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Should the US finally switch over to the metric system?

Should the US finally switch to the metric system?


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It really isn't a relatively large problem, but in the case of medicine, I have no issue if people change and I doubt it would cost that much, if anything, to switch over medicine amounts to mL, as I've said, many doctors are already doing (even some hospitals specify what it is in both). It won't get rid of all the issues though with incorrect dosing of children's medicine because there will always be parents who take shortcuts or get too busy to actually read/pay attention.

I'm not saying people should hold on to the standard system just because. I'm saying that for most industries, it is way too costly to do right now, or even in the near future. Machinery and parts, along with tools would all have to be changed out, a very expensive and time consuming operation. It simply is not feasible, especially in a way that will likely get enough public support to actually be effective. And it should not be mandatory to do.

Its extremely feasible, and not that costly at all - in fact, I bet with the potential for better trade, its probably going to make money.

Tooling is not that much of an issue for most - most auto mechanics, for example, have both metric and standard tools now (remember when they all whined that they couldnt afford to change in the 70s because they had to buy new tools? Now they have TWO sets of tools and have replaced both sets over 40 years!).
 
Multiply by 1.8 and add 32.


Thanks, I know. Thing is I have to do the conversion in my head still. I don't THINK in C. I can think in meters, kilometers and liters.


I imagine I'd get used to it eventually...
 
Well, 1ml of water weighs 1gram. It also measures 1cc.

How much does a liter of milk weigh? ~1 kg. How about a half gallon? Don't know...get a scale!

You can do a lot with that- volume, weight and area are all proportional and easily multipled and divided.

I was asking SlevinKelevra because he seemed to think that the Imperial/English system (the system of measurement used in the USA) has "units that have fundamental definitions based on real scientific properties."
 
Its extremely feasible, and not that costly at all - in fact, I bet with the potential for better trade, its probably going to make money.

Tooling is not that much of an issue for most - most auto mechanics, for example, have both metric and standard tools now (remember when they all whined that they couldnt afford to change in the 70s because they had to buy new tools? Now they have TWO sets of tools and have replaced both sets over 40 years!).

I worked on one aircraft carrier. We have hundreds of ships with equipment that is almost entirely standard size. All of our tools (with only a few exceptions) are standard (to fit our equipment). These ships each cost billions to make. They would cost just as much to retrofit with metric size equipment and fasteners. Each would have to be done. Then there is the paperwork and other equipment. The military doesn't have the money now. Where is it supposed to come from to do this? Then there is all the other industries, especially those handled by the government. We are pretty broke right now, but this absolutely would cost money to do, a lot of money. And there simply isn't that many people dedicated to doing it, especially if they knew the amount of money it would take.
 
I worked on one aircraft carrier. We have hundreds of ships with equipment that is almost entirely standard size. All of our tools (with only a few exceptions) are standard (to fit our equipment). These ships each cost billions to make. They would cost just as much to retrofit with metric size equipment and fasteners. Each would have to be done. Then there is the paperwork and other equipment. The military doesn't have the money now. Where is it supposed to come from to do this? Then there is all the other industries, especially those handled by the government. We are pretty broke right now, but this absolutely would cost money to do, a lot of money. And there simply isn't that many people dedicated to doing it, especially if they knew the amount of money it would take.

Yes... our poor underfunded military. :roll:

Heres a clue... you still will be using those tools, since the ship is made of all the same stuff in Imperial units.

I wonder what the total cost of tools are on that billion dollar ship?
 
The one I STILL have trouble with is Celsius vs Fahrenheit.... I can't seem to stop thinking in Fahrenheit and struggle convert C to F in my head.

That is because you are American, and it therefore isn't in your blood to act as though there is an equivalency between Freedom Degrees and Commie Degrees.
 
Yes... our poor underfunded military. :roll:

Heres a clue... you still will be using those tools, since the ship is made of all the same stuff in Imperial units.

I wonder what the total cost of tools are on that billion dollar ship?

The whole thread is about switching over to the metric system. So why exclude the military or other government run things if it is the government pushing for the change? How long do you think it would take to pay to switch over the military, and if there is no one else using standard equipment, then where would replacement parts, the smaller parts come from? What about people working on the equipment til you can get it turned? They would only be learning metric in school and not even know about standard. That is the point. That is why it isn't feasible that people are likely to switch. One or two industries, sure. Medicine, most likely.

It isn't just the tools. That is the point. It is all the equipment, including replacements that are standard size, things that are changed out regularly. Things that rust or break. These are all things that are in standard measurements.
 
The whole thread is about switching over to the metric system. So why exclude the military or other government run things if it is the government pushing for the change? How long do you think it would take to pay to switch over the military, and if there is no one else using standard equipment, then where would replacement parts, the smaller parts come from? What about people working on the equipment til you can get it turned? They would only be learning metric in school and not even know about standard. That is the point. That is why it isn't feasible that people are likely to switch. One or two industries, sure. Medicine, most likely.

It isn't just the tools. That is the point. It is all the equipment, including replacements that are standard size, things that are changed out regularly. Things that rust or break. These are all things that are in standard measurements.

Right. And the change isn't at gunpoint.

If you have a 5/8 in bolt, you can keep your 5/8 in wrench.
 
Right. And the change isn't at gunpoint.

