What are your thoughts about changing our system of measurements to the metric system? It could be argured that changing to a more widely used system of measures would make some of our products and services more competitive than they currently are on a global scale. Also obvious, it would cost a lot of money to change everything over.

Personally, I wish the US would get with the program and change to the metric system. Not by tomorrow or anything, but I wish they'd start a gradual push to move to the metric system. Obviously the first step would be to start teaching the metric system exclusively to kids in elementary school, or whenever it is that they cover that stuff. Government would have to start changing speed limit and directional signs... maybe make them show both metric and US for 20-25 years, then put up ones with only metric.

Think about how much would have to change. It is obviously much much more than just speed limit signs and mile markers. Worth it or a huge pain in the ass?

3/15/2006 12:41:37 PM

if we change the speed limit to 120 km/hr there are going to be people doing 120 mph/hr

3/15/2006 12:45:39 PM

aha

3/15/2006 12:45:52 PM

^^ quite the acceleration you have there.

3/15/2006 12:48:07 PM

huge pain in the ass

3/15/2006 12:57:27 PM

i say change everything except for distances and speed when driving
i would guess fewer people would have a problem with the change if they could still see mph and judge distances in miles

[Edited on March 15, 2006 at 1:00 PM. Reason : ^^ not really]

3/15/2006 12:58:42 PM

change everything, post speed limits and the like in both km/h and m/h

3/15/2006 1:13:36 PM

km are actually very easy to adjust to. 1 km is .6 miles. You can actually see a km in most places.

I'm all for it. I see screwups on a daily basis just because people don't know how to work with inches. In fact I make a point to buy tape measures marked in decimal inches for my own personal use.

I'm also for metric time, but that's a whole different battle. To clarify, I'm for the metric time system where a day is the base unit.

[Edited on March 15, 2006 at 1:19 PM. Reason : .]

3/15/2006 1:15:02 PM

Wow. Gas is only $0.759!!!1!!11!1

(assuming they even bother themselves with updating the price with the change to metric)

$2.699/l

3/15/2006 1:22:19 PM

i'd be all for a metric system, but i don't forsee it happening completely...maybe not ever.

there are still machines in use that are decades old, and there's no real point in spending millions of dollars in new equipment when the old, imperial-based stuff still works fine. and while those machines are in service, tools and the like will be made that have imperial units. circles around on itself.


however, some things are leaning toward metric...i toured a hydro power station last summer that was built using metric units...where the other stations operated by Duke Power use imperial. so some assimilation is possible

3/15/2006 1:30:54 PM

If we are switching things up… I want Kelvin instead of Celsius, basing it off water seems too be almost as arbitrary as Fahrenheit, and I’d like to never go outside in negative temperatures again.

And I want my astronomy professors to get in line too... they have their own units with their parsecs this and AU's that. If we are going to consolidate, lets really do it, and not have multiple standards that are scientifically acceptable.

3/15/2006 1:36:39 PM

I think it's a bit much to say something will 'never' happen. It can happen, and it probably will. However, the length of the task may be so long and so gradual that people our age and older won't really be able to see the change.

For example, put up the dual system speed limit signs on any NEW highways constructed. Over time, as roads are resurfaced or repaired, use that time to aslo make sign changes.

I think it is a process which would take about 50-75 years to complete 100%.

3/15/2006 1:42:22 PM

I don't really see what we would gain. Our laboratories and industries already use metric where appropriate, all they do is label their products in english. The only people it seems to help are the few that travel internationally and use both systems. It would also cut down a little on double labling of speedometers and odometers, but everyone is already used to having both on their indicators. As such, the effort to change over strikes me as a high price to pay for very little benefit.

3/15/2006 1:45:17 PM

i hate having to use english units for scientific stuff. that is a huge pain in the ass. the english system is so ass-backwards it's ridiculous.

3/15/2006 1:52:01 PM

"My car gets 40 rods a hogs head and thats the way I likes it!"
-Abe Simpson

3/15/2006 1:59:46 PM

Quick!!!!

Add 5' 5 1/4" + 12' 4 1/8" + 3' 8 15/16" + 21' 2 3/16".

Also, what volume will a box 1' 3" x 4' 9" x 4' 3" hold in gallons?

These are calculations I have to do on a daily basis, and that's because I'm the only guy on our crew with a HS diploma. Seriously, you overestimate the intelligence of Americans. The metric system can only help.

[Edited on March 15, 2006 at 3:18 PM. Reason : Answers for those playing at home: 42' 8 1/2" & 188.77 gal]

3/15/2006 3:05:57 PM

The thing I have trouble wrapping my mind around is where I work I deal with tenths of an inch.......0.1 or 1".

The upper air data that comes in is transmitted in meters, but for the surface weather observation cloud heights are in feet. It boggles the mind.

