Why does the imperial measurement system still exist?

[KamiKatze]

DING DING DING we gots a winna

 

Excuse me, Mr. Baked Beans, i just had this discussion with him before in a different thread and he broguht the exact same close minded arguments, trying to defend every last bit of that inferioir imperial system.

 

Now that the shots are fired, i just wanted to add, that i can really understand that you can't just give up on the imperial system and switch. Heck, even i feel more comfortable measuring screensizes in inch rather than cm.

[Trik'Stari]

DING DING DING we gots a winna

I bring along the same set of arguments because they're prefectly valid. Imperial works for roughly 300 million "stupid unintelligent" americans every single day.

 

Arguing that one system of measurement is better than another is asinine. It's like arguing that the number 3 is better than the number 2, theres no logic in it. Each has advantages and disadvantages, depending on where they are used and how well the person using them knows how to use it. Saying "well everyone else uses it" isn't an argument its merely a statement. Personally I hope this topic gets locked because it's just a giant "flame the americans" thread.

 

I know how to use metric, as even a simpleton can use it (roughly 5.7 billion do). I just don't because I have no real reason to.

[Askew]

Excuse me, Mr. Baked Beans, i just had this discussion with him before in a different thread and he broguht the exact same close minded arguments, trying to defend every last bit of that inferioir imperial system.

 

Now that the shots are fired, i just wanted to add, that i can really understand that you can't just give up on the imperial system and switch. Heck, even i feel more comfortable measuring screensizes in inch rather than cm.

 

oh sorry I didn't know about the other thread, I didn't make this one as a result of seeing another.

[yurihellsing]

Because it's just much better i in fact hate the metric system remember just because it's easier doesn't mean it's better.

[Guest]

I bring along the same set of arguments because they're prefectly valid. Imperial works for roughly 300 million "stupid unintelligent" americans every single day.

 

Arguing that one system of measurement is better than another is asinine. It's like arguing that the number 3 is better than the number 2, theres no logic in it. Each has advantages and disadvantages, depending on where they are used and how well the person using them knows how to use it. Saying "well everyone else uses it" isn't an argument its merely a statement.

 

 

Excuse me, Mr. Baked Beans, i just had this discussion with him before in a different thread and he broguht the exact same close minded arguments, trying to defend every last bit of that inferioir imperial system.

 

Now that the shots are fired, i just wanted to add, that i can really understand that you can't just give up on the imperial system and switch. Heck, even i feel more comfortable measuring screensizes in inch rather than cm.

May I add that once you learn imperial it is just as easy as metric. This is coming from someone who knows both.

[KamiKatze]

May I add that once you learn imperial it is just as easy as metric. This is coming from someone who knows both.

 

Are you a scientist or an engineer? I can hardly believe that the imperial system would be in any way better than metric for your calculations.

[Askew]

[Trik'Stari]

May I add that once you learn imperial it is just as easy as metric. This is coming from someone who knows both.

That's been my point to begin with, if you know how to use both, neither is better in everyday life. I would argue that saying "well you should use metric because everyone else does" is the more close minded statement. Metric is easy, imperial is not.

 

 

 

Are you a scientist or an engineer? I can hardly believe that the imperial system would be in any way better than metric for your calculations.

As I stated, WHERE you use a system of measurement is more important than the actual system of measurement itself.

[TheRetiredSlave]

Well, my job is to run eight ~$1/4 million machines, and use a ridiculous amount of tools/tooling, and pretty much all of it is in Imperial units..

Whose going to pay the absolutely insane amount of money and time in order to retool my entire line of machines, reengineer all the parts, retool and reengineer every machine of every device that my parts go into (remember, I can't make a metric part if the customer can't use the metric part). Every manufacturer in the country would have to throw out all of their tooling, all their current stock, and most of their equipment. Then there would be the issue that anything made before the change to metric would most likely be incompatible with anything made after the switch to metric and would have to be thrown out as well. etc etc etc...

Now, I will say it is rather annoying to be trying to take apart a fixture and being confused as to whether I need a 2.5mm or a 7/64" Allen wrench, but it's not really practical to throw everything away..

