Reader Jim Tahler, a Senior Engineer with Rolls-Royce Instrumentation & Controls in Chattanooga—and more importantly, a fellow Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech—was intrigued by my recent opinion piece on the Imperial vs. Metric System. He wasn’t alone, either. At last glance, there were more than 50 comments on the story, making it one of the most-talked-about stories of the year on this site.
But Jim went farther than the other readers, compiling a list of his reasons to hate SI units.
“I think units should work for us, not the other way around,” he told me. “The fact that ‘the rest of the world does it’ is a fairly weak argument to me. There are LOTS of things that are prevalent in the rest of the world that I would not want the U.S. to do.”
So, without further ado, here is Jim’s Top 10 list (or a ‘Jim rant,’ as he describes it) of reasons to hate SI units:
1. I don’t like being told by the government what to do, especially in an area where the free market can make a perfectly good decision. You may not LIKE the decision, but it is almost always the most efficient one. Countries that have switched to SI have done so only because their government made it the law of the land.
2. Many of the SI units are not “metric” in actual use (defined as “a unit that uses the metric prefixes for powers of ten.”) For example, degrees C is never KiloC or milliC or PetaC, it is always just C. What is the temperature of the center of the sun? The Wikipedia article reports the temp as 1.57 x 10^7 K. Celsius is not inherently better than F, just different. In fact, Fahrenheit has more precision since it is about half the size of a degree C and thus is “handier” for everyday use.
3. Most people, and publications, are very spotty about following the SI rules. For example, hardly anyone uses a length unit larger than km: The distance to the moon is almost always quoted as 400,000 km (not the more SI-correct 0.4 Gm or 400 Mm. Note how funny Gm and Mm even look and sound!) The same Wikipedia article on the sun reports the distance to the sun in km, and light minutes. It reports the diameter in km and earth radii. It also reports luminosity as 3.8 x 10^26 watts, and the galactic period in years (not the SI unit of seconds). Seconds are NEVER quoted with metric prefixes when larger than 1 (megaseconds, anyone?).
4. Most SI countries don’t consistently use the SI units. For example, in Europe, tire pressure is almost always quoted in Bars (atmospheres). I did some work on a nuclear station in Spain and was surprised to learn that they do NOT use the Pascal as the pressure unit, rather they use Kg/cm^2 (mass per unit area? Not even a pressure unit in any classical sense) and mmHg, and they also do not use m^3/sec as volumetric flowrate, rather they use a variety of units including metric tons/hr, liters/sec, kg/sec, kg/hr, m^3/hr, liters/min, and kilo-metric tons/hr. They tend to “make up” a unit that is convenient for the application (sound familiar?).
5. Many SI units are just dumb, they are made just to be infuriatingly consistent. For example, the unit of radioactivity that I used in college is the Curie, which is approximately the radioactivity of a gram of Radium (3.7×10^10 decays per second) which is a useful unit size for the real world. The Si unit is the Becquerel which is 1decay/sec. Thus any actual amount of radioactivity will be billions of Bq.
6. Many SI units, in my opinion, were made just so another favored person could have a unit named after them. For Example, the REM is the customary unit of absorbed radiation dose. The recently (late 70’s) named SI unit for absorbed dose is the SEIVERT, which is equal to 100 REM. Not better, just different. When I was a kid, the SI temp was Centigrade, then it was changed to Celsius. That is better?
7. SI units are not handy. The proper unit for volume, m^3, is just too huge to be useful (except for concrete I suppose). The area unit is not handy for land measurement. The meter can’t be divided in thirds exactly (as a yard and a foot can, since they are based on 12ths). The “handy” unit for small volumes, the liter, is not even a proper SI unit. Quick, how many liters in a cubic meter?
8. It is irritating that many groups that purport to be on board with SI don’t use it. Astronomers use light-years or parsecs, for example instead of 9.46 petameters (a light year), and they use AUs and earth radii frequently (very handy units but definitely not SI). Nuclear physics uses barns for absorption cross-section (equal to 10^-24 cm2). Examples abound.
