jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

The question of why the U. S. doesn't switch to the metric system has come up here several times. To quote one line from this article, "The benefits of switching are negligible, but the costs are huge." We've all heard the expression, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

http://www.popsci.com/why-hasnt-us-adopted-metric-system

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Jerry, I've raced bicycles for a number of years. Just about everything was metric. I remember one time a friend told me he was getting a 27" bike and I had no idea how big that big was.

Additionally, the 1968 date was interesting, as I 'd heard that one of the major reasons for the decision to NOT switch to metric was that it made it more difficult for the Russians to take over the country. Considering the mood of the day, I could see that reasoning, especially from our government.

This topic arose again in the 80s. The reasoning then FOR the move was that it would put a lot of engineer types back to work doing all the calculations and document revisions for the conversion.
--Bob

--Bob

Texcaster Loc: Queensland

I've worked in imperial and metric and prefer metric. It's calculator friendly, no fractions, intuitive and just easier for me. A mm is smaller than 1/16 and easy to halve by eye.

The hardest part of metric for the new user is developing a visual / mental grasp of the numbers. Some easy ways to start : table hgt. 755mm, internal passage doors 2.1m x 820mm, kitchen bench top hgt. 900mm etc.

I used a metric / imperial tape to start and I soon realized knowing the imperial equivalent was only important to me, everyone else in the shed was in metric. Sort of like constantly trying to convert pesos to dollars, just get a feel for the local prices in pesos.

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

How "big" are your camera lenses?

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I have to have both SAE and metric wrenches for all my tractors and implements. The older tractors are SAE. The newer ones are metric. Some of them are even half and half.

And a 13mm wrench isn't quite right on a half inch nut.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I also have Whitworth wrenches in my collection.
--Bob

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Yes, it can come in handy because of the mm measurement, rather than 3/16th or 5/8th. The measurement is always in mm. I have some tape measures that are in both metric and "normal," and the metric often comes in handy for precise measurements. I don't have to count lines to see if it's 8ths or 16th or 32nds

Keldon Loc: Yukon, B.C.

The Metric system is simply logical whereas the standard system is ridiculously idiotic and without any rhyme or reason to it. Nothing about the Standard system makes any sense at all.

Popeye Loc: LifIno

Here we go again. If it ain't broke, fix it till it is.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I sympathize with your point of view.

I think the metric system makes a lot of sense and is more logical than the American system (so-called since the USA is the only one that uses it). However, I grew up on inches and pounds and Fahrenheit so it's what I'm used to. I think that way. And at my age it's hard to change things, particularly things that seem to work.

However, it's a pain maintaining two separate sets of tools and trying to convert fertilizer pounds/acre to kg/hectare and things like that.

JohnFrim Loc: Somewhere in the Great White North.

I really hope that when the US finally does decide to go metric they choose the same size of litre as everyone else. :lol: :lol:

llamb Loc: Northeast Ohio

Let's go back a few years to WWII. Germany was using the metric system and the USA SAE (inches or fractions thereof.) Okay, no more soapboxing...

As a former machinist (1960's) let me state from real life experience that precision measuring is done in thousandths of an inch and for real serious stuff today's craftsmen take that down to tenths - 1/10 of a thousandth. We used to refer to those fractional thousandths as ehs, as in .452 and an eh (.0001-.0003) or a couple of ehs (.0004-.0006) or a big eh (.0007-.0009).

I am comfortable working with Imperial,metric, Whitworth, Fahrenheit, Celsius, or even Flugalnewtons. Don't bother looking up the last one - it's a Leeism.

If you hold your thumb and forefinger exactly this far apart (you choose how far) it is just that far apart no matter how you measure it.

I've worked with instruments that measure speed/distance of light moving through a glass fiber. The OTDR's (Optical Time-Domain Reflectometer's) can be set for miles, feet, meters, etc. As a troubleshooter I worked with Americans, Canadians, and Brits. I didn't care what system anyone used as long as everyone knew what everyone else was using.

And in closing... Go into a hardware store - dang! Most are gone! Go into Lowes or Home Depot and ask for a metric socket set. The clerk there will ask you with a straight face, 1/4", 3/8", or 1/2"?

The United States' politicians and bureaucrats blew the opportunity to have us convert back in the '70's. But if you give 'em 2.54000 centimeters they'll take 1.60934 kilometers. By the way I really miss the 35mm film days...

~Lee

Texcaster Loc: Queensland

It's good you're happy with your system, we're all comfortable with the system we know. I'm quite happy with metric. In my working life as a cabinetmaker / furniture maker .5mm has been all I have ever needed. Now, in retirement , as a keen amature luthier, I need to be more precise. Enter my new dial indicator calipers, I'm thrilled with 100 ths. of a mm.

In the photo the reading is 2.36mm. I'm in a little trouble, to compensate, the braces will be carved a little beefier ... there is no way to calculate how much beefier. It's all judgement and feel. This is my 8th acoustic guitar, my third flat top. My last flat top is a little under built but is sweet and powerful, the necks are dovetailed and screwed but not glued in, so they are recoverable if the box fails. I'll just make a new box if the old one it fails.

exakta56 Loc: Orford,New Hampshire

Does anyone remember the Hubbell space telescope fiasco? One bunch of engineers used metric while another used SAE. You and I paid for that, by the way.

FrankR Loc: NYC

In order to promote world peace and harmony, we should switch, just as soon as the Brits start driving on the correct side of the road. 😜😬😎