If you have a 5/8 in bolt, you can keep your 5/8 in wrench.

Then what change are you expecting to happen? If they still have to use standard measurements in many industries because they aren't mandating a change, then it is all voluntary, which simply isn't likely to happen at least not faster than is happening now.

I don't honestly care if we did switch. It doesn't bother me. I just don't see it as something we should do just to do it due to the cost that I see coming from it.
 
Then what change are you expecting to happen? If they still have to use standard measurements in many industries because they aren't mandating a change, then it is all voluntary, which simply isn't likely to happen at least not faster than is happening now.

I don't honestly care if we did switch. It doesn't bother me. I just don't see it as something we should do just to do it due to the cost that I see coming from it.
We just stop making things with Imperial units. The old equipment with Imperial units will eventually be replaced with new equipment using only metric and mechanics simply won't need their Standard tool sets anymore.

Its how assult-weapon bans work, you just gradually dry out the supply.
 
We are basically the last country to not use the metric system in our day to day lives - we measure temperature in Farenheit, distances in feet.yards and miles, and have a ridiculous volume and weight measurement system of cups, ounces, quarts, gallons, etc.

Its an antiquated system that costs the US milions each year by having to convert, tool things in english units (5/8 in wrenches?) etc. Our kids need to learn both systems, and tend to learn neither well.

Why is there no active movement in the US to upgrade our systems?

Why dont we just bite the bullet and change already?

Nice article that may jump start the popular cry: Why Americans still use Fahrenheit long after everyone else switched to Celsius - Vox

Uh, no: you're supposed to save that last inch for yourself.
 
We just stop making things with Imperial units. The old equipment with Imperial units will eventually be replaced with new equipment using only metric and mechanics simply won't need their Standard tool sets anymore.

Its how assult-weapon bans work, you just gradually dry out the supply.

You can't really do that though. The parts wouldn't be compatible. You would still need to make replacement parts because the big equipment simply couldn't be replaced without extensive costs but must still be kept running.
 
You can't really do that though. The parts wouldn't be compatible. You would still need to make replacement parts because the big equipment simply couldn't be replaced without extensive costs but must still be kept running.
Don't replace equiptment that's still bei ng used. Eventually every piece of equipment becomes worn out and is discarded. At that time, when the thing would be replaced anyway, simply replace it with an all metric machine containing all metric parts. The process would take about 50 years.

And as the rail industry showed us when desil locomotives became viabe , yes we can perform an overnight conversconversion if we want to.
 
Don't replace equiptment that's still bei ng used. Eventually every piece of equipment becomes worn out and is discarded. At that time, when the thing would be replaced anyway, simply replace it with an all metric machine containing all metric parts. The process would take about 50 years.

And as the rail industry showed us when desil locomotives became viabe , yes we can perform an overnight conversconversion if we want to.

It almost certainly would take 50 years, which is why I don't believe it is likely to receive a good amount of support from the American people. It was tried in the 70s (at least to an extent) and the majority had no interest in doing it, so they basically ignored it. This is why I say it isn't likely to happen soon because the American people just don't see the point in doing it, especially when it is going to cost us money to do so, even if it is done over half a century or more.
 
The metric system is far more efficient. It operates (for most measurements) in 10's. I think once American's got used to it, it wouldn't be such a big deal. We could convert to it within a generation.
 
The metric system is far more efficient. It operates (for most measurements) in 10's. I think once American's got used to it, it wouldn't be such a big deal. We could convert to it within a generation.

Except that people already know and are used to the Imperial system and the vast majority of people do not work with measurements enough or in complicated enough ways that it really makes a difference to them if there are fractions in their tools or that they have to remember 12 in in a foot or that 32 degrees is freezing. We already know these things. And we teach our children them since well before they start school. We measure them in feet, inches, and pounds. We talk to them and/or in front of them about temperatures in Fahrenheit. Then learning the metric system becomes like learning a new language in school. English is one of the hardest languages to learn, particularly of the Latin based languages by a person who doesn't have a first language based in Latin. But for us, for those of us who were raised with English as our first language, we fall back to English, teach our children English. The same is true for measurements. We fall back to what we are used to and/or what is easiest for us to accommodate to, and that is what we teach our children, even if we don't realize it. This is even seen in other countries that have switched over, like Canada and Australia. Their children are taught the standard system at home by their parents, because that is what their parents are used to, then they learn the metric system at school.

Metric usage and metrication in other countries

It looks as if it takes at least a generation to switch. And yes, our not switching does have some impact on why these other nations have trouble completely converting. However, the push for metrication in the US just isn't here. Even the government isn't willing to do what seems to be necessary, including pushing it and devoting the funding to it. We can't even get schools to agree to teach evolution and not to teach about God to their students and, in some extreme cases, Adam and Eve riding dinosaurs. A person needs to only look at what Texas school systems want to teach and do in fact teach in school to see how well trying to use our school systems to metricate our country would work.
 
The metric system is far more efficient. It operates (for most measurements) in 10's. I think once American's got used to it, it wouldn't be such a big deal. We could convert to it within a generation.
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Thanks, I know. Thing is I have to do the conversion in my head still. I don't THINK in C. I can think in meters, kilometers and liters.


I imagine I'd get used to it eventually...

The only reason I can think in oth C and F is because I now live in a C area...
 
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