9. There is no standard prefix use for square or cubic units, for example … m^2. What is 1000 of those called? A kilometer squared? Isn’t that a square one km on a side, or a million m^2? I hear the term “thousands of square km” but what exactly do they mean?
10. The vaunted ability of changing the units by merely adding a prefix is highly overrated, in my opinion. For example, I have NEVER wanted to calculate how many teaspoons are in a cubic yard, as I have never wanted to know how many millimeters it is to the moon (start with 400,000 km, it is no easy task for a non-engineer type to convert that to mm, or even harder to dm or cm).
Pavel says
But that’s not about inches convenience. That is about SI units. What is the profit of using square inches instead of square millimeters.
Jay says
What is the profit of using square millimeters instead of square inches?
Just because your OPINION is BIASED in one direction does not mean that is the ‘best.’
It sounds a lot like the metriphile argument, “you only think standard[metric] is better because you’re used to it.”
R says
How many fingers you got bro?
Stewart says
I just love you guys.
Lets make the next discussion on the importance of understanding the difference between the SI and Metric systems.
for #7 1m3 is 1000 litres and if it’s water it has a mass of 1000kg, or a weight of 9800 Newtons. My 1 ton crane will lift it, barely.
#9 My property is about 5 acres ~100 x 200 yards. The term for square land measurements in metric is a Hectare (Ha). that’s 10000M2
So I have 2 Ha. My wife calls it the funny farm HaHa.
Andrew Thurman says
For me I don’t need to measure the temperature at the center of the sun. I do often make fabric and garment specs and take measurements for USA customers. Measuring fabric pattern repeats or garment dimensions in yards, inches and fractions of and inch just drives me nuts.
Give me meters, centimeters and milometers any day.
Anyway I thought the idea of American independence was to break free from British rule so why are you clinging onto imperial measurements?
William Ketel says
For measurements I always use inches, and decimal fractions thereof. It works fine, and a machinist with a digital readout on his mill can follow my dimensions easily up to the limits of the machines accuracy. Those fractions of inches may be OK for carpenters, but not me.
The whole problem was made so much worse by those refusing to accept decimal fractions. If one uses a decent CAD program, it is trivial to stay with the decimal fractions. Really, just switching to decimal fractions back in 1950 would have completely defeated those metric fools.
Malgorzata says
Ok, so let’s start from the beginning:
Ad 1 – this is no argument. So – if government requested change from metric to imperial, then imperial system would be hated, because you “doesn’t like when somebody tells him what to do”?
Ad2 – I’m sorry, you have missed the idea that in SI system proper unit for temperature is K – kelvin. And nothing makes more sense than kelvin, which start at absolute zero. Scale of temperature which sets 100 F on somebody’s body temperature? This should be worldwide standard? Really? And as for C – it’s much easier to recalculate K to C than to F. That’s the secret.
Yes, lots of units have no “metric prefixes” so are not consistent with the standard. Same with imperial – as per Wikipedia mile is 8 furlongs, and furlong is 10 chains. This is consistency? So recalculate mile to inches and I’ll recalculate km to m – guess which task will be easier?
Ad3 – Yes, SI units are sometimes used inconsistently. I bet this happens in imperial too, but I only use it at work, so I had no opportunity to observe it in real life.
But looking at the example – do you give distance to the moon in miles? And to the sun? Why not in bigger unit? And to another galaxy? There are distances, where it is better to use light year – and you shouldn’t argue about that, because it is very simple and logical unit. Yes, we cannot use it on earth. This is just like physics in macro scale and on quantum level. It’s hard to define units that would describe both worlds good enough, so we’re doing what we can. And 400 000 km is easier to understand for common person than 400Mm, because on the Earth, km makes sense. We’re lazy, that’s all.
Ad 4 – maybe you wouldn’t believe it, but Europe had changed set of units few times. This is where bars (10^5Pa) and mmHg comes in. And wanna bet it was kG/cm^2? Before having newton as force unit, there was kilogram-force (essentially 9.81N), described as kG (to differentiate from kg). Yes, newton is easier. Yes, it can be easily recalculated.
