inches long it's much easier to visualize and measure out then something being 8.125 centimetres. and the way metric works it's not meant to use fractions, just decimals.

For most industry it's just simply more useful to use imperial.  The measurements are better in most instances.


The ONLY thing I can think of that metric is better at is for scientific purposes, where you're using microns and milligrams and need ti be exact.  And I'm sure every scientist in the US uses metric for that anyways.
Dec 15 2011 9:59AM
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MACAQUE
Posts: 2811 - Karma: 696
^^^That


We're so used to fractions now. And as said, all science uses metric, so it's not like US scientists are on a different system than the rest of the world. We definitely use both in the US, each where it works best.
Dec 15 2011 10:03AM
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feihlination
Posts: 8356 - Karma: 1,084
lol ^^^^^

Dec 15 2011 10:05AM
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yuck
Posts: 8384 - Karma: 2,090
thats pretty much the only reason why imperial is still used for everything, because everyone is so used to it. in terms of construction and talking about people's weight and height, imperial is only easier because people are used to it. personally i think metric is a better system in pretty much every context, but i realize also that it would be hard to implement into a lot of uses because everyone is so used to imperial.
Dec 15 2011 10:11AM
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a_pla5tic_bag
Posts: 9215 - Karma: 5,398
yeah but you go to school for something science related right? I do and of course i'd rather switch since all i do is deal with metric system stuff. Tell carpenters that and they'll say no. cause when i go and buy wood and whatnot there' no metric anything involved.
Dec 15 2011 10:14AM
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feihlination
Posts: 8356 - Karma: 1,084
its just that youre used to it. seriously, a few years ago, our currency was replaced by the euro.

calculating all the fucking time the "old" value when shopping is a little bit more of a change than what you said.


metric is better, there is a reason the whole world uses it. once youre used to it, its definitely better, for every reason. 10 is such a legit number to use as a base because its easy for the human mind to divide anything by 10 or multiply anything by 10. not so much for 8 or 12 or whatever.

i am 1,88 m and weigh 83 kilos. wheres the problem? and if i say 1,885 m and 83,3 kilos and you cant wrap your head around it because you need some sort of eighth or twelfth, then go on.

but in general, saying that 1/8 or 7/12 is "easier" to grasp than something like 0,1 or 0,65 is crap.
Dec 15 2011 10:22AM
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1337
Posts: 31054 - Karma: 29,232
Engineering
Dec 15 2011 10:22AM
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feihlination
Posts: 8356 - Karma: 1,084
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
Dec 15 2011 10:26AM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,750
this is false.  In Canada we're brought up on the metric system yet we use only imperial for construction. I'm sure that's the same with almost any other country in the world except maybe France and a couple other French colonies.  If metric was more useful for construction we'd all use it, but it's not. Imperial is much better for construction and that's why it's used in a metric country where we were taught metric, not imperial.  Same thing with metric and science.  In US where you're taught imperial you use metric for scientific stuff since it's more useful.
Dec 15 2011 10:33AM
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yuck
Posts: 8384 - Karma: 2,090
heymetoo
Dec 15 2011 10:33AM
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feihlination
Posts: 8356 - Karma: 1,084
i can guarantuee you that apart from the UK, noone uses the imperial system for whatever reason. i know several countries a little bit (definitely not all though) over here and there is horseshit-zero-usage of the imperial system in any area.

and the way you say, "science is using metric because its more accurate", i dont wanna know how your houses look like.
Dec 15 2011 10:39AM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,750
you are way way off on this.


if there's a pile of something, say chocolate chips, and I say take 1/8 of them no one is going to have a problem taking what looks like an 1/8th.  First you divide it in roughly half, then on of those halves in half, then that half in half again and you have 1/8th of the chocolate chips. 

If I then say to someone "without converting to fractions, take 0.125 of the chocolate chips" they're going to have no idea what to do except count them all out then multiply by 0.125 then count that many.  Any visual way requires converting 0.125 in your mind into 1/8th and then following the same logic as using fractions in the first place.

Fractions win for any every day purpose hands down.
Dec 15 2011 10:40AM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,750
So no one uses imperial in your country.  So that means you've never used it.  So how do you even have an opinion on this? get out of here.


I'm not saying science uses metric because it's more accurate. I'm saying it uses metric since it's easier to to measure a bacterium in microns then in inches. the units of measurements are easier to be accurate within a ten thousandth of a millimeter.


And I've worked in construction for a couple years and I'm studying in biology at university. I know both worlds quite well and know for a fact that imperial is much better in construction and metric is much better in scientific uses.


