Why doesn't America use the metric system?

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Pseudonym RE:Inevitable 4/4/2006 12:05:57 PM

""So the answer to the question really is "because we don't want to"." Pretty much. "the rest of the world is doing it", "well, this is the US and we don't do things that way"." Because our country was and is built partly with the Imperial System. It's like telling Switzerland that they can no longer use German. It's too late the system is already ingrained. What are people supposed to do then when Imperial measured parts for buildings and dams and generators and ships and cars and electronics and every other little thing that breaks and you need to replace a part of it? Oh sorry we only make metric parts now, your gonna have to scrap your ship and replace the generators on the Hoover Dam to meet the new metric compliance laws... Can any of the Americans here imagine making something without using cups of flour and water? Even our food would suffer.

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xylene RE:Why doesn't America use the metric system? 4/4/2006 12:23:52 PM

I always liked the use of nautical miles for determining large distances because it is directly related to the Earth.

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Ehran RE:Inevitable 4/4/2006 12:36:44 PM

you may want to consider the example of canada which is a metric country. we did the changeover a generation ago and imperial still lingers on. it's not like anyone is going to stop making imperial measure plumbing fixtures etc just that their use in new construction will fade away and eventually imperial measure equipment will be special order items.

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lazslo 9/21/2006 6:35:58 AM

simply because the Americans are just too stupid...

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EW3 9/21/2006 6:48:43 AM

simply because the Americans are just too stupid...

Actually the metric system is simpler and easier.

X - the NM is not related to the metric system.

The meter was however used to be based on the distance from Paris to the North Pole.

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ProDemocracy 9/21/2006 9:02:29 AM

""So the answer to the question really is
"because we don't want to"."

Pretty much. "the rest of the world is doing it", "well, this is the US and we don't do things that way"."

Because our country was and is built partly with the Imperial System. It's like telling Switzerland that they can no longer use German. It's too late the system is already ingrained. What are people supposed to do then when Imperial measured parts for buildings and dams and generators and ships and cars and electronics and every other little thing that breaks and you need to replace a part of it? Oh sorry we only make metric parts now, your gonna have to scrap your ship and replace the generators on the Hoover Dam to meet the new metric compliance laws...

Can any of the Americans here imagine making something without using cups of flour and water?

Even our food would suffer.

---Well not really like telling the Swiss not to use German. The rest of the industrilized world does not collectively use German. But most major countries do use the metric system.

I prefer metric because powers of 10 are simpler and the smaller units of measure are more precise. Conversely, I prefer temperature in Fahranheit because it's smaller units and more precise.

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Ehran 9/22/2006 1:45:05 PM

---Well not really like telling the Swiss not to use German. The rest of the industrilized world does not collectively use German. But most major countries do use the metric system.

I prefer metric because powers of 10 are simpler and the smaller units of measure are more precise. Conversely, I prefer temperature in Fahranheit because it's smaller units and more precise.

Prodemocracy i believe there are all of 3 countries in the world now that are not metric. two of which are basically just pestholes and the US. i have no idea why pseudo seems to think you wouldn't be able to get english measure parts etc after the conversion. in canada we converted two dozen years ago and yet stores are still full of english measure goods due to our proximity to the US and simple inertia on our part in making the change.

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Pseudonym 9/22/2006 2:17:50 PM

"in canada we converted two dozen years ago and yet stores are still full of english measure goods due to our proximity to the US and simple inertia on our part in making the change."

Obviously, you are not converted to metric, merely in between like the US is.

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flamingknives 9/22/2006 4:58:22 PM

Two points for you gents:

Rounding - Gravitational acceleration is 9.81m/s at the earth's surface. This is plenty accurate for most (if not all) engineering calculations. If you need to go more accurate you should be using the inverse square rule to account for altitude. IMHO. If Artyengineer is unhappy with this, perhaps Artyphysicist would be more apt?

Up to and including x.5, round to x, above x.5 round to x+1. Easy. No silliness involving the 32.004 metre line.

Fahrenheit and centimeters/millimeters are not more accurate or precise. They merely have a higher resolution, which is different. You can have an immensely fine resolution and little accuracy (try measuring a mile with a 12" ruler, or 1600m with a 30cm ruler) or low resolution with high accuracy (try the same trick with a piece of string exactly a mile long but with no graduations).

The major bugbear I have with the US system is that derived units, such as inertia, or stress, do not have standardised units. As an example, ksi and psi are alright, but often psf are used instead and it drives me potty. Plus there is rarely the differentiation made between weight and mass, which is irritating. You know where you stand with Newtons and kilograms respectively.

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ProDemocracy 9/22/2006 5:17:01 PM

Two points for you gents:

Up to and including x.5, round to x, above x.5 round to x+1. Easy. No silliness involving the 32.004 metre line.

I never said smaller units of measure meant more accuracy - but there is more precision with smaller units of measure. For example, 20 degrees celcius can be 70 degrees F - or 71 or 69...again, because of the smaller units of measure, fahranheit is more precise - however the accuracy has nothing to do with the potential for greater precision.

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