Why can't americans use metric system?

ZeldaXD · 2015-05-29 14:33:42

Why can't americans use metric system and stop using their stone age imperial system? Discuss.

inb4 "america wunna be different!!111"

Terrasher, ewoke

Abelysk · 2015-05-29 14:44:46

Proves that the U.S. is so bent in trying to "invent" their own "vocabulary".

Onjit, Anch, Jesse, tak4n, Zumza, realmaster42, Minimania, Br0k3n, Era

Insanity · 2015-05-29 14:45:57

Because they're too sub-optimal to use it. Americans do this sort of thing with everything, especially sports.

Ex.

They suck at football so they call football soccer, and create a sport for themselves called American Football.
They suck at formula 1 racing so they create Nascar because it's easier to go in circles.
They suck at Field Hockey so they created Ice Hockey (although Ice Hockey seems harder, which I don't understand)
They suck at Cricket so they made Baseball

For some reason we like to make our own, **** versions of things that are already universally accepted.

Nou, Era, Minimania, ewoke, Shadow, Miasmic, Onjit, some woman

mrjawapa · 2015-05-29 16:01:21

I use both Fahrenheit and Celsius.
I use ounces/pounds for a lot... but occasionally grams.

Also, Fahrenheit was German. So that's almost an invalid argument.

EDIT: didn't know that about the pineapple. That's interesting.

Different55 · 2015-05-29 16:54:44

With Fahrenheit it goes from 0 being wow that's cold to 100 being wow that's hot. It covers every temperature you experience as part of the weather. IMO as far as weather goes, Fahrenheit > Celsius. For most other things I'd prefer Celsius, tho. I agree with basically everything else. I'd rather use liters and meters.

Metric mostly ftw.

Bobithan

JadElClemens · 2015-05-29 16:54:50

Insanity wrote:

They suck at Field Hockey so they created Ice Hockey (although Ice Hockey seems harder, which I don't understand)

Pretty much means your example is wrong, dog.

To be frank, though, we really should get to switching to metric. It's a logical system and there's really no reason (except for tradition) not to.

I already write my dates dD-mM-YYYY when I can (i.e. when not required to do otherwise), so there's that. Nobody says anything about that except for when they first see me doing it.

If I had everything my way we'd be writing temperature in Kelvin, but eh.
(C'mon, wouldn't it be fun to tell somebody it's 300 degress outside? At least for a bit?)

Onjit · 2015-05-29 17:00:17

JadElClemens wrote:

If I had everything my way we'd be writing temperature in Kelvin, but eh.
(C'mon, wouldn't it be fun to tell somebody it's 300 degress outside? At least for a bit?)

It'd only be fun just after the switch. More confusing anyway. After a few generations, it'd be the norm and not strange at all.

Zumza · 2015-05-29 17:21:54

@Pineapple
In my opinion that may happen because pineapple in its direct form in all latin languages is made of 3 words.
pineapple = pine apple = apple with pines
In the most english words for objects is also a small detail about what the object actually is. Which is rare in other languages.
English actually is an easy language, but most of the people just broke it, or use it badly because they apply latin grammar.

@Americans
In a non-racist way, I want to say that before colonist firstly came on America, people from there were a bit primitive. They hardly accepted changes. And they are still the same. They just can't adopt International System of Units over the night. Even if officially they use internationally units, people will refuse it.
Edit: However, many ~~good~~ innovations came from America. So they are some people who care.

some woman

mrjawapa · 2015-05-29 17:23:49

Zumza wrote:

@Americans
In a non-racist way, I want to say that before colonist firstly came on America, people from there were a bit primitive. They hardly accepted changes. And they are still the same. They just can't adopt International System of Units over the night. Even if officially they use internationally units, people will refuse it.
However, many good innovations came from America and they are successfully applied in Europe and America.

That's no where near racist.

And the hardly accepting changes is humans in general.

Zumza · 2015-05-29 17:25:54

^ you didn't use the last edit.

mrjawapa · 2015-05-29 17:27:16

Zumza wrote:

^ you didn't use the last edit.

My statements still stand.

Anak · 2015-05-29 17:40:10

Fahrenheit is based on temperatures the body can handle. Celsius is based on water.
Just be thankful we're not using Kelvin, lmao

some woman, Koto

ILoveBaconYUM · 2015-05-29 18:16:12

JadElClemens wrote:

I already write my dates dD-mM-YYYY when I can (i.e. when not required to do otherwise), so there's that. Nobody says anything about that except for when they first see me doing it.

I hate it when I see a date for a trailer or something, but I don't know if it's the American way or not. I usually have to rearrange it to a way I can understand. >:(

Onjit wrote:

It'd only be fun just after the switch. More confusing anyway. After a few generations, it'd be the norm and not strange at all.

