Imperial vs Metric: Should the US change?

[The Blackangel]

So here in the states, we use the imperial system. We're one of only 3 countries on this planet that use this system, the other two being Myanmar and Liberia. Until I looked it up, I had never heard of either country.

Everyone is going to say that their system is easier. Here, the majority of us don't know how to use the metric system because we never had to. For example, I'm over 6 feet tall. That's roughly 188 centimeters. If the calculation was right. If you were to tell me that you're 188 centimeters tall, I wouldn't have a clue if that's tall or short. But if you were to tell me that you're 6'2" then I would know what you were saying.

With the metric system being on a scale of 10, it does make a hell of a lot more sense. Here the freezing point is 32° vs the freezing point of the metric system is 0°. Here the boiling point is 212°. The boiling point in metric is 100°. I'm comfortable at about 65 degrees. For those on the metric system, that is about 18 degrees.

With 3 exceptions, the entire world is on the metric system. In 1975 Presidents Ford tried to get us over to the metric system, but the people fought it. He was trying to make it easy by putting both systems together. For example on the road you have speed limits. He would put mph and kmh on the sign together.

But as said, the people fought it. Regardless, in my opinion, we should join the rest of the world and switch to the metric system. It makes more sense that hanging on to an outdated and obsolete system.

What are everyone else's thoughts on the matter?

 

[amor.dor]

I prefer the metric system because it's more precise and its anchors are more accessible things, like the temperature of water. Also, for example, the inch—which has an ancient history—still gives that impression of variability because in the past different people could have different-sized fingers, so it conveys that impression even today. And in college, I always liked the metric system more.
The imperial system has already caused problems; for example, NASA has lost a lot of money because people confused the systems.

Mars Climate Orbiter - NASA Science

Designed to study Mars from orbit and serve as a communications relay for the Mars Polar Lander and Deep Space probes, the Mars Climate Orbiter was unsuccessful due to a navigation error; an investigation found that the spacecraft burned up in Mars' atmosphere.

science.nasa.gov

 

[Dejected 55]

Metric system makes way more sense... can't speak for the other holdouts besides the US, but I feel like our own arrogance + stubbornness of people to learn new things is what killed it here. We really should have converted long ago and then it wouldn't be an issue. There's a learning curve to convert but in a couple of generations it's all clean.

We've had issues... including one in either the Space Shuttle program or the Mars Rover or the International Space Station where the US people were working off Imperial while one of their parts suppliers was working off metric.... and for some reason the US workers didn't bother checking to make sure everything was right before using parts that didn't fit. The details are fuzzy to me now, but suffice to say being different for different sake AND not bothering to double and triple check stuff was a problem.

Incidentally... it's interesting for the US to be a minority holdout on this kind of thing... when internally our government loves to marginalize minorities and tell them to "get with the program" and especially the current administration really hates people who are different. Be funny if the rest of the world cut us off until we converted to metric.

 

[The Blackangel]

The imperial system has already caused problems; for example, NASA has lost a lot of money because people confused the systems.

You're thinking of a Mars Orbiter. They really fucked up there. They did the calculations in feet, but programmed the lander in meters. It slammed into the planet harder than anything we have sent out. The only thing that would make a difference would be if we intentionally slammed it into the planet like they fid with Cassini and Saturn. But that miscommunication cist NASA $185 million. Needless to say, that idiot was canned as soon as they figured out who owned that fuckup.

 

[Forever Sleep]

In the UK, we use a confusing mixture really. Commony, we'll refer to height the same- in feet and inches. Weights, we go for a whole mixture. A person's weight- we often refer to in stones and pounds, whereas I believe it's just pounds in America. Food weights and liquids- it varies. Pints, litres, grams, pounds.

For engineering measurements, I think metric is better because it looks more accessibly precise- to me. The inch measurements marked on rulers look clumsy in comparison. The 1/16th of an inch most commonly marked on a ruler is pretty much divided into two markings by the mm scale.

It probably doesn't actually matter that much though really- so long as everyone is clear about what measurement units they're using. There was that infamous case where a $125- $327 million NASA mission was lost when both metric and imperial units were used by different teams and the spacecraft was set on an incorrect trajectory on the approach to Mars and, burned up in the atmosphere. Probably some of the greatest minds on earth I imagine, embarassed by a miscommunication/ assumption.

As carpenters remind themselves- measure twice, cut once. The amount of times I've screwed up cutting the wrong measurement is embarassing!

 

[The Blackangel]

In the UK, we use a confusing mixture really. Commonly, we'll refer to height the same- in feet and inches. Weights, we go for a whole mixture. A person's weight- we often refer to in stones

I've hears about that stones bullshit. That is something that makes literally no sense.

As carpenters remind themselves- measure twice, cut once. The amount of times I've screwed up cutting the wrong measurement is embarrassing!

My daddy was a carpenter for well over 30 years, and while he taught me several things about carpentry, he never once mentioned that. But I never really went in for carpentry. I'm more artistically minded. There's a reasonable explanation as to why I'm more artist than practical. But I'm not going to get into that right now.

 

[Captive_Mind515]

If it was up to me, I would standardise everything across the world. Including everyone speaking a common language (which I know would make ppl hate me ). I'm just like an ultra pragmatist, I don't see the point of having conflicting systems in measuring or communicating or anything else that could easily be standardised or streamlined.

