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Anyone Dislike the Metric System?
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May 22, 2019 08:28:07   #
alexol
 
We're partially metricated already but don't usually think about it: we buy soda in 1.5 and 2 liter bottles; wine and liquor in 750ml bottles. It doesn't take much to understand 750ml is 3/4 of a liter. Almost all prescription medications are in metric units.

I agree though that feet and yards are easier (for an oldie like me) to envision compared to meters, but this is just a generational thing.

It's a little like the only slightly absurd situation we have with paper and envelopes - we have dozens of completely unnecessary envelope sizes, and paper sizes that make zero sense. The Euro A-system is so much easier: A4 (roughly the same as Letter) is twice the size of the next size down (A5) and half the size of the next size up (A3) although I don't understand why the numbers don't go the the other way.

In the case of the previously mentioned 2x4 size for wood planks it isn't even really 2 x 4, yet a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood is.

All very confusing...

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May 22, 2019 08:32:39   #
BryGuy Loc: Buckeye, AZ
 
And nobody wants to go to Home Depot and ask for a 3.81 X 8.89. It is much easier to just say, "Hey, I need a 2X4!"

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May 22, 2019 08:36:55   #
Bison Bud
 
The main problem Americans have with the metric system is that they always want to do the conversion! The only way the metric system works is to use it exclusively and when done so, it's a beautiful system. Americans just seem to get hung up on doing the math for the conversion when it's really of no real value, which makes the whole thing cumbersome and annoying. We should have made the switch 30 years ago and would now be far bettor off, but it failed miserably due to the need for doing the conversions.

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May 22, 2019 08:37:18   #
Bigmike1 Loc: I am from Gaffney, S.C. but live in Utah.
 
I have both metric and SAE tools in my tool box. It has never been a big headache except when I have to search through all of them for a specific socket or wrench. I am getting too old to work on cars anymore so I don't worry about it any longer.

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May 22, 2019 08:38:00   #
cdayton
 
jmizera wrote:
We were well on the way to conversion in the late 1970s with a program initiated by Gerald Ford. It was essentially dismantled by Ronald Reagan in the early 80's. A shame, as it is a hindrance to trade, among many other things.

A remnant of that effort is mileage markers on I19 connecting Tucson to Nogales, AZ. They are still marked in kilometers - drives the local conservatives nuts. Fortunately, speed limits are in mph.

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May 22, 2019 08:40:55   #
B_meyer5.55NY
 
OMG, people just do not like metric, do they????

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May 22, 2019 08:43:18   #
olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida
 
It was stupid not to go full metric, we should have, we still should.

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May 22, 2019 08:46:21   #
george19
 
llamb wrote:
Jerry, it is idiotic that metric socket sets are for 1/4", 3/8" or 1/2" ratchets.

~Lee


Years ago I was working on a military aerospace project and the requirement was to use metric units and fasteners. The designers had to figure out metric thread designations and the analysts had to figure out how stresses in kPa compared to material properties in psi.

Then it came down to locating the actual fasteners, and we discovered that the bolt heads were available in metric sizes, but used the SAE thread designations we were used to.

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May 22, 2019 08:47:26   #
alexol
 
Olemikey said:

It was stupid not to go full metric, we should have, we still should.



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May 22, 2019 08:49:28   #
Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina
 
And I believe that Home Depot was sued for advertising 2x4s that were not actually that dimension...

BryGuy wrote:
And nobody wants to go to Home Depot and ask for a 3.81 X 8.89. It is much easier to just say, "Hey, I need a 2X4!"

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May 22, 2019 08:51:26   #
Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina
 
And the 10mm socket is always missing as it goes right...😎

Bigmike1 wrote:
I have both metric and SAE tools in my tool box. It has never been a big headache except when I have to search through all of them for a specific socket or wrench. I am getting too old to work on cars anymore so I don't worry about it any longer.

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May 22, 2019 08:58:40   #
sodapop Loc: Bel Air, MD
 
FrankR wrote:
If I’m not mistaken, most of the world drives on the same side we do.


Over a third of the world drives on the left

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May 22, 2019 09:08:08   #
jiminnee
 
I would generally agree with you Jerry. Being a retired mechanic, I've had to deal with metrics for some time, so it would be easier for me than some. There are several aspects of the system that make it very attractive, but also several things that would require extensive "re-learning" for many folks. About 100 years ago would have been possibly a better time to have changed over. Most people are so used to the American system that for some, the change would be very difficult; it really seems to require recognizing both systems to fully be able to work with metrics. With all the metrics & non-metrics in current use, I guess we are stuck with both for now.

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May 22, 2019 09:08:09   #
Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina
 
The reality is most mistakes are human error. I worked at GM from 83-95 and our division did product design in imperial, tooling design in metric but the tool and die makers worked in imperial. We still managed to produce power and signal distribution systems for 50-60 thousand vehicles a day worldwide.

The mix of metric and imperial fasteners was probably driven more by cost than anything else. They would kill to source anything a penny cheaper in my opinion.

Woodworking is one of my other hobbies and I have been using more metric measurements the past few years. To me the imperial vs metric are just two systems and each has its advantages and disadvantages. You can learn to think and execute in either. The thing I find with cabinetry is the metric measurements seem to often be in mm which try to be close to US imperial standards. So you end up with big and odd numbers in metric in many cases. Higher end CNC tools with digital scales and adjustments make the conversation by pushing a button. So in that environment it is not a big deal.

I think not converting shows the power of the people and industry over politicians... Is Venezuela doing better or worse because of the metric system?

jerryc41 wrote:
Last night I watched a movie about a 767 that almost crashed because it ran out of fuel. I had also seen the FAA investigation film about the same incident. Nearly one hundred people came close to dying because of errors made in Imperial/metric conversions when fueling the plane. We have been referred to as part of the Axis of Medieval because only Burma and Nigeria join us in shunning the use of the metric system.

We already know about liters and millimeters for cameras and lenses, so why not take the plunge and join the rest of the civilized world? You may recall that the Hubble Space Telescope had a problem because of the metric conversion. We wasted a lot of time and money fixing that problem.

I put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the politicians. They are the ones who would pass the necessary law to switch. Taking a wild guess, I suspect money is behind their decision to keep us isolated from the rest of the world. Mechanics must buy tools in both metric and SAE measurements, for one thing. I once had to replace the bumper on a Buick. Exactly half the bolts were SAE, and half were metric. Does that make sense? These are the same politicians who can't find a way to provide us with health insurance, like all the other developed countries.

Okay, that's my rant for the day.
Last night I watched a movie about a 767 that almo... (show quote)

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May 22, 2019 09:10:29   #
Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina
 
Which would make Frank’s comment correct. Are we talking number of countries or number of drivers/vehicles as that would make the number different perhaps.

sodapop wrote:
Over a third of the world drives on the left

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