Isn't it about time the US joined the world's metric system?

JonSR77 said:
It's a good idea, in theory. In reality it costs an incredible amount of money to do that.
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Why is it a good idea, even in theory?

Recognizing America as multicultural, all products made, packaged, and/or distributed in the US are labeled with both measurements, from milk to candy and soup to nuts. Tools are available in both systems, sold separately and together. Both systems are printed on rulers, tape measures, engineering compasses and angling tools, power tools, table saws and more.

So, yes, it would be very expensive and really silly to impose a change on all the companies that produce all that stuff.
 
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If you want a sheet of 3/4" plywood, that's rare. You have to settle for 23/32", which is 1/32" less than 3/4". So you're at the lumber yard trying to figure out if that's what you want. You can use the calculator on your phone if you remembered your glasses, which usually is not the case. So you have to do it in your head. Let's see... 3/4 in 32nds would be 24/32, so 23/32" is what you want.

It's a bit of a pain in the butt.

In metric, 3/4 is 19mm. 23/32 is about 18.25mm. So using metric would be a lot simpler. Of course, we could use decimals instead of fractions with feet and inches, which would be .75 for 3/4 and .72 for 23/32, which would also be simpler, but there are no markings on a tape measure for tenths of an inch.

I'm all for moving to the metric system, but it would complicate building construction. Studs in walls are usually 16" apart. In metric, that's 40.64 cm. Meh. That's doable. I could adapt to metric in less than an hour. It's a hell of a lot simpler than feet and inches with fractions.

When driving, most of us could get used to km/h in less than a day. It's not that frickin' complicated.
 
SeniorBen said:
If you want a sheet of 3/4" plywood, that's rare. You have to settle for 23/32", which is 1/32" less than 3/4". So you're at the lumber yard trying to figure out if that's what you want. You can use the calculator on your phone if you remembered your glasses, which usually is not the case. So you have to do it in your head. Let's see... 3/4 in 32nds would be 24/32, so 23/32" is what you want.

It's a bit of a pain in the butt.

In metric, 3/4 is 19mm. 23/32 is about 18.25mm. So using metric would be a lot simpler. Of course, we could use decimals instead of fractions with feet and inches, which would be .75 for 3/4 and .72 for 23/32, which would also be simpler, but there are no markings on a tape measure for tenths of an inch.

I'm all for moving to the metric system, but it would complicate building construction. Studs in walls are usually 16" apart. In metric, that's 40.64 cm. Meh. That's doable. I could adapt to metric in less than an hour. It's a hell of a lot simpler than feet and inches with fractions.

When driving, most of us could get used to km/h in less than a day. It's not that frickin' complicated.
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If you want some 3/4-inch plywood, all you have to do is go to a lumber yard and ask for 3/4-inch plywood. They'll ask if you you want 4ft lengths or 8ft. And if you only need 2 or 3 feet, they'll cut it off a 4-footer for you.

And I mentioned in an earlier comment, building design, engineering, and construction in the US uses feet and inches, including for pipe-fitting, ducting, and rebar and footing depths. I'm pretty sure the welders don't use metrics either.

We do use metrics in engine, electronics, and robotics design and engineering.

And for cosmic measurements, NASA and physicists use a whole other system.

Marine scientists and researchers and all sailors use another.
 
@StarSong, you've got me thinking about this a bit more now and I have a few questions?
When Americans say meter or liter, does the emphasis fall on the first or second syllable?

Perhaps that is a silly question since you don't use the metric system for weights and other measurements.

Australians usually place the emphasis on the first syllable and minimise the second, so metre sounds like MEET-ugh. It would sound the same for either spelling. We also have a habit of abbreviating words. We don't ask for half a kilogram of meat at the butchers. We would either say "half a kilo" or about "500 grams" and we might not say it's "500 kilometres to the next town". We might say it's 500 Ks (or clicks) down the road.

I grew up with the imperial system of weights and measures and at school in chemistry lessons I was introduced to grams (g) and cubic centimetres (cc). Our maths classes involved calculations in inches, feet, yards and miles as well as pounds, shillings and pence, not to mention guineas and halfpennies. At university in physics lessons we had to handle and do conversions between three competing systems of mass, length and time. I still have nightmares (just kidding) about converting horsepower to kilowatts without the aid of a calculator.