Ad 5 – Yes, that happens. But look on this other way around. Curie is nothing more that 3.7*10^10Bq, right? You can still use it, just adding this explanation on the side of each calculation. And if you want use Bq, use it as tera- or petabequerels. I’m not saying Bq is perfect unit. But if it would be 100 000 decays per second, there would be always a question – why not 1 000 000? You cannot make happy everyone. And looking on this from another point again – if you have 1,134 Curie and 1,128 Curie – how many more decays a second happens in the first time? If this information will be ever required, Bq gives you fast answer. Curies don’t.
Ad 6 – True, this happened in SI units, no deny about that. But, on the other hand, everyone will understand, when you’ll use kREM or MREM, no matter how stupid it will look like.
Ad 7 – Since litre is a dm^3, than 1000. It’s a stupid question, most people know what litre refers to. Not in all industries m^3 is too big to use. And if yes, use mm^3, or litres – this is bonus of SI units – easy to recalculate, since you’re just moving the coma back or forth. And the idea of SI units is that you CAN use mm^3 instead of m^3. That’s exactly why they are for. If you’re saying that only m^3 is proper unit, this is a legacy from imperial – mm^3 means nothing more than 10^-9*m^3 – is that better? Where is that effectiveness in imperial? Pint would be 34.677in^3 – really this is easier? To have another unit (even set of units) for volume, instead use the same one as for length and just multiply it with 10^x, as much as you want?
Ad 8 – Yes, but isn’t that’s the same for imperial? Does this mean that imperial users describe distance of one light year in miles? This is not the reason to hate SI units, this is a reason to realise that both systems won’t help that people to describe their work. And why they are for metric? Maybe translation from “their” set of units to metric is easier?
Ad 9 – Never wondered how it is in English – in my language “thousand of square meters” comes naturally and is perfectly understandable. Is this the reason for me to suddenly hate English? This is as much logical as what the man writes…
Ad 10 – If that point was first on the list, I’d not bother to read anything else. It’s rubbish! Look what the guy says:
“start with 400,000 km, it is no easy task for a non-engineer type to convert that to mm, or even harder to dm or cm”
Really a Senior Engineer think that adding 6 zeros at the end of 400 000 km, and naming it mm is THAT hard? Sorry to disappoint you sir, but here every child above 10 years old can do that… This is why prefixes are for! If you don’t get that, no wonder you think this is complicated system…
And one more thing – if you think that prefixes are overrated, why do I use ksi instead of psi in my work? Why do I use kips? Sorry, but imperial started to adapt metric approach, because it is easy and logical. This doesn’t work the other way around.
I’m not saying that objectively metric is better than imperial. It is for me, I was raised in metric and I value it’s simplicity and logic very high, apart for some funny inconsistencies. But I’m not saying everyone should convert to metric, it probably would take more time and money than it is worth it. But if somebody is saying that he hates SI units (and hate is a strong word), he’d better give some real reasons instead of what he wrote.
Frank says
Rock on, sister. I think the article served it’s purpose though. I mean how much more effectively could Paul Heney destroy any credibility than by announcing that the most important characteristic of the author’s background is that they went to the same school. Taken in that light, Thaler’s shallow view and weak logic just don’t say much for Georgia Tech engineers.
MC Squared says
WELL SAID! This “genius” is stupid, and hypocritical. I’d just tell him “ALL HAIL THE KING!” CLEARLY he loves King Eduard the 14’s way.
Kitten says
Yes, the actual length of the meter — compared with what was intended — is a mistake. But it’s a mistake that has “transformed the world,” as the book’s subtitle has it.
“That is why,” Alder says, “Delambre and Mechain’s meter — created ‘for all people, for all time’ — was in fact an error for all people, for all time.”
Jay says
So what you’re saying is….
The meter is an arbitrary measurement decided upon by a group of people and standardized for universal use.
… Just like the inch/foot/yard.
The OP makes salient points, points that will sail right over the head of people who, ‘believe what they think makes them appear rational/intelligent,’
Scott says
12, 5280, 1/8, 5/16, 3/32, 29/64, 3/8, 3/16, .125, .25, .375, .875, .8125, 3, 32.1740486
(or)
10
If you had to memorize all one of the above lines in order to do you job, which would you prefer? I rest my case.
