Without government intervention, would the U.S. be metric by now?

You should have a talk with your fellow seafarers then.

And we should pull out of the IMO treaty.

Wind:

First we measure wind speed in km/hour which is just like measuring in miles per hour,measuring in meters per second is just converting the km in meters (1= 1000 ) and hours in seconds.Maybe some weather forecasters use it meters per hour because the numbers are bigger and they think that makes the news more sensational.


Volume:

Liter represents one cubic decimeter.I read someone here said that one liter is equal to 1 kg but that is only true if you take one litter of water and it is more close to 0.98 kg.

Also measuring volume in cubic meters is the most practical.You can not say this warehouse is 1000 liters or barrels big.


Weight:


It is always taken in kilograms and I don't even understand why would anyone put it in newtons when newtons is a force .
 
I can be a horrid troll at times… well, most of the time, or a real horse’s ass by just acting stupid the rest of the time.

Decades ago, while visiting with a lead P.H.D. scientist acquaintance who worked at Amoco at the time, I asked about the metric system and how one would convert Gallons to Liters, and Liters to Gallons.

He patiently explained the conversion mathematics used to convert one way …and then back again.

When he finished, I frowned (as if challenging his Spock-like number crunching) and exclaimed, “A liter is only point 2642 of a gallon? …Why, I expected more from a LEADER!”

I will never forget the look I got from that guy: Disgust, anger (tempered by a slow burn while simultaneously fighting back a laugh) all at the same time.

We don’t speak at all anymore. (Sorry Glenn). I think that was the exact moment when I became addicted to full-time trolling!

(At the time, “You Expect More from a Leader” was a new Amoco marketing slogan.)
 
60 seconds / 1 minutes

On a microwave, if you push 60, then it will cook for 60 seconds or 1minute
AND also if you press 1:00 it will cook for 1 minute (right? right!)

So then...

if you add 1:00 and 1:00 is = 2:00 right? so you can cook food for total of two minutes.

BUT if you add 60seconds + 60 seconds it will only cook for one minute and twenty seconds. Even though 60 seconds is 1 minute?
(I know, confusing question, right?)

I guess put into simpliest terms, How come 1 miniute plus one minute = 2 minutes but 60 seconds + 60 seconds = 1 minute 20 seconds? (1:20)
 
If we were going to switch, wouldn't SI be preferable to metric?

The International System of Units (abbreviated SI from French: Système international d'unités) is the modern form of the metric system and is generally a system of units of measurement devised around seven base units and the convenience of the number ten.

SI base units:
Metre
Kilogram
Second
Ampere
Kelvin
Candela
Mole
 
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What the fuck is a quart?

And who the heck is stupid enough to still use a system where water freezes at 32°?

Is it really that strange that a quarter of a gallon would over time become known as a quart?

While 0 and 100 make for handy numbers to remember in science class. It's pretty clear that Fahrenheit has far greater precision to the whole number than Celsius. Again, it is more practical!

(I do like celsius from a science perspective.)

photo-thermometer.jpg
14279_104_1.jpg
 
On a microwave, if you push 60, then it will cook for 60 seconds or 1minute
AND also if you press 1:00 it will cook for 1 minute (right? right!)

So then...

if you add 1:00 and 1:00 is = 2:00 right? so you can cook food for total of two minutes.

BUT if you add 60seconds + 60 seconds it will only cook for one minute and twenty seconds. Even though 60 seconds is 1 minute?
(I know, confusing question, right?)

I guess put into simpliest terms, How come 1 miniute plus one minute = 2 minutes but 60 seconds + 60 seconds = 1 minute 20 seconds? (1:20)
I think you may have a defective chinese machine ;)
 
I agree with torch. It would have stayed standard English (or whatever the standard is in that part of the world) if it wasn't for governments interfering in those countries and forcing the people to learn the new system. Personally, I like the English standard system since you can use body parts to measure things when you don't have an appropriate measuring device.

No you can't. That's idiotic. For instance, something may be five penises long when you measure it, but only one penis long when I measure it.
 
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Metric is superior, IMO. There are some mfg companies who have voluntarily converted - mostly due to international trade, and of course the DOD uses metric.
 
I prefer metric, I prefer decimals over fractions.
It pissed me off to no end when people hand me a floor plan with dimensions like: 98ft 5 3/32in x 65ft 7 3/16th
I think its easier to just say 30m x 20m...
 
As an engineer... I do all my work in metric and convert back only if needed. A base 10 system is much easier to work with.
 
Oh ... and another thing for the metric fans ... why no metric circle? Why not divide a circle into 100 degree?

360 degrees is DRASTICALLY more useful.

In a 100 degree circle, common angles would change to:

90 - 25
45 - 12.5
30 - 8.333333333333333

Generally speaking, when people do more complicated calculations involving circles, they use radians. There are about 2*PI radians in a circle
 
Is it really that strange that a quarter of a gallon would over time become known as a quart?

While 0 and 100 make for handy numbers to remember in science class. It's pretty clear that Fahrenheit has far greater precision to the whole number than Celsius. Again, it is more practical!

(I do like celsius from a science perspective.)

Science is the only time you really need precision and Kelvin/Celcius make more sense than Fahrenheit. In everyday use you don't need precision. I'm not going to notice the difference between 25°C weather and 25.363738 degree weather.
 
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