Then there was the additional problem that the American mile and American ton were different to the British versions. This has implications for the calculation of speed. Is a mile a minute in US faster or slower than a 60 mph in UK? I think driving at 100 kpm is roughly equivalent to 60 mph when I was first learning to drive in Australia. Not sure whether I would get a speeding ticket for that in Texas. Is the American mile longer or shorter than a British one? I forget.

IMO the world of international trade and commerce is more efficient when there is just one system in operation. Just as English has emerged and the de facto standard language around the world I think it is probably best if we are all efficient in the French system of weights and measures that was developed systematically using factors of 10 as the general principle for calculation.

In the end, pronunciation is a very minor matter to worry about.
 
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Americans do use the Metric system every day. How about these examples..........A Mustang with a 5 liter V8 engine. A 2 liter bottle of coke. A nine millimeter Glock hand gun. A Tesla car with a 450 kilometer highway range. The DEA seized 325 kilos of meth at the Brownsville border crossing. The corn flakes box holds 585 grams of cereal. 454 grams equals a pound of meat. A jug of windshield washer fluid holds 3.8 liters which equals 4 quarts. Fuel economy can be measured by how many liters of fuel are used to drive 100 kilometers. My car gets 7 liters per 100 kilometers. I change my oil every 10,000 kilometers. I stand 179 centimeters tall, and I weigh 119 kilos. I bought a one liter bottle of wine for dinner yesterday. JimB.
 
Warrigal said:
@StarSong, you've got me thinking about this a bit more now and I have a few questions?
When Americans say meter or liter, does the emphasis fall on the first or second syllable?

Perhaps that is a silly question since you don't use the metric system for weights and other measurements.

Australians usually place the emphasis on the first syllable and minimise the second, so metre sounds like MEET-ugh. It would sound the same for either spelling. We also have a habit of abbreviating words. We don't ask for half a kilogram of meat at the butchers. We would either say "half a kilo" or about "500 grams" and we might not say it's "500 kilometres to the next town". We might say it's 500 Ks (or clicks) down the road.

I grew up with the imperial system of weights and measures and at school in chemistry lessons I was introduced to grams (g) and cubic centimetres (cc). Our maths classes involved calculations in inches, feet, yards and miles as well as pounds, shillings and pence, not to mention guineas and halfpennies. At university in physics lessons we had to handle and do conversions between three competing systems of mass, length and time. I still have nightmares (just kidding) about converting horsepower to kilowatts without the aid of a calculator.

Then there was the additional problem that the American mile and American ton were different to the British versions. This has implications for the calculation of speed. Is a mile a minute in US faster or slower than a 60 mph in UK? I think driving at 100 kpm is roughly equivalent to 60 mph when I was first learning to drive in Australia. Not sure whether I would get a speeding ticket for that in Texas. Is the American mile longer or shorter than a British one? I forget.

IMO the world of international trade and commerce is more efficient when there is just one system in operation. Just as English has emerged and the de facto standard language around the world I think it is probably best if we are all efficient in the French system of weights and measures that was developed systematically using factors of 10 as the general principle for calculation.

In the end, pronunciation is a very minor matter to worry about.
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Americans emphasize the first syllable of meter and liter, but both syllables are clearly uttered in most of the country (NYC, Boston and a few other northeastern American accents are possible exceptions).

Americans are at least passingly familiar with the metric system because it's the gold standard for many industries. To answer your questions: An American mile is 5280 feet and 1.609 km.
According to this website, British & American miles are the same.
https://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/length/brmile/brmile-to-kilometer.html?u=brmile&v=1
American and Canadian tons are 2000 lbs (907.185 kg). UK tons are 2240 lbs (1016.047). To distinguish between the measurements, UK tons are known as long tons and US/CDA tons are known as short tons.

There are a whole lot of ways of doing things that people would ultimately find more precise, efficient or useful, metric measurements being one of them, 24 hour (military) time being another. Unfortunately, humans are stubborn creatures of habit who take umbrage when others tell us what to do, even when the benefits are obvious.

To move the US to the metric system, we'd probably need to run it side-by-side with imperial for 10-20 years. IMHO, if companies were given 3 years to list all measurements (that would normally be given in imperial) in equally large type in both imperial and metric, that would be ample time for packaging changes. At that point, the 10-20 year (or whatever) clock would start for converting over completely.

p.s. We watch enough British and Aussie movies and TV shows to know that kilo is shorthand for kilogram. I'd heard the term "clicks" for distance, and surmised it meant km clicks on the odometer.

p.p.s. You'd be unlikely to get a speeding ticket in the US. Yes, speed limits are posted in mph, but speedometers are also shown in mph. Newer vehicles offer the option to show speed in either km or mph.

