Americans, what's so great about the Imperial System?

[Cecilo]

I really don't know what you are all talking about. Most the schools I visited on the East Coast of the US were teaching Both Metric and Imperial. Maybe you just want the change to come quicker, I don't really know, but the change is coming, slowly but surely.

And as for the guys that use the stupid 'Murica meme, I would like you to point out one country that doesn't like things to be their way, or a country that doesn't have flaws, or problems. Can't find one? Good. Now please stop acting like America is the only one problems? Please?

 

[Lightknight]

I really don't know what you are all talking about. Most the schools I visited on the East Coast of the US were teaching Both Metric and Imperial. Maybe you just want the change to come quicker, I don't really know, but the change is coming, slowly but surely.

Exactly. We know both.

I do think the metric system is better. I've often wondered this myself.

But what you've got to understand is that it's like a distinct language. If you could prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that English was superior to Spanish, do you think Spain would try and phase out their native language?

Instead, those of us with any mind to do so just learn both systems. It's not like it's hard. Once you know the Imperial System then the Metric System is a piece of cake. ("What? They use units of ten? Dammit... why didn't we think of that...?")

 

[EvilRoy]

Snip

Setting aside that NASA has actually been forging ahead with the change to SI units as outlined in the source you included. Fact of the matter is, it sucked for everyone. You can't honestly tell me that the UK was just completely stoked on having to change a system of units they helped set up a long-ass time ago, but they've gone ahead and made the change and so has just about everybody else.

I understand that it needs to be done gradually and carefully, but I don't lend much creedance to "it would be difficult" or "it would be expensive" when most of the population of earth was able to do it without breaking a sweat. And even if a few countries out of fear for their pride didn't report some kind of massive downturn in their economy as a result of making the change, what difference? The US will not suffer nearly as much as any other poorer countries might, and even if they do all it would mean is that its their turn because everybody else felt the same thing when the change happened.

 

[shootthebandit]

Snip

Setting aside that NASA has actually been forging ahead with the change to SI units as outlined in the source you included. Fact of the matter is, it sucked for everyone. You can't honestly tell me that the UK was just completely stoked on having to change a system of units they helped set up a long-ass time ago, but they've gone ahead and made the change and so has just about everybody else.

I understand that it needs to be done gradually and carefully, but I don't lend much creedance to "it would be difficult" or "it would be expensive" when most of the population of earth was able to do it without breaking a sweat. And even if a few countries out of fear for their pride didn't report some kind of massive downturn in their economy as a result of making the change, what difference? The US will not suffer nearly as much as any other poorer countries might, and even if they do all it would mean is that its their turn because everybody else felt the same thing when the change happened.

The UK still uses miles for long distances so we dont have have to change roadsigns or car speedos. So in that situation no cost is required

Shops in the UK still measure produce in either kilograms or pounds. We tend to have a healthy mixture for general usage, although where it matters in science and engineering we tend to use metric and we are taught SI units at school

There really isnt an excuse

 

[Maze1125]

car speedos.

Every car I've seen has both mph and kph displayed on the speedometer. So changing the signs wouldn't be much of a problem.

 

[shootthebandit]

car speedos.

Every car I've seen has both mph and kph displayed on the speedometer. So changing the signs wouldn't be much of a problem.

They have both but the mph display is more prominent than the km/h one

 

[XMark]

From here in Canada, I can say that imperial does have its place. We're mostly metric here but we still measure people in feet, weigh ourselves in pounds, and measure our wangs in inches.

On that last point, I know the number is bigger with centimetres, but we just acknowledge centimetres as tiny little things, so the number doesn't matter so much

 

[Mack Case]

I've always thought that the imperial system (much like the electoral college and the second amendment) is just a hole we've dug our selves into where it's easier to keep digging than to go to the trouble of climbing out.

 

[Johnny Impact]

Americans grew up using imperial and don't care enough to change. We're too busy obsessing over the next generation of reality shows.

Being an American, I think we should switch. Imperial is cumbersome to the point where even the folks who use it don't understand it. I bet 90% of Americans don't know how many cups are in a gallon, or how many inches in a yard. Everything is a weird conversion. *So* much easier simply to add zeros.

 

[Zack Alklazaris]

The only defense for the imperial system I can make is Fahrenheit. It spans a much larger area of measurement than Celsius making normal every day use much less complex as you don't dive into decimal points. For example it is currently 70F and will be 50F tonight. In Celsius that would be 21C high and 7.22 (repeating) low.

Every other part of it is just a major pain in the ass. I would much rather have metric its easier. Perhaps international companies will stop making thing half metric half imperial and end up with parts that don't fit together.

 

[Product Placement]

The only defense for the imperial system I can make is Fahrenheit. It spans a much larger area of measurement than Celsius making normal every day use much less complex as you don't dive into decimal points. For example it is currently 70F and will be 50F tonight. In Celsius that would be 21C high and 7.22 (repeating) low.

FYI, 50°F is 10°C, not 7.22°C.