3/15/2006 3:43:04 PM

It makes sense to change it, but it will cost a fuckton of $, and thus I doubt it will be changed anytime soon.

3/15/2006 4:15:41 PM

Didn't they try this in the '70s? What happened to that?

Generally, I think it's a good idea. A transition period would be necessary in which both amounts are shown of course, but that's not too much of a hassle. The closer we move to a world economy--or further into it, I guess, the more of an inevitability this becomes.

3/15/2006 4:35:07 PM

i'm not for it

however if i grew up learning the metric system i would be for it

but i'm not because i'm american

plus i have a calculator

3/15/2006 4:38:20 PM

My dad is a licensed engineer in several disciplines. He believes we will never switch over to metric, and cites property deeds as the source. There are plenty of deeds that exist using wierd imprecise units of measurement, such as ride your horse x distance past the large oak tree, and other relative references. If you tried to switch deeds over to metric, you'd have to address the issue that many of them aren't accurate to begin with, and nobody wants to end up with even an inch less property. Not to mention the construction issues you'd have buying a metric wall stud or pipe to rennovate your house.

3/15/2006 4:51:10 PM

In ME labs the equipment is usually in imperial, which sucks, or a mix of imperial and metric, which is worse. From these labs I recently found out that there are two types of measurements for a pound - pound-force and pound-mass. And if you use the wrong one it will screw up your conversions. At least they don't make us use imperial for anything thermo related. If I had to use Btus per pound-mole-Rankine I would probably kill myself.

If the US changes it is going to take a very long time. Someone already pointed out that there's plenty of imperial equipment in use now that's going to be around for years to come.

3/15/2006 5:06:51 PM

personally, i'd be for it. but working where i do, i don't see it happening at least not in any near future. it'd cost companies millions upon millions to switch equipment, labs, retrain employees, etc. plus they already adjust for overseas shipments as is. i just don't see a real cost/benefit.

3/15/2006 5:14:08 PM

The shitty thing about it is all the manufacturing equipment is already in imperial. Things like road signs and car speedometers aren't that big of a deal, but building new sheet metal presses and drills and lathes isn't as simple as a simple reprogramming. Those things pretty much have to be completely overhauled and rebuilt.

But I'm all for it.

Hell, if we can stay in the Kyoto thing despite the economic costs to us, then we sure as heck ..... waiiiiiiiit a sec...

Quote :

"Wow. Gas is only $0.759!!!1!!11!1"

But remember, that's metric dollars.
Very similar to Canadian dollars.
So gas would be like 12 cents USD.

Quote :

"^^ quite the acceleration you have there. ------------------------------------------------- ^^ not really"

True.
If I saw someone on the highway going 120mph/hr, I think he would be honked off the road.

At least for the first 30 minutes that he's driving.

3/15/2006 5:38:01 PM

wont work

if our parents were too lazy to convert we shouldn't have to either

3/15/2006 6:16:15 PM

Quote :

"...there are two types of measurements for a pound - pound-force and pound-mass. And if you use the wrong one it will screw up your conversions... "

no there is only one pound, the one for force

the one whose metric analog is the newton

the pound mass is a fucked up unit that someone thought would be a good idea because we equate pounds with mass in our head

the slug is the proper unit for mass in the english system

that shit pisses me off so fucking much that i want to punch anyone that uses it

3/15/2006 6:41:34 PM

tell that to the ME department

3/15/2006 7:06:39 PM

I think we will eventually, it's just a matter of time to phase it in. Afterall, there's a LOT of stuff that needs to be changed from machining and manufacturing to the labels on the can.

This isn't to say that the old system will disappear immediately either. While Korea switched to the metric system back in the 1940s, they're still using some of the old traditional measurements for a few archaic things: for example, measuring property size in the old "pyeong" instead of m^2. British still haven't squashed the old imperial system back home either with hold outs all over.

3/15/2006 7:14:41 PM

nerdchick you need to go back to your highschool and kick your physics teacher in the shins for not teaching you that

3/15/2006 7:22:57 PM

We already only use metric at work. Science, niggas

3/15/2006 7:35:43 PM

man in high school all the shit was in Newtons, no lbm or lbf

I only found there was such a thing like last month

3/15/2006 7:41:47 PM

Quote :

"Queti: i just don't see a real cost/benefit."

Not familiar with the idea of long term timelines, are you? We're talking about global savings in time and money.

3/15/2006 7:42:31 PM

We should stop doing that month/day/year crap... what idiot thought that up?

3/15/2006 7:49:21 PM

The latest version?

3/15/2006 8:01:12 PM

day/month/year is the way to go. don't even need a comma when you write it that way.

3/15/2006 8:16:48 PM

Quote :

"Not familiar with the idea of long term timelines, are you? We're talking about global savings in time and money."

