Should the US change to the metric?

[Callum Kerr]

Originally posted by Epona: It's only in the last couple of years that shops have switched to kilos and grams instead of pounds and ounces. We still have miles on roadsigns and car speedos. Causes me no end of joy cos my Lambretta is an Italian import and has the speedo in kmph. I can picture the scene if I'm pulled over for speeding, the police officer will ask me 'do you know what speed you were doing?' and I'll have to start converting...

Just say "no"... that'll stump 'em... or at the very least they will tell you so you won't need to convert...

[Davros]

I understand there are other countries - for example Surinam was still in imperial a couple of years ago. When the American Company I work for decided that reconciling multi-national data for bench marking and process improvement was getting too difficult what with the metric based Australian division outgrowing the imperial based Atlantic division they made the brave (and surprising) move to switch the company basis to metric.

That sure makes things easier for me, rather than having to convert gallons per minute (US gallons of course) to kl/h or BTU's and horsepowers to something meaningful . One thing I should chase up, but there were rumours that Suriname may have switched to metric at the same time my company made the switch - well I suppose they are the major source of employment in the country - but that is packing a whole lot of influence if the swap was made at the same time [img]smile.gif[/img] .

I get a chuckle about the metric debate - I am reminded of that secret society that Homer joined in the Simpsons [img]smile.gif[/img] - and in that song they sung while chugging their beer was the line :

"Who keeps the metric system down
We do - we doooooooooooo "

Since then I always picture there is some secret society in the US somewhere working actively to distract people from sitting themselves down and thinking about whether in fact the metric system could have some upsides. Maybe it is similar to the MIB movies - they keep tabs on the country, and if they catch the scent of some pro metric movement they send the guys around with the flashing pencils to erase peoples memory [img]smile.gif[/img] .

As to the topic - I would think it would be a nice thing to have measures and units standardised across the world. Do I think the US are going to change - not anytime soon - they are happy, so we should leave them be.

[ 03-01-2003, 08:12 AM: Message edited by: Davros ]

[Moiraine]

Yes and no ... LOL [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] I just can't properly answer any "yes or no" question !

For the sake of efficiency, that would be nice if they did - I remember spending a hell of a time converting the scale of documents from paper centimeters to PC screen where a pixel was defined as an inch divided by some really absurd number.

But ... it would be a dull world indeed if everyone on it understood precisely each other all the time ... where would there be space for imagination then ?

I just LOVE reading about inches and feet and yards and miles and pints and gallons. It is like entering into a different place, really. I just reread "Tortilla flat" recently. It just wouldn't be the same if they were not be drinking gallons and pints. Really. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Attalus]

Like Antryg, I was taught the metric system intensively in school, assured that it was the wave of the future, and then ... everyone just bugged out and forgot about it. I think it was the basic conservatism of the American people, who still resent Daylight Savings Time. I still will talk to patients about something 10 mm wide, which is convenient for things like lesion size, and get blank stares. "Uh, that's a little less than half an inch." Comprehension dawns.

[John D Harris]

I also had to learn the metric system is school(this sure brings the OLD FARTS out ). Why didn't the US switch in the late 70's and early 80's like they had planned. It was a secret CIA/NSA/DoD plot of world domination we want to keep the rest of you guys guessing as to what we're talking about and while you're doing the math to convert imperial to metric we can strike
Basicly the US consumer said NO, I don't want a liter of coke I want a quart. and here the comsumer is right.

[ 03-01-2003, 01:00 PM: Message edited by: John D Harris ]

[Sir Taliesin]

John D., one thing I have always found funny is we buy cokes (Soft drinks for the rest of you other people. We in the south call all soft drinks cokes.) in liters! In bottles at least. If it comes in a can, it's in ounces. That just goes to prove that consumers can change though.

I always wanted to buy my beers in pints. Wish we did that here in the states! Makes me think of The Lord of the Rings movie when the hobbits are in Bree and Merry comes back with a pint and Pippin says "They come in pints? I have to have one!". I want to move to Middlearth!

[Blade]

i never have figgured out why the us doen't convert myself i mean metric makes more sence then immperial measurement. For example convertions are at least seemingly random in immperial. Where as in metric they are all a standerd convertions ie from mm to cm to yrds to km ect ect i mean i have to look those same convertions up usually when doing homework. I guess the us is just to lazy and stubern to change its ways.

[Paladin2000]

Yes, Most of the countries are using Metric and it would be easier for the US to trade with foreign countries. After all, the Metric system is more suitable for science (IMO).

[John D Harris]

Originally posted by Sir Taliesin: John D., one thing I have always found funny is we buy cokes (Soft drinks for the rest of you other people. We in the south call all soft drinks cokes.) in liters! In bottles at least. If it comes in a can, it's in ounces. That just goes to prove that consumers can change though. I always wanted to buy my beers in pints. Wish we did that here in the states! Makes me think of The Lord of the Rings movie when the hobbits are in Bree and Merry comes back with a pint and Pippin says "They come in pints? I have to have one!". I want to move to Middlearth!

Brain FART there Sir Taliesin I meant to say 16oz and 500ml ( not Quarts and liter). Well at my age the grey matter hard drive skipps every once in a while

[Charlie]

In England there was a massive furore over a few traders that still sold their stuff in pounds and ounces if that was what the customers wanted. They sold in metric measures too. I'm pretty sure that someone somewhere eventually took them to court and fined them.

Weird that no one ever saw fit to take McDonalds to court for selling halfpounders etc.....they still do. One rule for one....

EDIT. Dunno if the US should change to metric or not. Be careful if you do, crafty are these governments. An hypothetical example....You pay $3 per gallon of fuel. Suddenly you pay 75c a litre, nearly 5 litres to a gallon....ahem.

[ 03-01-2003, 03:13 PM: Message edited by: Charlie ]