Should the US go Metric?

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Nick R

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Should we switch over to the metric system? I say yes. Sure, it will take a long time for it to assimilate, and there will likely be mixing of the two for some time, but it only makes sense.

The imperial system of measurement is just so much arbitrary numbers. 5,280 feet in a mile? How many meters in a kilo meter? 1,000. Ounces and all that.... It's dumb. I think most americans already have some basic understanding of the metric system, so it wouldn't be a complete mess, but going to what the rest of the world uses just makes sense.

What do the rest of you think?
 
Well, the problem is that with the exception of schools, the metric system is used very little in everyday life. The metrification process is very slow.
 
I'd tend to agree, just b/c it would make it easier for Canadians and Americans to 'relate' to each other on measurements.

I was born in 1975, and Canada went metric in about 1978. I clearly remember things switching over - our 1978 Malibu was in km, with mph numbers in smaller underneath them, but my godfather's 1976 Gremlin was in mph only.

I remeber a LOT of cars in the early 1980's that had round 'mph' or 'kph' stickers stuck on the dash disply so the person could deal with their speedo. I also remember all our school notebooks had a metric conversion chart on the back of them.

I don't think the US will make the effort to switch to metric - took much cost and work, when there is other stuff to fix.
 
Who cares. In a world where everything is electronic does it even matter anymore?

Does it matter if there are 12 ounces or 355 milliliters in a Coke when you buy it?
 
I've been hearing about this since the mid 70's; what exactly does it mean to "switch over"?

we have liter bottles.
all auto mfgrs have metric hardware.
all bicycles have metric hardware.
electronics are all ISO or IEEE standard, what else do you want?

this is not just a US issue; ALL wheels, bicycle and auto and truck are measured in inches, and tires are a mix of mm and inches.
most all Japanese cars use 5x114.3 bolt pattern, which is 4 1/2".

bicycles use a 1 1/8" steerer tube which has become standard.

so it doesn't make any sense to arbitrarily say 'we need to measure everything metrically now'.

construction industry will NEVER change, too many ingrained standards; 2x4, 12x12 sq tile, sq ft, linear ft, roof pitches, etc.
and people will NEVER stop using fractions, we use them all the time: give me 1/2 of your sandwich, I need 1/2 lb of cheese, etc.

no need to switch, no benefit whatsoever.
 
If we went totally metric people would think gas got really cheap. Our $3/gal gas would be $0.79/L and many folks wouldn't figure out there is no difference!
laugh.gif


I like the SI system better. AFAIK all commercial aircraft fasteners, regardless of COO, are US customary.
 
Originally Posted By: mpvue
I've been hearing about this since the mid 70's; what exactly does it mean to "switch over"?

we have liter bottles.
all auto mfgrs have metric hardware.
all bicycles have metric hardware.
electronics are all ISO or IEEE standard, what else do you want?

this is not just a US issue; ALL wheels, bicycle and auto and truck are measured in inches, and tires are a mix of mm and inches.
most all Japanese cars use 5x114.3 bolt pattern, which is 4 1/2".

bicycles use a 1 1/8" steerer tube which has become standard.

so it doesn't make any sense to arbitrarily say 'we need to measure everything metrically now'.

construction industry will NEVER change, too many ingrained standards; 2x4, 12x12 sq tile, sq ft, linear ft, roof pitches, etc.
and people will NEVER stop using fractions, we use them all the time: give me 1/2 of your sandwich, I need 1/2 lb of cheese, etc.

no need to switch, no benefit whatsoever.


I agree. I think all applications that were necessary and cost efficient to switch to metric have already done so. I don't see any pressing issues to make further changes.

Conversion charts are readily available. You can enter into a Google search field exact units of measure and what you want to convert to(that's what I do).

We encourage or require kids in school to learn multiple languages, so I don't see it as much of a burden to be familiar with two systems of measure.
 
AZ was selling "5+" qt. jugs of oil which are 5 liters. I say keep it English in common life. No need to change it. Other countries can do what they want. Most stuff now has metric and english written on it, let the people decide what they like to read. The main thing is a lot of food products in jugs etc are getting smaller, just look at the decimals, but the price goes up. I still want to buy a gallon of milk. I would prefer, if I buy an American made car, sold in America, it has all SAE fasteners. I want to use the old tools, even though many are close in size to metric anyway. Change that back please.

I converted metric-english all my working career so know it is easy arithmetic.
 
Using imperial and metric systems is akin to being bilingual ... I spend most of days converting units back and forth. But I still think of my height and weight in feet and pounds, and am only now starting to consider gas mileage as liters per 100 kilometers (I know I know ... GASP).

I recall a German engineer who didn't know ANY imperial - he had worked with exclusively metric tooling. A #10 screw didn't mean anything, nor a #25 drill bit.
 
Should we go metric as a matter of principle? Yes. Absolutely. Right now. Imperial measurements make no sense and add so much unnecessary complication. Metric measurements make eminent sense and are simple. The fact that the rest of the developed world is metric is a bonus.

Should we go metric as a matter of practicality? Maybe... but only if we can do it very gradually. The US has a lot of people and a LOT of industry. The change-over would be... expensive.
 
Originally Posted By: BrianWC
My car gets 40 rods to the hog's head and that's the way I like it!


The metric system is a tool of the devil!
 
They've been telling us that "it will" since I've been in elementary school (30+ years). I'm glad it hasn't. I'm with Johnny.
 
I was born in 1969 and the conversion happened a few years later.

Canadians tend to have accepted metric piecemeal.

Metric is used for:
- vehicle speed
- travelling distance
- some food weight (excluding things like butter)

Imperial (US) is used for:
- all lumber/construction
- almost every form of measuring (eg. the size of your house, room, furniture, your height, weight etc.)

I think the Canadian experience is that at best we've achieved a 50% conversion to metric.

The average person couldn't tell you what their weight/height is in metric. They also couldn't tell you what the speed limit in a playground zone is in MPH.

The other sleazy thing automobile advertisers do in Canada is that they advertise in miles per gallon of their vehicles. This is because about 1/2 of the commercials canadians see on TV are US commercials depending on what channel they are watching. We are used to viewing these US commercials for cars and seeing the MPG claims and have a feel for what is a good "MPG" claim for a given class of vehicles. What the Canadian car companies do is they also advertise MPG claims but if you read the fine print, you find out that the MPG claims are made on the basis of a UK gallon (4.5L) , not a US gallon (3.78L). Canadians are used to US advertising on MPG claims, and don't blink an eyelid when all of a sudden Ford F150s are getting 30MPG.

Anyhow, if I were a US legislator looking at the Canadian example, I'd just leave things as is.
 
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