Announcement

Collapse

Civics 101 Guidelines

Want to argue about politics? Healthcare reform? Taxes? Governments? You've come to the right place!

Try to keep it civil though. The rules still apply here.
See more
See less

Should the US Adopt the Metric System?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • One Bad Pig
    replied
    Originally posted by QuantaFille View Post
    I use a measuring tape all day every day at work. One edge has inches, the other is metric. Most things we sell come in a version measured in inches and one in metric. Having both is more confusing than having either one or the other, and when it comes down to it, metric makes more sense and is easier to use.

    I say we just switch and get it over with. If someone is stupid enough to think that a sign that says 100kph means they can drive 100mph, then that's just natural selection at work.
    I would love to let natural selection work. But Noooooooooooooooo, we have to have warnings on cordless drills that they're not designed with dental work in mind, and warnings on cups that coffee is hot.

    Leave a comment:


  • Teallaura
    replied
    Link directions:
    Search Metric
    >Wikipedia Metric
    >Wikipedia History of the Metric System.

    Also contains the metric time system.

    Leave a comment:


  • Cow Poke
    replied
    I think the metric system makes total sense in the medical field.

    Leave a comment:


  • Teallaura
    replied
    Originally posted by Sparko View Post
    So how come we don't have a metric time measurement system?
    It was also a washout.

    Leave a comment:


  • Sparko
    replied
    So how come we don't have a metric time measurement system?

    Leave a comment:


  • Teallaura
    replied
    Vegetables actually have benefit. Metric doesn't. We got along just fine without it this long and have no real need of it now.

    Leave a comment:


  • Raphael
    replied
    Originally posted by Teallaura View Post
    1) I did say most. Of those three I don't think any are comparable in population . SA least of all given the problems of Apartheid . Regardless. our experience was different.
    I was just picking the three countries I am most familiar with (having grown up in SA, now a Kiwi citizen and regularly in Australia for work). They all shifted relatively recently.
    And apartheid has no real influence on how the adoption process went.

    The biggest hiccup I've ever had was having to have two set of tools for working on cars because my old Mini (Leyland) used imperial sizes and my VW Jetta used metric. It wasn't a major problem.

    Originally posted by Teallaura View Post
    2) Wiki. I am on my phone right now so I will get the link to you later.
    Fair enough. I was looking for evidence of it and couldn't find it.

    Originally posted by Teallaura View Post
    3) We tried once already and it did not go well. More than sufficient to counter the argument that we should merely because others did. Our system works for us. The best argument is that it complicates trade but the calculator in a cell phone can handle the conversation so that seems moot.
    Yeah I tried that line on my folks with regards to vegetables, I still had to eat them because they're good for me.

    Leave a comment:


  • Teallaura
    replied
    Originally posted by Raphael View Post
    To pick the three countries I've spent the most time in:
    New Zealand changed over from the Imperial system in 1969
    Australia changed over from the Imperial system in 1970
    South Africa changed over from the Imperial system in 1971

    No real hiccups happened.

    I can't find any backing for this could you give your source?
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_franc
    I'm fairly sure you yanks are smart enough to figure out out. so "it's difficult and some people might get confused" is not a good argument against switching to it.
    1) I did say most. Of those three I don't think any are comparable in population . SA least of all given the problems of Apartheid . Regardless. our experience was different.

    2) Wiki. I am on my phone right now
    so I will get the link to you later.

    3) We tried once already and it did not go well. More than sufficient to counter the argument that we should merely because others did. Our system works for us. The best argument is that it complicates trade but the calculator in a cell phone can handle the conversation so that seems moot.

    Leave a comment:


  • Raphael
    replied
    Originally posted by Teallaura View Post
    Most of the rest of the world did so before they had invented cars - or thermostats on ovens.
    To pick the three countries I've spent the most time in:
    New Zealand changed over from the Imperial system in 1969
    Australia changed over from the Imperial system in 1970
    South Africa changed over from the Imperial system in 1971

    No real hiccups happened.

    Originally posted by Teallaura View Post
    And they didn't, actually. France had to abandon metric in currency.
    I can't find any backing for this could you give your source?
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_franc
    Originally posted by Teallaura View Post
    There were hiccups - but in a day and age when they were least likely to kill someone and when it really didn't matter if every individual used metric or not - Granny didn't own a measuring cup, recipes rarely used any measures beyond counts, it didn't matter to the horse if the next feed bag was 2 miles or 2 kilometers away, etc...
    I'm fairly sure you yanks are smart enough to figure out out. so "it's difficult and some people might get confused" is not a good argument against switching to it.

    Leave a comment:


  • Jesse
    replied
    I think the question can be flipped. Why should the U.S. adopt the metric system? We have been using our customary unit for what, 120 years or so? Unless there is a real fault with what we have been using, I don't see a reason to change it.

    Leave a comment:


  • lilpixieofterror
    replied
    Nobody knows the real reason why there's the metric system hasn't been adopted yet?

    Leave a comment:


  • Teallaura
    replied
    Originally posted by klaus54 View Post
    What's that mean???
    Exactly what it says. The French took it all the way, even into metric currency system.

    The US actually has a metric currency.

    Okay, seriously, many coin values derive from the old practice of subdividing coins themselves. As a result, they are based on 2 or 4 rather than 10. France tried to fix it but had to abandon the effort.

    Leave a comment:


  • klaus54
    replied
    Originally posted by Teallaura View Post
    Most of the rest of the world did so before they had invented cars - or thermostats on ovens.

    And they didn't, actually. France had to abandon metric in currency. There were hiccups - but in a day and age when they were least likely to kill someone and when it really didn't matter if every individual used metric or not - Granny didn't own a measuring cup, recipes rarely used any measures beyond counts, it didn't matter to the horse if the next feed bag was 2 miles or 2 kilometers away, etc...
    What's that mean???

    Leave a comment:


  • QuantaFille
    replied
    I use a measuring tape all day every day at work. One edge has inches, the other is metric. Most things we sell come in a version measured in inches and one in metric. Having both is more confusing than having either one or the other, and when it comes down to it, metric makes more sense and is easier to use.

    I say we just switch and get it over with. If someone is stupid enough to think that a sign that says 100kph means they can drive 100mph, then that's just natural selection at work.

    Leave a comment:


  • Joel
    replied
    Originally posted by Teallaura View Post
    And they didn't, actually. France had to abandon metric in currency.
    Incidentally, everyone using the same money would be a far greater advantage than everyone using the same unit of length. So perhaps we should push for that before the metric system?

    (Though it would be bad if it were created/controlled by any government(s). I'd want it to be something decentralized, like gold or bitcoin.)

    Leave a comment:

Related Threads

Collapse

Topics Statistics Last Post
Started by CivilDiscourse, Today, 09:58 AM
5 responses
20 views
0 likes
Last Post rogue06
by rogue06
 
Started by little_monkey, 03-27-2024, 04:19 PM
16 responses
197 views
0 likes
Last Post One Bad Pig  
Started by whag, 03-26-2024, 04:38 PM
53 responses
422 views
0 likes
Last Post Mountain Man  
Started by rogue06, 03-26-2024, 11:45 AM
25 responses
114 views
0 likes
Last Post rogue06
by rogue06
 
Started by Hypatia_Alexandria, 03-26-2024, 09:21 AM
33 responses
198 views
0 likes
Last Post Roy
by Roy
 
Working...
X