But we're humans... nothing is allowed to be easy or straightforward it seems. But yeah, America should join the metric world. You are a highly advanced society, so it's kind of funny that you have to switch between both systems.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I've hears about that stones bullshit. That is something that makes literally no sense.

My daddy was a carpenter for well over 30 years, and while he taught me several things about carpentry, he never once mentioned that. But I never really went in for carpentry. I'm more artistically minded. There's a reasonable explanation as to why I'm more artist than practical. But I'm not going to get into that right now.

Yeah, the stones and pounds thing probably doesn't make much sense but- if it's what you grow up with, you get used to it. It might be different now. People probably choose digitally what units their scale will use.

Depends what you view as artistic. Carpentry is an art as well as a skill sometimes but sure- I'm less intereseted in the boring, technical side of things- but, that can be disasterous sometimes! Ideally, it's probably good to have a bit of both.

 

[dead dav]

Yeah the uk tried to change over to metric in the late 60s but for some reason it was never finished so we end up with a confusing mix like petrol measured in litres but distances in miles

 

[The Blackangel]

Depends what you view as artistic. Carpentry is an art as well as a skill sometimes but sure- I'm less interested in the boring, technical side of things- but, that can be disastrous sometimes! Ideally, it's probably good to have a bit of both.

Art to me is things like painting, sculpting, writing, etc. There is no right or wrong way to do it. Whereas with things like carpentry, you have to get it right or the whole project is screwed. In my case, my art is the written word. I've actually finished 2 full length novels, several short stories, and a hell of a lot of unconventional poetry. However, I'm revamping a huge portion of the first novel I wrote. I have never liked that part, even as I was writing it. Why I kept it, I'll never know.

Yeah the UK tried to change over to metric in the late 60s but for some reason it was never finished so we end up with a confusing mix like petrol measured in litres but distances in miles

I'm going to assume petrol is gas. I've heard some people say petrol, but never heard any context with it, so until now I had no idea what the hell it was.

 

[Forever Sleep]

Art to me is things like painting, sculpting, writing, etc. There is no right or wrong way to do it. Whereas with things like carpentry, you have to get it right or the whole project is screwed. In my case, my art is the written word. I've actually finished 2 full length novels, several short stories, and a hell of a lot of unconventional poetry. However, I'm revamping a huge portion of the first novel I wrote. I have never liked that part, even as I was writing it. Why I kept it, I'll never know.


I'm going to assume petrol is gas. I've heard some people say petrol, but never heard any context with it, so until now I had no idea what the hell it was.

I'd say there are overlaps between art and many things- even architecture. Some of them require precise measuring. I'd say something like this coffee table is very sculptural for example:



I suspect novels are things you return to until they feel 'right'. So, it makes sense you've kept work. Have you had any success publishing? Obviously, not encouraging you to doxx yourself!

Even some paintings are based on engineering drawing 'tricks' though- like perspective. Life drawing for instance can be technically very good or very bad according to how accurate it is. But then- I agree. Even something technically terrible, some people may still admire for other qualities in it.

 

[Forveleth]

We have to update blueprints, recalculate/recreate standards, and replace every single speed limit and freeway distance sign in the entire country. This would be unbelievably expensive. On top of that you have the confusion and possible danger of changing standards. There have been incidents throughout history, some deadly, that occurred because of mixing standard and metric or a recent conversion between the two.

I am a science person so I am quite used to the metric system and I would love for the US to change but at this point we are in too deep and it is just not worth it and, quite frankly, we have way too much other shit going on.

 

[dead dav]

Yes petrol is gas short for petroleum

 

[Dejected 55]

We have to update blueprints, recalculate/recreate standards, and replace every single speed limit and freeway distance sign in the entire country. This would be unbelievably expensive. On top of that you have the confusion and possible danger of changing standards. There have been incidents throughout history, some deadly, that occurred because of mixing standard and metric or a recent conversion between the two.

I am a science person so I am quite used to the metric system and I would love for the US to change but at this point we are in too deep and it is just not worth it and, quite frankly, we have way too much other shit going on.

This thinking, though, is why we can never have nice things. Nobody ever wants to start changing or replacing things slowly in preparation for a future cutover... The way to do this, for example... the speed limit signs... ALL new signs that go up whether for new roads or replacing old signs go up with metric and imperial on the signs. That's your transition period. Eventually you'll end up replacing most of the signs as you do other road maintenance a little along the way... and once all the signs have been replaced with the both versions ones... you're gold. From that point forward, when you replace a sign you replace with just the metric version. By that time you've been well enough into the transition that people are used to metric.

IF we had started this say in the 1970s... we'd have been done by now and it wouldn't have cost more than the work that would have been done over that time anyway. But no, people have to think "all or nothing" and nobody wants a hard cutover tomorrow... and so it never happens.

Like when they talk about cutting over to electric vehicles in year XXXX but in the meantime they do jack shit to make that make sense by enhancing infrastructure over time to make it cheaper and more efficient to have charging stations available in abundance... Or whatever we want to use to generate power, we always have to fight trying to transition introducing new methods over years so that when we run out of fossil fuels we already have the backbone in place to take over with an alternative fuel.

People seem to want to do these things in the most ham-handed ways possible.

 

[The Blackangel]

If we start with road signs, give it 20-30 years, and we should be off the imperial system and fully over to metric. This couldn't be done overnight. Americans would be completely lost. But start now, and give it a couple decades. Then, by 2060, we would be metric like the rest of the world. But no, it won't happen because Americans don't like change.