MC Squared says
GOOD ONE!! I love it. I’ve been metric since age 8, and I’m nearly 60 now. I *despise* imperial.
Jay says
Not really…
It’s just a banal appeal to absudity.
Your fellow metriphile has made the mistake of not understanding the simple content of the article in question.
No one has to memorize that because no one in the world uses miles to measure a block of wood, or inches to measure the width of a planet.
JUST AS no one uses kilometers to measure a block of wood, or milimeters to measure the width of a planet. (Or deciliters or centiliters to measure the amount of liquid in their bottle.)
You use the appropriate (or in the case of metriphiles – whichever one they are used to since they can’t image the size of a centiliter in their mind while they can 100ml) scale of measurement for the specific task at hand.
The truly humorous thing is watching metriphiles go on about how a completely useless function which is never used in practical application somehow makes their arbitrary measurement unit better than another.
Unfortunately, you HAVE to explain this stuff like this to metriphiles… They just aren’t that bright.
Vhoxz says
You know what’s weird? What’s weird is that the US signed the treaty of the Meter (it’s a real thing) and that all US measurement units are based on the metric system with a conversion factor. Yeah that’s right. The metre is so stupid your country based it’s measurement system on the metric system!
Paul says
That was funny. Nothing like some insular USA style conspiracy theory lunacy to get me off to a good start to the day. Now for my coffee.
Jay says
Speaking of luna…
The US has been there.
Using Imperial….
Jim says
Where to begin? First I do not hate the metric system. I find it is well suited for the physical sciences as physical constants, atomic weights etc translate well in the metric system. Likewise “Standard” is far more practical for engineering and construction. Like the author said the system should work for you, not the other way around.
Standard was adopted by popular use, not government decree. Why would this be so? Because the people found it practical and useful perhaps? Because when you are in the field it is easy to step off a foot or pace a yard when you dont have a tape measure? Because you can half something by sight, folding or with simple geometry without measuring? Try this when dividing something into tenths. If metric was so great governments would not be imprisoning people for using their local units of measurement.
The 10 argument is totally specious. The kg is not a different unit of measure than the gram. Its just a way of representing orders of magnitude. One could also say g*10^3, or g e3 etc. One could also say 1000 inches is a kiloinch. Would that make inches acceptable to you metriphiles? The problem with standard is that the inch foot and yard are different units of measurement with their attendant conversion factors. This brings us to the problem of the USA converting to metric. We have centuries of infrastructure measured in standard. Are we supposed to rebuild every house, every machine, etc? The introduction of metric just adds another conversion factor to be remembered, thus exacerbating the very problem it is supposed to solve. Also, I would much rather divide by 12 than 2.54.
I also do not buy the “rest of the world” argument. By this argument it would make more economic sense for the rest of the world to convert to standard. The USA is the worlds largest economy, has the largest manufacturing capacity and the most infrastructure to convert. It would be cheaper to make the rest of the world convert to standard. How many people in the Congo do you suppose have $1,000 Craftsman tool sets in their thatched huts that will need to be replaced when the government changes its units of measurement?
I can go on but this post is becoming large. So I close with a response to Scott. Which is easier to memorize. 3, 12, 5280, etc that you post or yotta, zetta, exa, peta, tera, giga, mega, kilo, hecto, deca, milli, centi, milli, micro, nano, pico, femto, atto, zepto, yocto, 2.54, 453.59237 and 3.78541.
Ernie says
United States Constitution, Article 1, Section 8:
“The Congress shall have power…To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;”
Appropriate government power for the Founders, appropriate for me. As an American, I view it as part of my patriotic duty to avoid using the “iron yard of our Lord the King” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composition_of_Yards_and_Perches). The same King continues to levy imposts on our Republic’s economy by our retention of his treading foot.
“How many people in the Congo do you suppose have $1,000 Craftsman tool sets in their thatched huts that will need to be replaced when the government changes its units of measurement?”
Nothing like xenophobia and racism to alienate > 95% of your potential customers, including an increasing number of Americans. Even if we accept your “thatched huts” description, that means there is a lot of potential business for engineering and construction. And your customers will want that to be done in SI. Don’t let the King impose any more tariffs on our Republic than he already has!
jshiner@nport.net says
Why would I need to remember 2.54, 453.59237, and 3.78541?
