US should go metric

:iagree: YESSSSS! :rofl:

Originally posted by Jonno
They look at the sun and take a guess by looking at the distance it has moved from East to West.

Oh no we don't! We all have portable computers. To know the time, we go on the net and see the time in the NASA site.

The US doesn't want to switch because they want to be different. Well, at least that's what my AP Calculus teacher told me last year.

The US doesn't change because of the massive infrastructure that would have to be changed. Consider the number of voters - ie old people - who don't want it to change and you can be sure there will never be a bill in congress to alter the measurement method in the US. Why is that? Pretty simple really.

Lets just see what changing to a metric system would do for the average American. Make them learn a new scaling system. Force them to convert from imperial to metric for their existing equipment. Uproot some very fundamental colloquialisms. Have to fund that infrastructure change to get the metric system up and running. Everything from school textbooks to road signs.

What benefit would they get? Little to none. Would things be cheaper? No. Would their lives become easier? No. The benefit would be for everyone else. Until there is a benefit for the people here to use the metric system, they have no reason to.

I can use either one. If we all started using the metric system, I’d be just fine, but I was around when we tried it back in the 70s and it was a miserable failure.

The US doesn't change because of the massive infrastructure that would have to be changed. Consider the number of voters - ie old people - who don't want it to change and you can be sure there will never be a bill in congress to alter the measurement method in the US. Why is that? Pretty simple really.

Lets just see what changing to a metric system would do for the average American. Make them learn a new scaling system. Force them to convert from imperial to metric for their existing equipment. Uproot some very fundamental colloquialisms. Have to fund that infrastructure change to get the metric system up and running. Everything from school textbooks to road signs.

What benefit would they get? Little to none. Would things be cheaper? No. Would their lives become easier? No. The benefit would be for everyone else. Until there is a benefit for the people here to use the metric system, they have no reason to.

I can use either one. If we all started using the metric system, I’d be just fine, but I was around when we tried it back in the 70s and it was a miserable failure.

The U.S. most certainly couldn't just immediatly switch, but it would be wise to start teaching it in schools. For example, Canada started switching back in the 70's, and it's still not entirely metric here - I know my height and weight only in imperial - but every generation gets more and more metricised. :)

it would be wise to start teaching it in schools.

They do teach it in schools.

I think the US technically is a metric country, its just when they tried to put up signs for it in the 70's people ripped 'em down and used 'em for target practice...

The U.S. most certainly couldn't just immediatly switch, but it would be wise to start teaching it in schools. For example, Canada started switching back in the 70's, and it's still not entirely metric here - I know my height and weight only in imperial - but every generation gets more and more metricised. :)

I mentioned that in my thread. They started to teach it to us in the 70s and they still use it in schools today, but its going to take several more decades for the metric system to become the more dominate player in the US at the rate its going.

They do teach it in schools.

Ah, cool. Didn't know that.

Oh, and the reason Farenheit seems so... made up is because IT WAS!!! Dude came along and arbitrarily chose 32* to equal the freezing point.

BULLSHIT!

the reason that pure water freezes at 32*F is becasue they based their scale on the fact that the coldest tempertaure that gabriel fahrenheit could reach in his lab of an ice/salt/water mixture.. which he names 0. He then chose 96 as human body temperature.

is -40 colder in fahrenheit or celcius?

I prefer the kelvin scale personally. Can't go wrong with that. 0*K is the coldest anything can in theory get, being devoid of any enregy at all.

But that's impossible. We've gotten close, but haven't hit 0. Anyhoo, water freezes at 273*K and boils at 373*K

I prefer the kelvin scale personally. Can't go wrong with that. 0*K is the coldest anything can in theory get, being devoid of any enregy at all.

But that's impossible. We've gotten close, but haven't hit 0. Anyhoo, water freezes at 273*K and boils at 373*K


ergo you must like Celcius since it uses the same scale as Kelvin. just add 273;)

ergo you must like Celcius since it uses the same scale as Kelvin. just add 273;)

well yeah. Of course i like the metric scale better. Makes finding sockets a lot easier! "hmm... the 13/16's is too big so now i go to a... 12/16's which equals 6/8's which equals 3/4's!" OR! "Hmm, the 18mm is too big now i got to a ....17mm!"

well yeah. Of course i like the metric scale better. Makes finding sockets a lot easier! "hmm... the 13/16's is too big so now i go to a... 12/16's which equals 6/8's which equals 3/4's!" OR! "Hmm, the 18mm is too big now i got to a ....17mm!"


so true. Btw you should have more experince with this since you seem to work quite a bit on cars, but most new american cars come with metric sized bolts. Right?

so true. Btw you should have more experince with this since you seem to work quite a bit on cars, but most new american cars come with metric sized bolts. Right?