Dec 15 2011 10:45AM
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gr4
Posts: 1499 - Karma: 945
they tried from 1975 to switch over but in 1983 Reagan pulled the program because it failed miserably. but hey lets waste some more tax dollars and see it fail again. and i couldnt think of a better time than right in the middle of a recession. sorry kids but the us isnt gonna switch over until it absolutely has to, which probably wont be in our lifetimes.
Dec 15 2011 10:45AM
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iSmokeweed
Posts: 4793 - Karma: 1,370
ARE YOU RETARDED?!
Dec 15 2011 10:48AM
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84891jnf92048
Posts: 11552 - Karma: 2,550
I refer to all measurements in metric, as an american. maybe that's why nobody likes me.
Dec 15 2011 10:49AM
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feihlination
Posts: 8356 - Karma: 1,084
you said construction purposes which to me implies more precision.

you are right about the fraction thingy that you calculate them anyways in your mind. but why not use 10 as a base? why 8 or 12?

thats my point. just use the fucking metric system and use fractions if you like them. think about it: just from an automated data-processing standpoint, the imperial system and fractions are horseshit. and this area is getting a little more important than the medieval examples for the imperial system.
Dec 15 2011 10:49AM
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1337
Posts: 31054 - Karma: 29,232
yeah, that's definitely why....
Dec 15 2011 10:50AM
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feihlination
Posts: 8356 - Karma: 1,084
you said that all the countries in the world except for france and some of its colonies use the imperial system in construction. this is just wrong. my brother was a joiner for quite some time and i am pretty sure he does not know how many inches are in a foot or how long an inch even is.

you said something wrong and i pointed it out. no reason to get excited.

Dec 15 2011 10:55AM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,750
the reason why you use base 12 is because it's easy to make fractions with. much easier than base 10.

1/2 of 12 is 6
1/4 of 12 is 3
1/3 of 12 is 4

1/2 of 10 is 5
1/4 of 10 is 2.5
1/3 of 10 is 3.33333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333


you get the point with the threes. it's just a better system for using fractions. and the mind works with fractions, therefore it is much better for everyday use.


as for accuracy in construction, imperial is just fine for all those needs. It's super easy to have accuracy down to a thousandth of an inch when need be. But unless you're a machinist you really don't need that accuracy.

A piece of wood over the course of the year might shrink by 1/2 an inch, so there's no need to go more accurate than 1/32 when cutting it. Unless you're doing something intricate in which case you might want to go for 1/64th of 1/128th accuracy. But on wood that won't make a difference in any case.

But there's absolutely no reason to be accurate in construction to within a micron, or a milligram, where for scientific uses there is that need.


and here are a couple examples of buildings build with imperial. they look rather splendid.

the entirety of this country:
Click for larger image

the entirety of this country and all it's entire empire
Click for larger image



recognize this city? anything older than about 1880 was built using imperial

Click for larger image
Dec 15 2011 11:06AM
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Charlie_Kelly
Posts: 11954 - Karma: 12,298
miles>kilometers

feet>meters

Gallons> liters (not sure about this one cause you can use liters too)

Though I would much rather have water boil at 100 and freeze at 0 than 212 and 32.
Dec 15 2011 11:07AM
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Randy_Quench
Posts: 5447 - Karma: 4,343
.
Dec 15 2011 11:07AM
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Capernicus
Posts: 382 - Karma: 218
As an American, this would be awesome.

Imperial:
12 inches = 1 foot (X 3) = 1 yard (X 1760) = 1 mile...what?

Metric:
0.001km = 1m = 100 cm = 1000mm

The above is just one example. The metric system is much easier to use and should start being taught in elementary school nowish. I also think this will make science easier to grasp for younger people, which America needs right now. Plus, when you measure your ding dong in cm, the number is much larger (this might be a persuasive way to get people to switch...sadly).

The biggest problem would be that Vin Diesel can now only live his life 0.402336 km at a time...



Dec 15 2011 11:11AM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,750
fahrenheit is retarded, I'll give you that. Celcius is much better. Also Celcius has nothing to do with Metric or imperial in any way. Completely out of this argument.
Dec 15 2011 11:11AM
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84891jnf92048
Posts: 11552 - Karma: 2,550
nobody ever said that you can't use the metric system to do anything, simply that it is simpler and easier to use and break down than the imperial system.

What you are arguing is that people who push for the metric system claim that you can't do anything with the imperial system, which is just false. Both MPH and KM/H measure how fast your car is going, but if you have to break it down to feet/meters per minute, which would you rather use?
Dec 15 2011 11:13AM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,750
read my above analogy with chocolate chips. If I have to break it down I'd much rather use Imperial and so would everyone else as that's the way your mind works.
Dec 15 2011 11:16AM
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ESAND
Posts: 1607 - Karma: 744
As a skier who lives and skis in the PNW i very much appreciate Fahrenheit being 1.8x more precise than metric
Dec 15 2011 11:16AM
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Charlie_Kelly
Posts: 11954 - Karma: 12,298
If you think about it, not really. I get that its not part of each respective system but the countries that use imperial (aka U.S.) use farenheit, and the countries that use metric (aka the rest of the world) use celcius. So though it is not directly attributed to this argument I feel it can still be included.
Dec 15 2011 11:16AM
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feihlination
Posts: 8356 - Karma: 1,084
now destroy my automated data processing argument and i buy myself an inch-ruler tomorrow

youre right, you can do everything with both. the standardization thing is pretty neat though. yes, its easier to calculate 1/12 of 12, 4/12 of 12, but what about 1/12 of 100?

using 10s and 10s in between every step is better than using 8s, 3s, 1760s or whatever as bases.