Tell that to the corp that's fronting the cash.

3/15/2006 8:40:45 PM

Quote :

"^^ quite the acceleration you have there."

winner

3/15/2006 8:44:56 PM

I don't think it'll be long before the multi-national corporations (GE and others like it) start doing it to simplify matters. They tend to be the most forward-looking participants in the economy, anyway.

3/15/2006 8:45:41 PM

if this was an easy change they would have done this long ago. they'd have to replace EVERY sign in america to convert.

3/15/2006 10:33:09 PM

what's that cost? a cruise missile or two? tops.

3/15/2006 10:36:17 PM

Quote :

"day/month/year is the way to go."

I actually prefer UTC timestamps which put the heavier units to the left(like our number system). It just makes more logical sense.
Example: Year-Month-Day Hour:Minute:Second.DecimalOfASecond

day-month-year seems to be more common in other countries though. month-day-year is just plain retarded and no doubt resulted from the spoken English language.

3/15/2006 10:41:11 PM

I'm aging myself, but I remember this getting pressed when I was in grade school in the 70's. I'm all for it. It makes a hell of alot more sense than this fucked up system we have now.

I do most of my home repairs and woodworking with metric tapes and measurements. It's much easier to deal with.

Ain't going to happen anytime soon though, unfortunately.

3/15/2006 10:47:34 PM

We don't know what kilos because we're American and own the fucking world, so we don't have to.

3/15/2006 11:09:56 PM

Quote :

"if this was an easy change they would have done this long ago. they'd have to replace EVERY sign in america to convert."

at least that could be justified as a boost to the economy. instead of going to war, we could replace signs and manufacture new machinery.

3/16/2006 12:20:17 AM

Shadowrunner:

Quote :

"at least that could be justified as a boost to the economy. instead of going to war, we could replace signs and manufacture new machinery."

This is a most excellent and worthy of points you address. Kudos to you my friend.

rudeboy:

Quote :

"if this was an easy change they would have done this long ago. they'd have to replace EVERY sign in america to convert."

tl:

Quote :

"The shitty thing about it is all the manufacturing equipment is already in imperial. Things like road signs and car speedometers aren't that big of a deal, but building new sheet metal presses and drills and lathes isn't as simple as a simple reprogramming. Those things pretty much have to be completely overhauled and rebuilt."

Again, we are talking about decades of transition to metric. Keep everything the same for now, just change what you're instructing to your kids. Once they've gotten old enough to start entering the workplace, most of the machiney will have been replaced or overhauled. That's when you start making replacements. That's also probably plenty of time to replace signs, at least in the more densly populated areas.

3/16/2006 1:02:49 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_broken_window

3/16/2006 1:21:49 AM

^^^ Or we could spend the money doing other stuff, such as feeding the hungry and inventing new technology.

Your choice.

If you know metric, then do everything in metric. But I don't see how writing mph on our road-signs is hurting anyone. If your complaint is that people don't automatically know metric and thus need to be taught it whenever they enter a business setting, I disagree. Even if you were doing the measurements in english you would still need to train nearly everyone.

It isn't beyond human ability to use meters at work and miles to get home.

Quote :

"Think about how much would have to change. It is obviously much much more than just speed limit signs and mile markers."

There is no law that all products must be in english. If an American manufacturer is using english while their customers expect metric, then they are idiots. As such, since most industries are now internationally competitive, their products are designed and built using metric. The only place english enters into it is the workers are 5' 11" and the factory is 20 miles from the port, none of which has anything to do with production. The only change is the backing to the speedometer and the gear ratio in the odometer. None of which increases the cost of production one bit (maybe a slight reduction in economy of scale, but I doubt it).

So, again, I ask, where is society saving recognizeable sums of cash by switching to metric?

[Edited on March 16, 2006 at 1:26 AM. Reason : <typo>]

3/16/2006 1:22:46 AM

What's a space probe cost?

3/16/2006 2:36:25 AM

12 years ago in my high school chem class my teacher said that her high school teacher said we'd change over to the metric system "very soon." I don't see it happening.

3/16/2006 8:19:11 AM

i was taught long ago that they tried it before (as others have said).

the example was spedometers. they had just mph, then added the km/hr smally (as you still see in many cars). they were supposed to switch them and make km bigger and in the more prominent spot. finally, they'd remove mph altogether. this process would be done over decades.

it didnt work or ppl just stopped caring. i agree that it would be costly and pointless. kids who need to know metric (chemistry, math, etc) learn it. i know metric measurements as well as i need to IMO. i dont know the exact conversions from liter to gallon and whatnot, but i have a general idea and can guesstimate.

on a more silly side: AMERICA IS ABOUT CELEBRATING DIFFERENCES. QUIT BEING MEASUREMENT-ISTS.

3/16/2006 9:19:45 AM