So your argument is that a range of 20 degrees (70-50) in the Fahrenheit system would shrink down to 11 degree range (21-10) in the Celsius scale? I ask, do you really need those extra 9 degrees? When it comes to needing to know how you should dress outside, there's not that much of a difference between a 65°F weather and a 63°F weather. Only someone conducting a sensitive experiment that requires hyper accurate results are gonna care about fractions of a degree. For the rest of us yahoos, living out our days, we only need to know that 100°C is when water boils, 60°C is how we want our coffee to be, 40°C is how you want your bathwater, 20°C is room temperature, 10°C is pretty nippy and 0°C is when water freezes. Oh, and 37°C is your optimum body temperature. Go over that and you're running a fever.

Btw. It's a terribly inaccurate thing to do, but if you need to do a speedy conversion from Fahrenheit to Celsius, I subtract 32 from the number and then divide by 2. It gives you a rough estimate that becomes more inaccurate the further away you get from 0°C. It's accurate enough if you want to know the temperature outside but you shouldn't use this method to convert baking temperature.

Subtracting 32 and then divide by 1.8 nets you a more accurate result but the proper formula is (°F - 32) x 5/9 = °C

 

[Zakarath]

I'm american, and I prefer the metric system. Main reason we're still on imperial is likely just inertia plus the fact that our government can't get anything done that isn't military-related.

 

[Brian Tams]

I don't know what the bitching is about, since we tend to use both. Both have uses in their respective areas, and as such both are relevant over here. The Public school system is used to teach students both, and it works well for the most part.

This whole thread smells a bit like an attempt to find something to mock the US for, and if so, the OP should be ashamed.

 

[Zack Alklazaris]

The only defense for the imperial system I can make is Fahrenheit. It spans a much larger area of measurement than Celsius making normal every day use much less complex as you don't dive into decimal points. For example it is currently 70F and will be 50F tonight. In Celsius that would be 21C high and 7.22 (repeating) low.

FYI, 50°F is 10°C, not 7.22°C.

So your argument is that a range of 20 degrees (70-50) in the Fahrenheit system would shrink down to 11 degree range (21-10) in the Celsius scale? I ask, do you really need those extra 9 degrees?

Not really, I just wanted to hope that my country kept the imperial system for more than just American pride.

 

[Zetatrain]

Umm...nothing really. I imagine the reason the US is still using the imperial system is that it has been using it for so long that it's easier to just keep the system rather than making the switch over to the metric system. When I was in middle school we were taught both the imperial and metric system. In high school the imperial system showed up less than the metric system, and in college I saw no trace of the imperial system in my studies.

 

[Use_Imagination_here]

There is one and only one advantage: Degrees F constitutes a larger range of numbers than degrees C. So in the very specific instance of being in a climate-controlled room with a digital thermostat and the goal of maximizing the comfort level of the room, assuming typical designs which work in whole numbers, degrees F gives more selectable data points and therefore allows more fine-tuning of the temperature. Now that I'm in a country where everything is Celcius I'm constantly flipping my airconditioner between 23 and 24 degrees C (73.4 and 75.2 degrees F) because all I want is 74 degrees.

Of course, this could be solved by any vaguely competent engineer who knows how to use decimals, so really the only advantage of the Imperial system is it provides a way for Americans to pretend we are better than everyone else by how we're willing to inconvenience ourselves.

The vast majority of adjustable thermostats in workplaces and such do nothing. They're there to make you feel better.

And I have a heater right next to me that's technically adjustable to a practically infinite amount of decimals. You just turn the switch.

 

[Whytewulf]

Something you imperial-bashers need to understand is that the imperial system is not arbitrary.

Where the metric system was designed to be easy to make calculations with in a base 10 numeral system, imperial measures were designed to reflect common use and be easy to estimate without precision measurements...mostly because many of them were designed thousands of years ago, before we had precision instruments. The foot, for instance, has probably been used for as long as people have had feet.

As for temperature, whereas Centigrade was calibrated to the freezing and boiling points of water, Fahrenheit was calibrated to the freezing point of water and average human body heat. In other words, the temperature is calibrated to 2 useful temperatures, making is a handy estimate of comfortable temperature range.

It isn't like you can't do science in Imperial units. It's just that the you need conversion coefficients, which are annoying, but not difficult. Besides, American scientists and engineers work in metric anyway. It's just the common folk that use imperial, so why worry?

Agreed. I am not sure why the question was even asked of this audience, like we have a choice? I know it's fun to ask us silly Americans, why we do things so much different than everyone else. Bah.. Many years ago, it probably was easier and more relative. Today, it's because it's an inherent system. I could ask, why do you speak a certain language when this language is so much better. Why do you use X currency, when Y is so much better? Apple vs. Windows... Does it really effect anyone? At the end of the day, I would think America would like to switch, it's just not a top priority right now.

 

[weirdee]

the one thing I find annoying is the use of grams. having such a gap between grams and kilograms in a popular setting (the tens and hundreds of grams being ignored) makes it difficult to gauge the weight of everything inbetween when the unit being used goes up to a thousand before being shifted, and not knowing that a thousand units equals roughly 2.2 pounds meant that anything inbetween confused the hell out of me as a child

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

I find it ironic that a nation that was founded obstinately to break apart from the old world system retains its methods of measurement when they've moved on. It's just the way things are down there I guess.

*enjoys Canada*

 

[Ieyke]

Nothing is great about the Imperial system. It's stupid.