It’s not like I need to convert to inches if only one county uses Inches, that would be useless.
Also, I find it much easier to remember prefixes then seemingly random digits and fractions. I like that twelve has so many factors, however, I count on the decimal system(1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1=10, 10+10+10+10+10+10+10+10+10+10=100) not duodecimal(1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1=10, 10+10+10+10+10+10+10+10+10+10+10+10=100) so my system of measurement should work with me (in decimal) and not against me (in duodecimal). Look, In decimal, the multiples of 10 are, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100… The multiples of 12 are, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, 96, 108, 120… And I know you don’t know how to count to one-hundred in duodecimal. and if you do, reply to this with the spoken form of 34↋6. I challenge you.
One final point,
One kilogram on Earth spread over 1m² will weigh 9.81 newtons. The pressure will be 9.81 kPa. Earth’s gravity is 9.81m/s². This makes some sense. 1 pound (mass) spread over 1 yd² will weigh 1 pound (force). The pressure will be… 0.00077160493827 psi? Earth’s gravity is 1 G?
In conclusion, We count in tens, so we should measure in tens. (units should work for us, not the other way around.)
Shiner says
Why would I need to remember 2.54, 453.59237, and 3.78541?
It’s not like I need to convert to inches if only one county uses Inches, that would be useless.
Also, I find it much easier to remember prefixes then seemingly random digits and fractions. I like that twelve has so many factors, however, I count on the decimal system(1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1=10, 10+10+10+10+10+10+10+10+10+10=100) not duodecimal(1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1=10, 10+10+10+10+10+10+10+10+10+10+10+10=100) so my system of measurement should work with me (in decimal) and not against me (in duodecimal). Look, In decimal, the multiples of 10 are, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100… The multiples of 12 are, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, 96, 108, 120… And I know you don’t know how to count to one-hundred in duodecimal. and if you do, reply to this with the spoken form of 34↋6. I challenge you.
One final point,
One kilogram on Earth spread over 1m² will weigh 9.81 newtons. The pressure will be 9.81 kPa. Earth’s gravity is 9.81m/s². This makes some sense. 1 pound (mass) spread over 1 yd² will weigh 1 pound (force). The pressure will be… 0.00077160493827 psi? Earth’s gravity is 1 G?
In conclusion, We count in tens, so we should measure in tens. (units should work for us, not the other way around.) Use the system that comes naturally.
Rip Meters says
Good to see that the US-Customary-Weights-&-Measures-vs-SI debate is continuing vigorously in the United States. When Americans grow tired of trying to disparage, denigrate, destroy, or otherwise dismiss SI as a system of weights and measures it will be a sad day for the rest of us out there who will not have this great social, cultural, scientific, and industrial dispute as a source of endless amusement and mirth. Americans do this sort of thing so well!
Waide Walker says
I like that in point 2 it talks about F being better than C because it has more precision, then in point 3 puts down the use of the more precise Km over Mm or Gm. With SI we get the freedom to use the level of precision we individually see as conveying the measurement, and even if we do use a prefix that might seem excessively precise or imprecise, the information still makes sense. Nobody who uses metric read your article and was confused about what you meant by Gm or Mm either, SI is meant to be a universal language.
SOS says
“I also do not buy the “rest of the world” argument. By this argument it would make more economic sense for the rest of the world to convert to standard. The USA is the worlds largest economy, has the largest manufacturing capacity and the most infrastructure to convert. It would be cheaper to make the rest of the world convert to standard.”
Hahahahahahaha
AR says
LOL What exactly does # 7 have to do with anything? Just as quick, how many quarts in a square yard? No? Didn’t think so.
# 9 – Exactly what it sounds like it means: a kilometer squared, then another, then another, thousands of times.
# 10 – That’s because determining the number of teaspoons in a cubic yard is NOT a matter of merely moving a decimal point, genius.