If you were pulled over, unless you were driving very unsafely, most police officers would wish international visitors a nice vacation, warn you to drive safely, and send you on your way.
 
StarSong said:
Americans emphasize the first syllable of meter and liter, but both syllables are clearly uttered in most of the country (NYC, Boston and a few other northeastern American accents are possible exceptions).

Americans are at least passingly familiar with the metric system because it's the gold standard for many industries. To answer your questions: An American mile is 5280 feet and 1.609 km.
According to this website, British & American miles are the same.
https://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/length/brmile/brmile-to-kilometer.html?u=brmile&v=1
Click to expand...
Thanks. It's a long time since I had to calculate in feet, yards and miles. It would appear that Australian (British ) miles were the same as in US.
StarSong said:
American and Canadian tons are 2000 lbs (907.185 kg). UK tons are 2240 lbs (1016.047). To distinguish between the measurements, UK tons are known as long tons and US/CDA tons are known as short tons.
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We use tonnes (metric) now. 1 tonne = 1000 Kg.

StarSong said:
There are a whole lot of ways of doing things that people would ultimately find more precise, efficient or useful, metric measurements being one of them, 24 hour (military) time being another. Unfortunately, humans are stubborn creatures of habit who take umbrage when others tell us what to do, even when the benefits are obvious. (y)

To move the US to the metric system, we'd probably need to run it side-by-side with imperial for 10-20 years. IMHO, if companies were given 3 years to list all measurements (that would normally be given in imperial) in equally large type in both imperial and metric, that would be ample time for packaging changes. At that point, the 10-20 year (or whatever) clock would start for converting over completely.

p.s. We watch enough British and Aussie movies and TV shows to know that kilo is shorthand for kilogram. I'd heard the term "clicks" for distance, and surmised it meant km clicks on the odometer.

p.p.s. You'd be unlikely to get a speeding ticket in the US. Yes, speed limits are posted in mph, but speedometers are also shown in mph. Newer vehicles offer the option to show speed in either km or mph.

If you were pulled over, unless you were driving very unsafely, most police officers would wish international visitors a nice vacation, warn you to drive safely, and send you on your way.
Click to expand...
We did drive around some of the western states around 35 years ago when, due to the Iran situation there was a shortage of oil, and highways had very strict speed limits with aerial speed checks. Your back roads were better than our highways and we had great difficulty driving slowly enough. We had a hire car with a sticker front and back that had a picture of a kangaroo and the words "Beware Aussie Driver". We found the police officers to be quite charming towards us. :giggle:
 
FlaSkyEye said:
I've never been adept at math however I figure a kilo is a kilo like a pound is a pound so I'd say a kilo of marijuana should weigh 2.20462 pounds American. Da? Nyet?
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One of the first jokes I remember being told in my life was when my father asked me, "Which weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of coal." I intuitively exclaimed with my 5 year old pride, "A pound of coal!" And then my father explained it to me. I thought that was the funniest joke I had ever heard (back then, anyway).
 
JustDave said:
One of the first jokes I remember being told in my life was when my father asked me, "Which weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of coal." I intuitively exclaimed with my 5 year old pride, "A pound of coal!" And then my father explained it to me. I thought that was the funniest joke I had ever heard (back then, anyway).
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JustDave that one is still kicking around. I remember the one when a clever teacher asked if a box containing a pound of lead and a box containing a pound of feathers fell off a roof which box would hit the ground first, lol.
 
One of the things I always wondered about was why "12 "-12 in a dozen, 12 inches to a foot, etc. 12 hours in the AM, 12 in the PM, etc. I should have asked an ancient Egyptian. Look at you right hand, forget the thumb, look at your fingers. There are 3 sections on each finger. 3 X 4= 12 And the other hand is for counting nighttime hours.
 
I started working for the Navy as a civilian in 1967. About two years in, the civilian powers that be decided that we would gradually convert our measurements and reports to the metric system. To do my part, I was tasked with converting a bunch of charts to the metric system. Needless to say, nothing ever got implemented. I think that the military part of the Navy said not-so-politely no thank you! As far as the original question goes, it ain't gonna happen :geek:
 

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