Countries that don't use the metric system.

by DigDog on Tue Mar 29, 2011 2:29 pm

Discuss.

by **Flaw of Insanity** on Tue Mar 29, 2011 2:48 pm

Oh the hilarity.

by **Darre** on Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:05 pm

3 countries still suck... Metric system is the here and now, whatever they use is the getbeatupinanalleythanlayinyourownbloodallnight system.

by Rixuel on Tue Mar 29, 2011 9:19 pm

I guess it's real then

by V on Tue Mar 29, 2011 10:34 pm

>Alaska is a country

Seriously though, I wish America did. It would make it much easier to do Physics.

by DigDog on Wed Mar 30, 2011 12:31 am

You know what's interesting?

Actually the metric system is used here in US a HELL of a lot more than anyone thinks.

Absolutely ALL engineering facilities, physics, chemistry, aviation, research, factories, architecture etc.. pretty much the core of US economics uses the metric system in their day-to-day calculations.

Only the general population uses the imperial system, which is no different than the metric system when it comes to getting stuff done... it's just a matter of being used to it that's all...

The United States was (is?) one of the biggest supporters for the metric system.

"The U.S. adopted the metric system in 1866. What the U.S. has failed to do is to restrict or prohibit the use of traditional units in areas touching the ordinary citizen"

http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/usmetric.html

by **Xusha** on Wed Mar 30, 2011 1:45 am

The old people running America are too scared to learn this "new" system. It is probably widely supported, but America leaves their decisions to a lot of old people.

by **Winnie** on Wed Mar 30, 2011 2:51 am

Eh, I kinda like the customary system. Mostly just because I find the metric system confusing, that's all. I'm too lazy to move decimals. And also, the fact that I've had it hammered into my brain since age 4 probably helps... but I don't know. I totally failed the math unit where we had to learn about the metric system...

by Altera on Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:01 am

Even though I'm in a metric country I still like using imperial units from time-to-time.

by **Erik** on Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:03 am

The real reason the US hasn't changed is that there are plenty of industries that do use the imperial system, and have used it, and now if we want to change it all we have to replace all of these boards of wood with 5.4534634673473 m and such if we want to switch over.

by **Juliana** on Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:19 am

I think the other part of the reason is for those people like me, who feel a heck of a lot more comfortable with the imperial system anyway. Metric is okay for scientific purposes; it's a scientific system. Imperial is better for human purposes; you can't estimate a centimeter with your thumb.

Plus, the metric system has ONE awesome story behind it. The imperial system has an awesome story behind EVERY unit of measure.

by Peregrine on Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:29 am

Yeah, that's it Erik. That's the root of the metric vs. imperial debate. Because if America converts to metric it could utterly ruin their board industry.

I personally favour the metric system because of how easy it is to convert between measurements. All you need to understand is how to multiply by ten. I don't have to remember that a league is 15,840 feet. I don't have to remember that a mile is 8 furlongs, which in turn is 10 chains, which in turn is 4 rods, which in turn is 25 links, which in turn is 7.92 inches. I don't need to remember that a thou is 0.0000033333333 feet. I don't need to remember that a perch is a rod by a rod or that an acre is a furlong by a chain, which is in turn 160 square rods. All I need to remember is how to multiply by 10, which I can somehow do despite not being a scientist.

by **Juliana** on Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:37 am

The metric system is designed to make science easier, and that's all well and good as far as it goes... but the imperial system is just plain fun. Where in the metric system would you find a unit of atomic measure known as the "barn?" (Though the barn is one of maybe three imperial units permitted for use with the metric system; it's a unit of length equal to the size of the average uranium atom and stemming from a joke among nuclear physicists that said atom is "as big as a barn.")

by Peregrine on Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:43 am

The metric system isn't designed to make science easier, it's designed to make measurement easier.

by **Juliana** on Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:46 am

And that's only really necessary for scientific purposes... all else, it grates on me enough that I want to travel back in time to the French Revolution and assassinate the inventors of the metric system before they can foul up the world with their disgusting new system.

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