Then we will change it back to Celsius after 100 years.

mrjawapa · 2015-05-29 18:21:40

Is it really that hard to read a date?

01-12-15 or 12-01-15 = January 12, 2015. You know it's 2015... and you should have common sense to know it's January...

Zumza · 2015-05-29 18:38:06

Anak wrote:

Fahrenheit is based on temperatures the body can handle. Celsius is based on water.
Just be thankful we're not using Kelvin, lmao

In International System of Units temperature is measured in Kelvin... Kelvin is based on temperature at which all thermal motion ceases.
So I think Kelvin should be the winner
As I remember Celsius = Kelvin - 273

Hexagon · 2015-05-29 18:56:27

Change requires a lot of energy, and it will result in a lot of conflict. Using a similar example, the entire world except Canada and the US use A4 paper (I love A4 paper but I'm in Canada) while the US and Canada use letter paper. For them to change to A4 they would have to change their file folders, page protectors, sorting systems, printers, and much more. This would be very expensive and more work than its benefits. The same goes for changing to the metric system.

If you are interested in standardization, go to http://www.iso.org/iso/home.html

some woman

Master1 · 2015-05-29 19:28:04

The metric system is too complicated.

Terrasher · 2015-05-29 19:55:18

The imperial system is too complicated.

Atikyne · 2015-05-29 20:00:03

Both of those date formats do not make much sense. With the smaller increments of time (hours, minutes, seconds, etc.), we put the largest unit first, focusing in to the exact time as we go from left to right. But for some reason most people don't order the larger time units (year, month, day) the same way.

Here's a demonstration:

xkcd

Ratburntro44, Koto, BEE, Hexagon

Ratburntro44 · 2015-05-29 20:57:17

For the most part metric is better, but there isn't really much of any superiority in using Celsius for non-scientific purposes, and neither Celsius nor Fahrenheit is good for scientific stuff.

Insanity wrote:

They suck at football so they call football soccer, and create a sport for themselves called American Football.

I mean… maybe, just maybe, at the time the sports were developed transportation between continents wasn't quite as simple and fast as it is now. There might also be a reason why Canadian football is so similar to American football. Also the existence of the Australian rules football, very different from all the others.

also we don't want to be like those metric commie bastards

mrjawapa, Bobithan, Onjit

Master1 · 2015-05-29 22:19:11

^You can't exactly say the metric system is better than the imperial system.

It may possibly be better for you, but for others, no. I personally hate the metric system. I've grown up using the imperial system, and when someone starts telling me metric stuff, I have no clue what they are talking about.

I have no idea how heavy 100 grams is, how far a kilometer is, or what 40 degrees Celsius feels like. Although it may be "more simple," The system makes absolutely no sense to me

Anak · 2015-05-29 22:50:01

Master1 wrote:

I have no idea how heavy 100 grams is, how far a kilometer is,

Neither do we tbh

Ratburntro44 · 2015-05-30 00:13:04

Master1 wrote:

It may possibly be better for you, but for others, no. I personally hate the metric system. I've grown up using the imperial system, and when someone starts telling me metric stuff, I have no clue what they are talking about.

I don't think that's really evidence that the metric system may not be better, just that you aren't familiar with it. Someone who is familiar with a naïve formulation of infinitesimal calculus might be able to understand and work with it better than they would with a rigorous formulation using limits, but the latter is still pretty much certainly a better way of doing mathematics.

Bobithan · 2015-05-30 00:23:02

I don't like the metric system because it follows the stupid base 10 system which is hard to divide conveniently into thirds, fourths, and sixths. Screw that. Let's switch the entire human understanding of numbers from base 10 to base 12. Life would be so much easier.

2015-05-30 00:43:18

Bobithan wrote:

I don't like the metric system because it follows the stupid base 10 system which is hard to divide conveniently into thirds, fourths, and sixths. Screw that. Let's switch the entire human understanding of numbers from base 10 to base 12. Life would be so much easier.

Dunno. I personally prefer having things being "0.2 meters", "184 centimeters", "4 meters and a half" tall than "oh that thing's 3' feet 2" inches and a quarter tall" (also feet/inches are really innacurate for measuring height, these short people and their insecurity!). Although I didn't research the imperial system much.

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#1 2015-05-29 14:33:42

Why can't americans use metric system?

#2 2015-05-29 14:44:46, last edited by Abelysk (2015-05-29 14:46:03)

Re: Why can't americans use metric system?

#3 2015-05-29 14:45:57

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#4 2015-05-29 16:01:21, last edited by mrjawapa (2015-05-29 16:29:48)

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#5 2015-05-29 16:54:44, last edited by Different55 (2015-05-29 16:55:54)

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