Pretty much, yeah. I only really get to use my sAE sockets and wrenches on the old ford/gm/chrysler shitboxes that roll in from time to time. Sometimes the newer domestic cars are a mix. That's freaking annoying, let me tell you.

Pretty much, yeah. I only really get to use my sAE sockets and wrenches on the old ford/gm/chrysler shitboxes that roll in from time to time. Sometimes the newer domestic cars are a mix. That's freaking annoying, let me tell you.


lol yeah I bet. Of course the tool companies love it since you have to buy twice the tools. And I bet you love doing that especially considering the price of good quality sets.

lol yeah I bet. Of course the tool companies love it since you have to buy twice the tools. And I bet you love doing that especially considering the price of good quality sets.


Well. I have connections. Top quality snap-on/SK for wholesale tax-free prices.

Yeah. It kicks ass :icon16:

The US doesn't change because of the massive infrastructure that would have to be changed. Consider the number of voters - ie old people - who don't want it to change and you can be sure there will never be a bill in congress to alter the measurement method in the US. Why is that? Pretty simple really.

Damn politics. You can't expect them to be corageous... :biggrin:

In Europe we had a chnge of currency. Twelwe countries use the same currency, the Euro, since January 2002. People got used to it, with more or less difficulty.

I think the US technically is a metric country, its just when they tried to put up signs for it in the 70's people ripped 'em down and used 'em for target practice...
Stupid rednecks. They should have prosecuted them, and made them pay like double what the sign cost.

Stupid rednecks. They should have prosecuted them, and made them pay like double what the sign cost.

The folks who live in New York city are rednecks? I thought it was idiodic rappers who did it.

I've seen plenty of MPH signs peppered with bullet holes. I think sign shooters are equal opportunity.

Chacal's got a point; the EU simply said they were converting as of a certain date. The US Government should do the same, or at least say that starting at a certain date, all published/online/signage that is new will be either both (to allow conversion) or metric, and that after another date (3-5 years) everything will be metric. People will fall in line; or are the people of the US unable to make a switch like the Europeans did?

I rather like the sign near the New Brunswick border with Maine that says to incoming Americans, "In New Brunswick, speed limits are posted in kilometres per hour."

:lol2:

Its all about the "kilo"...

What's the size of an average bottle of beer in the U.S.? In Canada is between 330-340 ml. So if I polish off a 6-pack I've drank about 2 L of beer (or if I drink four-500 ml tall boys). 1000 ml = 1 L, 1000 L = ... you guess it, 1 kilolitre (thats a LOT of beer!). My Camaro's gas tank holds about 55 L.

Lets do some conversion! A lot of people know/remember how much a gram is :naughty: , a gram is a nice fat 3-paper rolled up. There's 3.5 g in a half-quarter, 14 g in a half-ounce, and 28 g in an ounce. 1000 g = 1 kilogram. How much do you weigh?? I just broke 77.1 kg for the first time last week.

Length is where the metric system gets so easy. You have your tiny milimeter (there's 25.4 mm in an inch). 10 mm = 1 cm, 100 cm = 1 meter, 1000 meters = (what? whats a kilo...) 1 kilometer (km). LOL I used to work with a cabinet maker who was all about working in inches. I'd design and draw diagrams of cabinets and often put down units like 20.5" - the dude would get so confused, he'd say "what the hell is .5" man?"...

(its half an inch.)

And as mentioned, temperature is so straight forward using the metric system.

I rather like the sign near the New Brunswick border with Maine that says to incoming Americans, "In New Brunswick, speed limits are posted in kilometres per hour."

:lol2:


That's good.

That's good.

It's even better that they're 110km/h, 10 more than back at home in Ontario.

(110 km/h = 68.75 mph, 100 km/h = 62.5 mph) <- See why metric is easier? nice round numbers.

It's even better that they're 110km/h, 10 more than back at home in Ontario.

(110 km/h = 68.75 mph, 100 km/h = 62.5 mph) <- See why metric is easier? nice round numbers.

:screwy:

see why imperial is easier?

50 mph=80.4672 km/h, 55 mph=88.51392 km/h, 60 mph=96.56064 km/h, 65 mph=104.60736 km/h... nice round numbers!!! :rolleyes:

It's even better that they're 110km/h, 10 more than back at home in Ontario.

