Why the United States refuses to go metric

[Brainspore]

@Mister44

To be fair, all unites of measurement are a bit arbitrary, though metric is much easier to do math with.

If we were going to start over from the beginning a duodecimal (base-12) numeral system would actually make a lot of sense, but that’s a political non-starter until we can genetically engineer children with six fingers on each hand.

[caze]

While we’re at it we really should sort out metric time as well.

EDIT: I mean decimal time.

[ChuckV]

@SpaceGhost

(formerly 2x4’s)?

but 2x4’s aren’t really 2 by 4 inches, are they?

ETA: Oh, already covered above…

[daneel]

Swatch Internet Time

[Brainspore]

@SpaceGhost

I could deal with metric liquid though - I’ve never liked the pints quarts and cups, just give me liters I can actually measure that out easier and combine or divide it in my head without needing paper or a reference to some chart.

You probably already do.

[aeon]

@Thomas_Monson

You know, that would sting a lot more if you could still do it [go to the moon].

Plus NASA standardised on the metric system long ago, so recent NASA space successes are metric successes …

@waetherman

And every time we try to use the metric system for space exploration, it doesn’t go well.

But the opposite is true! Mars Orbiter was lost because Lockheed Martin used US customary measures instead of NASA’s standard metric …

[thaumatechnicia]

I think that keeping the USA non-metric is a subtle and effective way to control the US population.

[pixleshifter]

Well, actually

The importance of 12 has been attributed to the number of lunar cycles in a year, and also to the fact that humans have 12 finger bones (phalanges) on one hand (three on each of four fingers).[9] It is possible to count to 12 with your thumb acting as a pointer, touching each finger bone in turn. A traditional finger counting system still in use in many regions of Asia works in this way, and could help to explain the occurrence of numeral systems based on 12 and 60 besides those based on 10, 20 and 5.

[bucaneer]

Clearly, the American thing to do would be to introduce a new and improved Super Metric™ system and demand the rest of the world to adopt it.

[gadgetgirl02]

I saw two American ladies scald themselves at a hot spring in Iceland. Despite a multi-lingual warning sign which included the word “boiling”, they failed to notice there was a C after the 100 instead of an F and stuck their fingers in the water.

Meanwhile, when I go to the States, I find following directions not necessarily difficult, but nerve-wracking. For weather reports and such I use the net, where I can tell the app to show me the details in metric. I suspect that’s common for many foreign visitors.

And that’s the thing: at this point, not using metric is an isolating activity. It’s a communications barrier between the USA and the rest of the world, who don’t otherwise have to convert measurements.

I mean hey, if that’s what you want, then cool. But I can’t believe it doesn’t affect trade and tourism.

[mysterr]

@thekaz

Maybe it was jaw dropping because they weren’t expecting sane ideas in a presidential campaign?

More likely is that they weren’t expecting sane ideas from a Republican.

[Eark_the_Bunny]

How many cubits in a liter?

[daneel]

He’s a Democrat. Now.

[Donald_Petersen]

@caze

EDIT: I mean decimal time.

Like the centons they used in the old Battlestar: Galactica?

[jhbadger]

If you have an Android device, check out my free app “Thermidor” – It will give you decimal time as well as the semi-decimal French Revolutionary Calendar. Just the thing for making sure you are on time with your appointment with Robespierre!

[Donald_Petersen]

Don’t judge, but I still use cubits nearly every week, when exactitude isn’t critically important. Like "will that sofa fit in the minivan?’ sort of occasions.

[anon29631895]

@crashproof

How about a Royale With Cheese?

As long as it is 114 grams.

[thatspecial]

Not in the UK they can’t. Well, maybe a bit bigger. Thus we need a UK and US gallon, sorry, acre.

As long as we don’t perform any expensive, mission critical, activities together, it will be fine.

[TobinL]

If the year was actually an even number of days instead of 365.24ish for a solar year and 365.25ish for a sidereal year… and then 365 doesn’t break out into even 10s either.
The day itself could be setup into sections of 10 but then that messes up everyone in the world as a lot of things metric and non metric are based on current time units.

[Drew_G]

But (at least where I am) people still call 750ml bottles ‘fifths’ and switch back to using fractions of an ounce when talking about larger amounts of pot.