 

 

It's easy for kids to go onto an internet forum and say "why don't they just switch", but "just switching" isn't as simple as just convincing a few old stubborn guys to say Celsius instead of Fahrenheit. 

[Guest]

Are you a scientist or an engineer? I can hardly believe that the imperial system would be in any way better than metric for your calculations.

Planning to major in astrophysics and study dark matter thank you and yes metric is better for uses of these types due to its simpler nature. However people who do this kind of thing most likely know both. Also for everyday use it really doesn't matter.

[Trik'Stari]

I vote we move to a completely new system of measurement using the width of Linus's head as feet or whatever metric uses that's = to feet. His thumb length as inches/centimeters. and the length of his body, multiplied by 64, as a replacement for miles/kilo's

[KamiKatze]

As I stated, WHERE you use a system of measurement is more important than the actual system of measurement itself.

 

 

Correct. But maybe in that situation, the other measurment system would work even better! - But how do you measure "better" right?

 

Also found a fun little article which leads back to the argument, that we need one uniform measurement system. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Climate_Orbiter

[Guest]

Are you a scientist or an engineer? I can hardly believe that the imperial system would be in any way better than metric for your calculations.

Oh and by the way you can run calculations with either it really doesn't matter as long as you know what you are doing. 

[Guest]

I vote we move to a completely new system of measurement using the width of Linus's head as feet or whatever metric uses that's = to feet. His thumb length as inches/centimeters. and the length of his body, multiplied by 64, as a replacement for miles/kilo's

I second this. 

[Trik'Stari]

Correct. But maybe in that situation, the other measurment system would work even better! - But how do you measure "better" right?

 

Also found a fun little article which leads back to the argument, that we need one uniform measurement system. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Climate_Orbiter

Yeah that's just called "engineers are morons" which as a former automotive industry worker, I can confirm. or

 

 

 

Oh and by the way you can run calculations with either it really doesn't matter as long as you know what you are doing. 

what he said.

 

Idiots are idiots, regardless of what system of measurement they use.

[KamiKatze]

Oh and by the way you can run calculations with either it really doesn't matter as long as you know what you are doing. 

 

As a chemist i can only stand behind the metric system. I tried to calculate my homework in imperial once, it was just mad!

 

To keep the discussion going: where is the imperial system better than the metric then?

[Askew]

To keep the discussion going: where is the imperial system better than the metric then?

 

Yes, let's have 3 unique bonuses of each laid out to debate.

[Profquast]

Some countries have been to the moon, some use the metric system.

Might wanna look up some info about Werner von Braun and his team, although to be fair billions of dollars helped them a fair bit.

[Guest]

As a chemist i can only stand behind the metric system. I tried to calculate my homework in imperial once, it was just mad!

Most likely because you were used to using metric. If you used imperial and then started using metric im sure you would have had the same reaction.

[KamiKatze]

Yes, let's have 3 unique bonuses of each laid out to debate.

 

I'm gonna start with the obvious one. The metric system is the best for calculating scientific/engineering stuff. Conversion froim larger to smaller scale is much easier. Going from cubic meters to liters.. you can take what you want, metric will make it a charm to calculate.

[KamiKatze]

Most likely because you were used to using metric. If you used imperial and then started using metric im sure you would have had the same reaction.

 

I can hardly believe that scientists in the USA calculate the concentration of their sulfuric acid in mol/oz

[Guest]

I can hardly believe that scientists in the USA calculate the concentration of their sulfuric acid in mol/oz

I'm not a chemist so I shouldn't know. I'm just saying that both work equally well. Also this is just which is better in general and generally most people aren't scientists.

[Trik'Stari]

I'm not a chemist so I shouldn't know. I'm just saying that both work equally well. Also this is just which is better in general and generally most people aren't scientists.

What he said.

 

Most of the world will never have to worry about any of these scientific level problems, so it's a moot point. Next time Europe needs America to save it's ass I'm going to vote for staying out of it

[Guest]

Europe needs America to save it's ass I'm going to vote for staying out of it

Specifically France....

[Trik'Stari]

Specifically France....

Indeed.

 

To finish my argument I posit this.

Fairly sure they used the metric system AND thought everyone should be the same too.

 

Edit: also, decimal points are evil, regardless of the system of measurement being used.