(110 km/h = 68.75 mph, 100 km/h = 62.5 mph) <- See why metric is easier? nice round numbers.

Ya but who goes under 120km/h anyways, really (even in the slow lane). Seems like you're either trapped in 40 kph stop & go or you're just trying to keep up from the 140kph traffic rear ending you! (must be them American's on our freeway :grinno: )

Not to digress, buts its not suprising - you go south of the boarder on to the interstates and they're CRAWLING with state troopers and radar traps, its insane. They're everwhere! We used to vacation down in Myrtle Beach, SC and on the drive down we'd see troopers making U-turns all the time, busting tons of people for speeding - even at the rest stations you'd see them all sitting down in a restaurant (like 6 of them), getting ready for a days work. Our highways are barren in comparison.

No police out on the road trapping speeders in Canada??

(I've heard it called the "Revenue Enhancement Patrol" here in the States)

No police out on the road trapping speeders in Canada??

(I've heard it called the "Revenue Enhancement Patrol" here in the States)

Often see several in the Quebec boonies on the drive from Toronto to NB, but other than that, rarely are there speed traps. Occasionally I'd see a few on the highway between Toronto and Barrie in Ontario, but I don't think I've ever seen a highway radar trap in NB - just the rare residential one.

Makes sense to slow people down in residential areas, but the police here are occasionally Nazis when it comes to speeding. You can generally go about 5-10 over, but more than that they'll be after you.

Often see several in the Quebec boonies on the drive from Toronto to NB, but other than that, rarely are there speed traps. Occasionally I'd see a few on the highway between Toronto and Barrie in Ontario, but I don't think I've ever seen a highway radar trap in NB - just the rare residential one.

Same, I've never seen any cops on the highway in NB, and even in Ontario you can know where they'll be if they even are out. I once topped out my mom's Subaru at 200 km/h going INTO the city.

The only real countermeasure to speeding on the 400 series highways are those stupid 'Speeding costs you' signsand with the rows of fines for whatever km/h's over the limit your doing.

Never been pulled over in 3 years of driving.

As for the 'nice-rounded numbers' arguement, yeah about that....

The only real countermeasure to speeding on the 400 series highways are those stupid 'Speeding costs you' signsand with the rows of fines for whatever km/h's over the limit your doing.


:lol2:

I like the "Leave 2 Chevrons space" ones...makes me think of Citroen everytime...

:lol2:

I like the "Leave 2 Chevrons space" ones...makes me think of Citroen everytime...

LOL, took me a good 6 months to even figure how to work those things. WTF is a Chevron anyways?

LOL, took me a good 6 months to even figure how to work those things. WTF is a Chevron anyways?
No one goes by that stupid thing. I hate them and will never leave 2 "arrows" between me or another car.

LOL, took me a good 6 months to even figure how to work those things. WTF is a Chevron anyways?
A chevron is a symbol like ">". You see it in the highways. You should keep 2 chevrons beetwen you and the next car.

No one goes by that stupid thing. I hate them and will never leave 2 "arrows" between me or another car.
You should. People use to say speed causes accidents. Most of the times going too fast in not the problem, the problem is lack of space to break.

A chevron is a symbol like ">". You see it in the highways. You should keep 2 chevrons beetwen you and the next car.


You should. People use to say speed causes accidents. Most of the times going too fast in not the problem, the problem is lack of space to break.

lack of space to break? :sly: well... I would think that not braking would lead to something breaking, but I wouldn't know for sure. Cars generally tend to break when there isn't any space left, its braking that the driver needs space for.

A chevron is a symbol like ">". You see it in the highways. You should keep 2 chevrons beetwen you and the next car.


LMAO, I know what a Chevron is, I was asking in terms of shapes, what was is the idea beinhd it? Where did the Chevron originate form? It's like you know a rectangle got a little too stressed and decided it couldn't take it anymore.

Can we get somebody on this?

Metric system OWNS you.

lack of space to break? :sly: well... I would think that not braking would lead to something breaking, but I wouldn't know for sure. Cars generally tend to break when there isn't any space left, its braking that the driver needs space for.

:sorry: English is not my natural language...

Now you mention it, lack of space to break??? :lol2:

LMAO, I know what a Chevron is, I was asking in terms of shapes, what was is the idea beinhd it? Where did the Chevron originate form? It's like you know a rectangle got a little too stressed and decided it couldn't take it anymore.

Can we get somebody on this?

Now I understand your question, but I don't know the answer. However, a rectangle with a nervous breakdown seems very reasonable! :lol:

Closed, original thread has gone way off topic.