It's time for the US to use the metric system

https://www.vox.com/2014/5/29/5758542/time-for-the-US-to-use-the-metric-system

by z3t1 • 9 years ago

17 32 9 years ago

Never give up your feet and inches. They're intuitive in a way that metric somehow is not. Can't explain it but it is true.

mkempe• 9 years ago

I grew up with the metric system, hence have the opposite feeling of what is "intuitive". Same thing with Celsius vs Fahrenheit.

pound• 9 years ago

intuitive as in got used to?

luis_espinoza• 9 years ago

I disagree, I think you are just used to it. I grew inside a metric system country and is difficult for me to think in imperial system. So, if the US embrace the metric system, I guess the shock will be on the current generation, future kids will never notice it.

osullivj2• 9 years ago

Forgive the nitpicking, but the US measures are slightly different than Imperial [1]. They're both based on ancient English weights and measures. However, a US pint is 16oz, and an imperial pint in 20oz. An important distinction if you drink beer! Also if you're figuring your car's MPG as both US & Imperial gallons are eight pints.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_and_US_customary_meas...

dozzie• 9 years ago

They're intuitive in a way that metric somehow is not. Can't explain it but it is true.

Oh yes, like one millimile is about five feet long. Very intuitive indeed.

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Metric_system

The quote at the very top of the article explains how US system is intuitive compared to metric, even if it was meant as satire.

killaken2000• 9 years ago

I have yard stick that I divided into groups of 10 it works pretty well.

for example my foot is 25 centiyards.

cylinder• 9 years ago

The only one that's intuitive is Fahrenheit for casual discussion of weather.

Fjolsvith4• 9 years ago

Yeah, and 2x4 boards aren't as intuitive as 50x100cm boards.

BJanecke• 9 years ago

In the same way it's hard to explain why you are most comfortable with your first language ;)

helthanatos2• 9 years ago

Yes and no. Scientific measurements should definitely use metric. Home measurements and measurements that don't matter are perfectly fine using the American system; they're more understandable in a way.

helthanatos2• 9 years ago

Looks like someone disagrees but couldn't contest me with a comment. Stop down print without reason

chrisan• 9 years ago

Not going to happen under the current administration. It would seem "un-american" to adopt "evil/unfair european ways"

gwright• 9 years ago

Down voting because this comment has nothing to do with the article in question. It is just a gratuitous injection of political opinion.

kevin_thibedeau2• 9 years ago

We do use it. Many common products are sold in hard metric quantities. It is difficult to buy plywood in non-metric thickness. Non-legacy electronic components are metric. The US military pushes for metrication. This is all done as a result of globalization or the need for commonality.

Fjolsvith4• 9 years ago

Um, I disagree with this. Plywood still comes in 5/8" and 3/4" thicknesses. Boards are still 2x4's and 2x6's, in even feet lengths. I own a wood shed manufacturing business.

These sizes aren't going to change, nor are people going to start calling an "8'-2x4" a "2.4384m-50x100cm board".

kevin_thibedeau2• 9 years ago

Plywood still comes in 5/8" and 3/4"

You might see it signed as 5/8 and 3/4 but usually it's 15mm and 19mm.

profsnuggles• 9 years ago

The length and weight units we use every day in the US are defined in terms of their metric counterparts anyway.

I work in furniture manufacturing in the US. All the hardware we use is metric, many tools are metric and all CNC machines are programmed in metric.

Really the only time I ever have an issue is when I get European hardware that has "helpfully" Americanized the units. Which means arbitrarily rounding the dimensions on the spec sheets to be pretty looking.

I assume that it is the same in most US manufacturing industries. Does it really matter if the industrial base uses different units than people use in day to day life?

Fjolsvith4• 9 years ago

Well, I suspect the construction industry isn't going to start calling an 8'-2x4 board a "2.4384 meter 50.8x100.16cm board" anytime soon.

Doxin3• 9 years ago

no, you'd call it a 5 by 10 by 200 piece of wood. Having '2 by four' as a common term is an american thing. Over here you just talk about the size of the wood. in any case you'd call it a 5-by-10. Wood from the store isn't properly dimensioned anyway, and the metric system has this neat thing where it goes in steps of 10 (mostly) so you can pick a unit that's scaled usefully.

makecheck• 9 years ago

Measurements can be combined with things that are already irreducible. For example, in baking, a recipe using “one egg” and “2 cups flour” has to keep the “one egg” if it’s going to convert to metric; and given conversion tables that favor nice round numbers over exact amounts, this means the proportions will change ever so slightly. It definitely doesn’t matter in every case but it’s these kinds of issues that would prevent people from wanting to spend time just converting everything.

I am a little surprised that the U.S. hasn’t adopted more “low hanging fruit” though. For instance, street signs could clearly display kilometer distances and km/h speed limits, especially if the “km” was included on the sign (as it was in Canada during a transition phase).

RamenJunkie_• 9 years ago

Eh, the 1 egg is already kind of a fudgy number anyway. Especially using anything but standard store bought eggs. The farm eggs I get can be very small to double the size of a small one easily.

ravinizme• 9 years ago

As you can see here. In Veritasium American kilogram.The US system (pounds) are defined by a conversion from the metric system.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SmSJXC6_qQ8

jmclnx• 9 years ago

"1) New federal laws" Never going to happen in the US with the political climate. I can see the re-election adds now.

"2) A gradual slide" Somewhat possibility. I think these days the US Military Complex is pretty much metric now. I have seen some of the terms bleed into civilian live and in movies (ie: "klick").

"3) State-by-state mandates" never going to happen, see 1 above.

rabboRubble• 9 years ago

I made the transition to the metric system fairly late in life (moved overseas) and here are some tricks I discovered to make the metric system "feel" right to me.

- A liter is equal to four of my kitchen's 1 cup measuring cups. Sort of. Close enough for government work.

- My feet are around 25cm. Four of my feet are a meter. Sort of.

- 0C is cold, 10C is brisk and I need a jacket, 20C is so nice out, 30C is hot, 40C I want to die from sweat, 50C I will die.

That's all it took for me to orient myself in the metric system. Metric not that hard to use on an every day basis.

It's time for the US to use the metric system

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