by AnonJ on 12/17/14, 4:28 AM with 69 comments
by jandrewrogers on 12/17/14, 6:04 AM
I would argue that being limited to a single unit system is like being limited to a single language. In principle, no one needs more than one but in practice the differences in expressiveness for different purposes are interesting and useful. These differences in expressiveness are connected to the continued existence of different systems.
America is big enough and is sufficiently independent of trade in its economy (most of its stupendous production is also internally consumed) that the cost of not transitioning to metric is marginal. I understand why metric is a good system but simultaneously understand why the benefit of metric is dubious for the average American. Remember, American units are defined in terms of metric units; it is a preference, an American can precisely convert to metric at any time if they deem it useful. But they don't because it serves little purpose.
Basically, like their language, Americans occupy a big enough economic sphere that they get to define their standards. An enormous number of global standards are American in origin as it is. I don't sweat the lack of metric even though I use it routinely. Once you become familiar with enough unit and arithmetic systems, you quickly learn that they all suck in some context.
It is pointless to turn these things into religions.
by Derbasti on 12/17/14, 7:24 AM
Instead, it's all about unit conversion. One liter of water weighs one kilogram and is a one decimeter cubmore room degrees is where water freezes, and 100 degrees is where it boils. This makes water the universal conversion constant, which makes it easy to compare different units (eg weights and volumes).
Also, it's trivial to convert meters to millimeters and kilometers. But this happens surprisingly seldom in practice compared to converting volumes to weights or lenghts.
by rzimmerman on 12/17/14, 8:05 AM
Before the metric system was created, the US, which had recently won independence, was put in the position of selecting a standard system of weights and measures. Jefferson suggested a decimal system based off the seconds pendulum at 45° latitude. He did this in coordination with scientists in France with the direct goal of achieving a universal standard. Before congress could adopt this system, the French modified their standard:
Although French scientists working on a decimal system had originally supported using the seconds pendulum as a scientific basis, and Jefferson had deliberately matched his seconds pendulum proposal to the French one, based on a measurement at the latitude of Paris, the French decided to use the length of a meridian of the Earth instead of a seconds pendulum. This and other developments changed what had promised to be an internationally developed system into a strictly French project. Jefferson wrote, "The element of measure adopted by the National Assembly excludes, ipso facto, every nation on earth from a communion of measurement with them."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_for_Establishing_Uniformit...
As a result the US wound up passing on Jefferson's system and eventually settling on US "customary" units.
The real benefit of adopting the metric system is to have a consistent, widespread system of units. The United States has had this for over 200 years and most sectors of the economy have been isolated enough from Europe and the rest of the world where adopting metric has not been worth it. Industries that are increasingly global (automotive, electronics, etc) have already effectively adopted metric.
by btilly on 12/17/14, 5:47 AM
I wish that the French had gone all of the way to a duodecimal system, and a base 12 measurement system. Most of the arguments for the Imperial system surround the fact that in convenient places you can divide things in half or thirds. And a base 12 time system could have been compelling enough to replace the Babylonian base 60 system that we are stuck with. The one that, even in the metric system makes it hard to convert from meters/second to km/hour.
by lstamour on 12/17/14, 5:51 AM
by toolslive on 12/17/14, 7:11 AM
- Is the metric system superior to the American (bastard) imperial system ?
- Is it worth the switch ?
There are a lot of other accidental situations out there that are (perceived to be) too costly to eradicate. For example, in Europe (not the UK) we drive on the right hand side while yielding the right of way to the right as well. For safety reasons, it would have been better to switch on of the two to the left. Will it happen? probably not.
Actually, cost might even be irrelevant: The Chinese still use chop-sticks while a fork is clearly more practical.
by santacluster on 12/17/14, 7:45 AM
This goes well beyond the metric system. In many ways the US is extremely old-fashioned in the eyes of other Westerners, clinging to customs most of us have abandoned many decades ago. Unless there is a clear economic advantage in it, the US is strongly resistant to change for fear of diluting its still relatively young and shallow identity.
On typical form of American deflection is coming up with elaborate explanations why what works for other countries won't work for America. Sometimes these exceptionalist arguments are not entirely untrue (the US is an exceptional nation in many ways), but they become really transparent when they try to argue why other countries are different. (Most of those arguments just show a willful cultural ignorance, especially remarkable when coming from well-educated and well-traveled Americans.)
No, for the US there is no compelling economic reason to go metric. But that's not the reason why it doesn't, that's just the rationalization du jour. Any other country would not be afraid to adopt the simple convenience of joining the rest of world in a single standard.
by jacobsimon on 12/17/14, 6:38 AM
by jeffdavis on 12/17/14, 6:29 AM
Why do we want a decimal system? The only reason for a base of 10 that I can see is that we have ten fingers. But binary systems map better to a lot of real-world problems.
If baking, are you more likely to take a recipe and halve it or cut it by a factor of ten? In construction, are you more likely to subdivide an area into two, or ten? If you split a stock, are you more likely to split two-to-one or ten-to-one?
The answer, in all those cases, is the former, which is favored by a binary system. Forcing decimal upon us is what leaves us with numbers like 0.125 rather than 1/8.
So rather than move to metric, let's come up with a more consistent base-two system, and then we can all use that. (Just saying that to make a point; not a serious proposal.)
by beloch on 12/17/14, 7:28 AM
As a Canadian, I am forced to use some imperial units to this day because of my close proximity to the U.S.. This is in spite of the fact that the empire that created imperial units has now gone totally metric. Way to go U.S.A.. You crazy living anachronistic monarchists. I bet you even think sticking to Imperial units is patriotic somehow too! Freakin' hilarious.
by disillusioned on 12/17/14, 5:55 AM
by jrjarrett on 12/18/14, 3:50 PM
If I see a road sign that says it's 130 miles to Chicago, then I know how much time it's going to take me to get there. I don't have that "feel" for seeing 209km.
If I see it's 60° (F) out, I know how that feels, I know how to dress for it. I have a very different expectation if I see it's 15° (C).
I personally think that's the biggest barrier to conversion, the learned, in-grained expectation of time or sensation when seeing a measurement expressed.
by robbrown451 on 12/17/14, 6:16 AM
by dmichulke on 12/17/14, 7:00 AM
> Is global uniformity a good thing? Not when it comes to cultural issues, and customary measures are certainly a part of our national culture.
because you can define everything as a part of culture. I don't even want to go into examples (think "ugly things countries did and do").
So, yes, ideally there is no need for anyone to adopt anything, but it's not because it's part of culture.
by w1ntermute on 12/17/14, 5:34 AM
When you're such a large country, you can afford to do things your own way - others will accommodate you.
by ozh on 12/17/14, 7:57 AM
by theVirginian on 12/17/14, 6:44 AM
by colindean on 12/17/14, 5:32 AM
by Mikhail_Edoshin on 12/17/14, 6:49 AM
[Edit] Disclaimer: I am from a country that went metric a century ago.