MC Squared says
Exactly! Let’s see them quickly do what I do every day: how many kg does this cubic meter of concrete weigh? I’m guessing an American will be 10 minutes on a calculator …. me? I just know however many liters it is = how many kg, and therefore the m3. EASY!! Get the cement truck on it’s way, next!
As I tell Americans wwho defend King Eduard’s 422 BC way: ALL HAIL THE KING!” And I usually do a comical follow-up with “WHY do you Americans celebrate “Independence Day”?? CLEOARLY they love the King!!! Ha!!!!
Oleg says
We, American engineers hate it every day. But I guess we’re hostages of American plumbers, carpenters and the older generation of engineers, who suffered and now make us suffer. WTF…
Ametrica says
There are some additional comments here:
http://www.reddit.com/r/Metric/comments/19w28x/ten_reasons_to_hate_the_metric_system/
I would think though that before publishing it you should have seen that most of those reasons are pretty lame and a real act of desperation. You also should have looked into his background and not just go by his word.
t doesn’t appear that James W Tahler actually works for Rolls Royce. He may have worked there or was possibly a consultant there.
http://www.intelius.com/results.php?ReportType=1&searchform=&qf=James&qn=Tahler
He may presently be with Data Systems and Solutions.
http://www.netprospex.com/people/Jim-Tahler/25702342
It appears to me he is a consultant. This way he can go from company to company and complain about those that use metric.
Don’t you find it odd that such a person would use a public forum to state an open hatred for the metric system while in the employ of a metric company? That would be a real embarrassment for the company. Obviously outside of their employ he is free to make any claim or offer any opinion that would be a conflict of interests with his employer.
Maybe he did openly oppose the metric system while there and it might have been the reason they chose to disassociate from him and thus making him angry.
MC Squared says
Clearly he’s a hypocrite. And worse – a dumb one.
Kitten says
Yes, the actual length of the meter — compared with what was intended — is a mistake. But it’s a mistake that has “transformed the world,” as the book’s subtitle has it.
“That is why,” Alder says, “Delambre and Mechain’s meter — created ‘for all people, for all time’ — was in fact an error for all people, for all time.”
Sergei says
Very funny to read that opinion from pure metric engineering world. We’re really safe ring here in Russia from all those PSI and NPT treads. I think that only 100 years will turn us to common units.
ACWM says
@RIP Meters, you’r God-damned right we do this thing “sort of well.” If we only had one system of measures there would probably be a world war, something. There’s a lot of pent-up frustration in this room. On the metric side, sounds like a lot of children I changed my careers in college to get away from! Couldn’t LIVE working around people like that every day, who don’t laugh at jokes, have any common sense or street smarts, but expect us to trust them with their views on politics when they can’t even dance, hold a non-awkward non-scientific conversation!
MC Squared says
So then, why are YOU adding to the vitriol? 1) this makes YOU as much of a child, 2) saying something as stupid as “If we only had one system of measures there would probably be a world war” is as insane as saying “having only one sun …”
Street smarts? I was a Kung Fu Sifu and also played in bands around the world. Next rebuttal??
P says
Article: nonsense…..
Comments: thorough, interesting, factual.
ACWM says
does anyone know how many quarts in a square yard? Before someone asks, childishly, which quart, we are still having trouble with the space time and dimensionality issues. We are wondering if it is a similar principle involved with using a square or cubic acre, like Scrooge McDuck? 😛
Also interesting that none of the metriphiles have a rebuttal to the use of myriad units in a situation similar to that described in a Spanish nuclear facility. Nor do they appear to have any knowledge of Degrees Rankine, the analog of Kelvin still used in in.-lb. Engineering applications. Is Celsius not equally arbitrary compared to Fahrenheit? Saline water and human body temperature (98.6F is an overly-precise rounding from Celsius) are equally-valid reference points considering that most water on Earth is salt water and that salt is still commonly used in cold winter climes to prevent ice on roadways.