dont get me wrong, if your used to it, why not, but saying that its easier to grasp is wrong in my opinion.
Dec 15 2011 11:18AM
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84891jnf92048
Posts: 11552 - Karma: 2,550
this doesnt make sense. first of all, if someone took 1/18th of my chocolate chips, i would not just let them.

secondly, they wouldnt take .125 of the chocolate chips, they would take 12.5 percent of the chocolate chips, which sounds exactly like 1/8th, and if you use common sense, you can easily figure out how much of your pile that would be.
Dec 15 2011 11:23AM
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Charlie_Kelly
Posts: 11954 - Karma: 12,298
no but see, it isn't common sense to some people because they haven't been raised on that system. You are missing the point
Dec 15 2011 11:32AM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,750
sure then, use %. 12.5%. but the point being the way your mind works to estimate 12.5% is to convert to fractions first. and using 1/8th as a visual estimator.


if I said without counting them estimate 0.015625 or 1.5625% of the chocolate chips what would you do? your mind can't just estimate that amount without putting it into fractions first. For that you'd probably take what seems like 100th of the pile than half of that again. And this would be incredibly inaccurate. If I was to give you that measurement as "take 1/64th of the pile" then you could just keep dividing in halves until you get the appropriate amount and it will be much more accurate.

It's just how the mind works, and it works a lot better with fractions than decimals.
Dec 15 2011 11:34AM
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neutralzombie
Posts: 8629 - Karma: 606
i find it funny that i work in both.
Dec 15 2011 11:36AM
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Kangbang
Posts: 14211 - Karma: 423
As a Canadian I like using feet and pounds for measurements when referring to someones body. They should only keep that. I hate measuring in kilograms.
Dec 15 2011 11:51AM
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k-fred
Posts: 5363 - Karma: 1,598

me2

metric is better IMO

Dec 15 2011 12:05PM
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DrZoidberg
Posts: 5675 - Karma: 4,268
The only things I don't use metric for are skateboard lengths and surfboard dimensions. And on another note, anybody from a country that uses metric and surf? Do you say a board is x feet y inches or like it's 2.1 meters or is it in cm?
Dec 15 2011 12:08PM
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Bonzalo
Posts: 2593 - Karma: 1,812
Thats stupid, you are comparing imperial to metric, but lets do it the other way around, lets compare metric to imperial:

A simple number as 2 meter would be, 6,562 feet or 78,74 inches.

It will never make sense, your argument is invalid.

Now lets talk about the chocolate chip thing, great analogy, now you tell me how would you divide the whole group of chocolate chips? would you be able to perfectly divide it in two groups, and then do it again 2 times more? dont think so.
So If you want to do it perfectly you will have to count and divide them anyway so both system would work.

So dont say that the imperial system is easier to use.

And btw, what were you trying to prove with the building pictures, im sure you can build the same buildings using the metric system.
Dec 15 2011 12:11PM
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saskskierftw
Posts: 898 - Karma: 62
Imperial is much much easier for construction though!
Dec 15 2011 12:31PM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,750
a normal person isn't 2 meters high.

a normal person would be say 1.85m high. or you could say 6 and 3/4 inches.

for a human hight feet just make so much more sense. generally for hight an accuracy of an inch is about all you need. meaning it rounds to whole numbers. like 5'11" or 6'2". if using metric for hight you can't just round to the nearest meter. You have to use cm's. which then makes unholy numbers like 185cm or 176cm. which just isn't as easy as feet/inches. It's a lot more pretty.

the chocolate chip analogy was just to prove how your mind naturally works in fractions, not in decimals. obviously if you want to be exact you need to count them out. But if you're just estimating, as I said, then a given measurement in fractions is much much easier than a given measurement in decimals.

That's why in cooking you use 1/2 cup of flour, or 1/4 cup oil. it's just much easier to visualize and your mind to process.

Imperial is just a more natural measurement for everyday uses. which is why you measure yourself in feet and inches and why you weigh yourself in pounds.


the building pictures were there since felatio implied my house was probably falling apart since it was built using imperial. his probably was too.
Dec 15 2011 12:34PM
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corona
Posts: 12795 - Karma: 32,750
I'm done with this though. Bottom line:

construction = imperial = win

scientific purposes = metric = win

mind works better with fractions than decimals, therefore imperial = win for every day use.
Dec 15 2011 12:36PM
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Bonzalo
Posts: 2593 - Karma: 1,812
Well, you probably measure yourself in feet and inches because of your nacionality, im from south america and here everybody uses the metric so I wouldnt say that one is more natural for the human than the other.

And you said that 5ยด11 is way simpler that saying 185 or 175, well thats for you, but for somebody who uses the metric wouldnt be , I mean, my height is 180 but used to be 178, and here you would ask somebody and nobody would round that number, everybody would say the 3 digits because there is big difference between numbers.

I know it would be hard to follow me because of my english but my point is, there is not a better system. People who are born and raised with one would always find easier the system they were raised with. So there is no point on changing one countrys system because people are used to the system they use.
Dec 15 2011 12:42PM
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