What Do the United States of America, and Her People, Fear about the Metric System?

Originally posted by GobbledokTChipeater
Volume, weight and length are all linked to each other.
Temperature is linked to an actual physical thing.

Very true

In fact everything is better related and more easily understood under the metric system, also known as the SI system or MKS (Metre Kilogram Second). It extends into all branches of science, physics and engineering internationally, not just the more mundane worldly chores of buying a steak, a bag of spuds or a bottle of milk.

I wouldn't expect the US population overall to accept the change with open arms initially as the benefits only become truly apparent after a period of adaptation. It's *change* that people oppose and you're no different to everywhere else in that regard but fear of this change is totally unwarranted.

To deal with the rest of the world you'll have to become fluent in metric and trust me, it's not hard (even I did it).

Economies are often referred to as engines.
That would make the "major players" world economy a V-8 high performance engine.
It's a shame one of the cylinders is miss firing.

I think there would be tremendous advantages for everyone involved if the US adopted the metric system.

Sure there would be some grumbling and change, but then the benefits of solidarity at multiple levels both domestic and international would be experienced.

The engine would be fine tuned and overall performance would benefit

By the way many metric based countries still build homes using feet and inches and coexist with any metric based sub contractors.

I am reminded of the taoist saying "Invest in Loss"

The belief that if one dismisses their ego and pursuit of personal gain and convenience, allowing their decision mechanism to be guided by a selflessness rather than just selfishness, then a polarization occurs and favor is returned at an exponential rate. Kind of like how an average sized wave crashing at the beach is usually followed by one or two small waves then the conserved or lost energy is put into the back sweeping motion of the surf allowing for the creation of the giant wave that can be caught by.. say.. the surf board.

Another way of seeing it is to think of a really crowded western saloon with swinging doors. Do you explode onto the scene, "Good day Boys!!", pushing open the doors hitting into people and spilling all their drinks (and paying to replace them and pissing people off or do you approach the bar doors, look in the bar from behind the doors, pull them back toward you, making a place for yourself and then slip in.

Invest in loss.

or a "money" friendly way of saying it

Spend some cultural capital to make your culture Capital.


cheers

I find the metric system easier for me to memorize/work with. I am terrible with fractions and measuring in general.

And yes, I'm in the U.S.

Really, it's NOT a huge deal but I do think that the U.S could benefit from using the metric system more, especially when it comes to teaching math to students.

If it had been in all-metric, I would probably be better at math than I am now.

Originally posted by whitewave

What is "one hair breadth" in metric? I can't find it on my metric conversion calculator. Still, I do seem to be able to envision how much that is.

Simple, practical references with which everyone has familiarity.

[edit on 13-9-2009 by whitewave]

Umm but what on earth is a Hairs Breadth to begin with, my hair, or your hair? Cats hair? or maybe a cats whisker... although that would probably be 5 and 1/6 of a human hair, pubic hair?... i mean hey their thick. Did inch really come from inch worms and if inch worms evolve to be longer or shorter eventually than an inch will inchs change to?

Ive attempted to deal with the American system occasionally but being someone who comes from a country that adopted metric 50 years ago or so all i can say is I dont know how you can use your current system. Its like using monkeys and cows as a measurement and a duck is 2 cows or 1/3rd of a monkey and you need 56 and a 1/2 monkeys to make a bathtub... i think you get my point.

Dont get me started on Fahrenheit... how you can have a tempreture system where tempretures that are freezing are still positive numbers just doesnt make any sense. Freezing point of water becomes the base line of 0, everything else is worked from their it makes so much more sense, positive temps, non water freezing range, negative temps frozen water range.

Everything in metrics fits inside everything else, everything is nicely rounded or can be rounded 1 meter is 100 cm's so half a meter is 50 cm's or 500 millimeters. 1 cubic cm is equal to 1 gram so 10 cubic cm's is 1 kilogram.

As to weather its some NWO plot ... hell no, and even if it was... id thank the NWO for it (heaven forbid), something they actually got right.

reply to post by weedwhacker


i do not beleive that there is any reason to stwich systems bacause as many people have already said we do use both systems in the US. so we like to rate our speed it MPH not KPH. i have used both ways and to me it is easier to use miles cause that is what i grew up with. as far as the .95 cm over the 3/8ths of an inch it all depends on what you are doing. larger jobs the standard system is easier smaller jobs yeah the metic system works way better. i could care less what they change to i will still use sandard for things and metic for others. metric is everywhere in the US we just dont relize the fact that it is here.