Head-Fi.org › Forums › Misc.-Category Forums › Members' Lounge (General Discussion) › Do you want the metric system in the USA?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Do you want the metric system in the USA? - Page 3

post #31 of 122
1/29/10 at 10:10pm
...preferably not in my lifetime... I'm lazy.

I'm certainly not interested in government intervention in this matter. We spend millions in the 70's and all we got out of it was 2 liter bottles.
Reply
post #32 of 122
1/29/10 at 10:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jjinh View Post
I suppose you mean with weather forecasts and the like. yeah, i imagine it could be confusing at first. But with 0 Celsius/centigrade as the freezing temp of water (or melting point of ice), 100 boiling point - you nice round numbers... you'll get use to it
When I frist got to US, at any given day, I don't really how what to wear before going out, The temperature thing just killing me!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Orpheus View Post
best reason to go metric:...

so you don't have to buy 2 sets of sockets and wrenches. (snapon has made a fortune off of me. )
YES. as mechanic, I hate to spend twice as much to have two sets. When I work on Militay Equipments some parts are standard, and parts are metric, never the same!!
Reply
post #33 of 122
1/29/10 at 10:41pm
the imperial lengths were easy when everyone had 12 fingers
Reply
post #34 of 122
1/29/10 at 10:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SiriuslyCold View Post
the imperial lengths were easy when everyone had 12 fingers
5/16", perhaps I have to take off my shoes start using my toes
Reply
post #35 of 122
1/29/10 at 11:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Orpheus View Post
best reason to go metric:...

so you don't have to buy 2 sets of sockets and wrenches. (snapon has made a fortune off of me. )
I agree very much. I hate having to buy 2 sets of tools.
Reply
post #36 of 122
1/29/10 at 11:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Redo View Post
I don't think celsius is a metric measurement. But in any case, celsius is a beautiful way of measuring temperature. 0° is when water freezes, 100° is when water boils, couldn't ask for a more logical measurement of temperature.
Kelvin is the actual metric measurement for temperature, but 0 Celcius is 273.15 K.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. B View Post
...preferably not in my lifetime... I'm lazy.

I'm certainly not interested in government intervention in this matter. We spend millions in the 70's and all we got out of it was 2 liter bottles.
2 liter bottles didn't come from the 70s. It came from companies wanting the same size containers everywhere.
Reply
post #37 of 122
1/30/10 at 12:29am
I'm all in favor of the Metric System. But on a practical level, it would be a nightmare to implement.

Imperial tools would have to be kept around for quite some time - a lot of us hold on to old cars, bikes, tools, and much else.

Also, a lot of the country is barely literate as it is. Changing everything would really mess with them.
Reply
post #38 of 122
1/30/10 at 12:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by logwed View Post
My qualm with it (Celsius/Centigrade) is that, while it is well-supported by scientific phenomena, it isn't as precise in measuring ever-day conditions on the surface of the earth. Plus, it isn't even all that useful scientifically.
What do you mean, temperature is temperature, being born and raised in asia, I find celcius is much easier than farenheit. 0c is freezing, lower than 10c is cold, higher than 30c is hot.
Reply
post #39 of 122
1/30/10 at 12:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by krmathis View Post
Yeah, that would be a blessing!
Seeing how the metric system is used almost everywhere else in the world.


Click for larger

Antarctica has really dropped the ball here, they need to get with the program.
Reply
post #40 of 122
1/30/10 at 12:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by RYCeT View Post
What do you mean, temperature is temperature, being born and raised in asia, I find celcius is much easier than farenheit. 0c is freezing, lower than 10c is cold, higher than 30c is hot.
That's a range of only 20 degrees, which compared (~35F being cold and 80F being hot) to a range of 45 degrees, is significantly less precise. Now, I'm not trying to be argumentative, but of course you find Celsius easier to use; you were raised on it. It's the same reason I find Fahrenheit much more simple to identify with.
Reply
post #41 of 122
1/30/10 at 12:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mattcalf View Post
Antarctica has really dropped the ball here, they need to get with the program.
Antarctica is clearly the largest continent (through observing that map), so I think that the world should conform to their standard. Also, their population is the most highly educated per capita, so they must know their stuff!
Reply
post #42 of 122
1/30/10 at 12:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Orpheus View Post
best reason to go metric:...

so you don't have to buy 2 sets of sockets and wrenches. (snapon has made a fortune off of me. )
This is my silent struggle. Some of the machines I work with were made in the States, so imperial screws, taps and nuts. Some are made in Europe, so metric screws, taps and nuts.
Reply
post #43 of 122
1/30/10 at 1:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by scompton View Post
I voted yes. We were starting to do it in the 70s and the effort just kind of petered out.

I doubt it will ever happen though, or at least not in my lifetime. Considering how inmumerate most people are, it would confuse most people.

I wonder if anyone here was around in Britain or elsewhere when the conversion was made. I've met older people in Britain who still couldn't comprehend Celcius. I think that and kilometers/miles and centimeters/inches would be the hardest for most people.

Liters are already pretty widely used in drink bottles. A kilo is 2.2 pounds so that conversion is pretty easy.
Well 2.5 cm is an inch, and 1.6km is a mile, so it's not that bad. I'm not sure why people don't get celcius in the states, 0 is water freezing, 100 is water boiling, 20 is room temp, 30 is a summer day, easy!
Reply
post #44 of 122
1/30/10 at 1:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by RedLeader View Post
Well 2.5 cm is an inch, and 1.6km is a mile, so it's not that bad. I'm not sure why people don't get celcius in the states, 0 is water freezing, 100 is water boiling, 20 is room temp, 30 is a summer day, easy!
I don't have much problem with cm and km, but I think quite a few people would. Celcius is just not being used to it. I really have only a rough idea and need to do the conversion to know what it will feel like. It wouldn't take me long to get used to it if I was exposed to it every day.

I've stayed in a few B&Bs in Britain with elderly proprietors and they had problems with Celcius. I remember one couple in particular. We were talking about weather in the DC area and I said what typical summer temperatures are in Celcius. They asked what that was in Fahrenheit.
Reply
post #45 of 122
1/30/10 at 1:38am
I would love to switch, everything with metric just makes so much more sense, and everything in science is done in metric units. But it would be a daunting task to switch now.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Misc.-Category Forums › Members' Lounge (General Discussion) › Do you want the metric system in the USA?