Marcelo says
Dude , i laugh so hard with your 10 reasons… The problem with metric system is that United States won’t accept all the world telling them they should change to metric system, feeling that with this decision they’ll show weakness… If you can point 10 reasons, i can point 100 reasons why imperial system sucks… More than 95% of counties in the world don’t use it, they should be wrong right? It’s a shame that WTO doesn’t has the power to obligate all products exported around the world to be labelled only in metric system, and optionally in imperial system just if the company that sells it want do that… It was the only way to force a country that use this horrendous system to start to think about change it…
Jay says
Paul I totally agree with you! Do you know how hard it is to find an American with 10 fingers on his/her hand? And I’m sure you can find out how many square feet in 37 square miles in 10 seconds or less right?
Your arguments is like arguing that we should all live in houses that don’t have running water, electricity, or gas because our ancestors lived thousands of years without them so if it worked for them, it should work for us too right?
Gabriel says
Try asking for a 482.6mm rack
Josep says
A metric-using country would manufacture racks to the nearest five or ten (milli/centi)meters. In your example it’d probably be 480 mm (or just 48 cm).
When Australia converted to metric in the 1970s, the Melbourne Cup horse racetrack was shortened from two miles (3.219 km) to 3.2 km (1.988 miles).
To be fluent in a new system, one has to think in that new system and not the old one.
shiner says
Yes! I love how you put it: “To be fluent in a new system, one has to think *in that new system* and not the old system.”
shay says
Light years, miles, yards, feet, inches, centimeters, tons, lbs, ounces…give me these or give me death.
Don Trowbridge says
The purpose of the imperial system was for ease of use. The same reason a circle has 360° a foot has 12″. Because it can be easily divided by 2,3,4,5,6 – 10 can only be divided by 2,5
I understand standardizing something – but at least make it convenient.
If I’m creating a system of measurement – I’m not using the .25 circumference of the earth as my starting point.
Maybe use the height of an average man, or something our minds can commonly associate with. Kinda like Fahrenheit
Oleg says
– Only three countries in the world don’t use metric. Liberia, Burma and US. LOL
– newer units, astronomy, electricity, whatever — do not have sub-units of dividing by 60 or 12. Wonder why? Here why:
How many slugs in a ft^3 of water? Quick ! Hands of the calculator ! how’s dividing by 12 helping you now?
wanna try power, those tons, BTUs, say from lbf*ft/s ?
– of course, if you’re a carpenter, smaller numbers of ft and inches are more appealing compared to mm. And it’s ok — just don’t call yourself an engineer. Please.
ss says
Been using Metric since 1972. I’ve never had a problem with it.
Imperial is pointless and obsolete.
Anonymous says
I disagree with you. First of all, Gm and Km or whatever look funny… that’s an opinion. Second, How is Fahrenheit more convenient to use “daily”? It’s too big, I think Celcius is much more useful daily. Many countries actually USE metric or SI unit, US is one of the only THREE countries that does not use it. So note that metric is used by more countries, that’s a FACT. Metric almost always deals only with powers of ten, So I think metric is much more convenient and useful to use than customary.
mathlover says
Yeah, and my teacher once said get away “8 feet” I had no idea how much it was. Was it as tall as an empire state building? Is it as short as an ant? LOL 😀
Mat Rick says
Dissing a decimal system with 10! reasons? Anyone?
equalopportunityoffender says
1.) The free market, especially when it comes to globally active companies, not “the goverment” is the main driver behind metrication. If you sell a candybar worldwide, your business is done in grams and kilos, even if – in some areas – you still print “ounces” on the wrapper for the natives.
2.) Because using the freezing point of an ammonium nitrate brine as a reference point is more intuitive than using that of water?
3.) Strawman.
4:) 1 bar = 100.000 pascal. A metric tonne is 1000 kilos and a metric pound is 500 grams. Even if these “associated” units are not officially “SI”, they are still easy to use, as they fit into the framework and don’t require complicated conversions.
5.) Hence Mega- and Giga-Bequerel
6.) SI temperature is Kelvin.
7.) 1000… now divide a foot in fifths, aaaah I forgot, “imperial” hands have six fingers.
8.) But every astronomer knows how many petameters to a lightyear, but noone how many fathoms to an AU.
9.) Reductio ad absurdum
10.) If the only relevant aspect of the SI system were prefixes, you would kinda have a point. It isn’t.
A Box with a Heart on it says
Why did Paul go to this website to argue about this? There is a time & place and this is not it.