Posted on 11/05/2012 2:14:59 PM PST by null and void
Back in grade school, we were told that the Imperial System was a thing of the past, that eventually we’d be living the Metric System life, with all it’s base-10 logic built right in. We’d be just like the rest of the world. But those predictions have proven about as accurate as the flying cars and moon colonies that we all imagined we’d be enjoying in the year 2012.
Occasionally, the issue bubbles up and people argue back and forth about why we haven’t gone Metric, but I think it’s all about inertia. There would be a huge intellectual cost in moving to a new system—training ourselves to think of temperatures in Celsius when we’re leaving home and trying to decide on whether to grab a jacket. Straining to remember what kilometers per liter really comes down to, when we’re used to a lifetime of miles per gallon. Attempting to determine whether you’re losing enough weight, as you stare at the scale showing a strange number of kilograms.
While there are economic costs—heck, just think of the signage issues on our roads—they should be lower today than they would have been a generation ago. Many consumer products in this digital age already allow us to toggle between Imperial and Metric units. And the prevalence of smartphones means that no one has an excuse not to have a conversion app (or at least a calculator) on them at virtually all times.
What this issue comes down to is, as I said, inertia. It’s laziness. No one wants to be the generation that has to juggle two systems in their heads all the time. If we switched today, my kids would grow up pretty much thinking in Metric and would have no problem. But I feel like I’d forever be doing that calculation in my head. Even if I knew 28° C was a nice warm summer day, I think I’d always be converting it back to 82° F just to make sure I knew exactly how warm it was, based on my past experiences. We don’t want to be the ones straddling the two worlds, dealing with parts in both sizes or wondering how to deal with machinery that still had Imperial components that were no longer allowed to be manufactured.
Besides, who has the guts to push an idea like this forward in the country today? If Republicans championed the cause, Democrats would rail against it. And vice versa. And unfortunately, engineers, scientists and the like don’t have the kind of lobby that would be needed to get politicians interested. Even a public relations disaster like losing the Mars Climate Orbiter (due to a conversion mishap) didn’t move the needle on fully switching to Metric. So I guess I’ll just wait with you for that long-off day when we get the first flying car—and wonder what kind of miles per gallon that thing will get.
” I’ve heard of spark plug gaps in thousands of inches.”
They work fine as long as the coils are made by Tesla.
And forget listening to the radio when the engine is running.
Come on, thirty yards
cuz no redneck ever uses metric for mud tires!
“Ha, I’ve ended up with a plethora of 10 mm wenches and sockets.”
Hmm...maybe that’s what happened to all my 10mm sockets. Hey, you don’t happen find a lot of extra socks you don’t recognize in your dryer, do you?
I am not sure I have ever seen 10mm wench, though.
“200+ replies for an Imperial v Metric thread on election eve .. lotta folks needing a politics break, apparently .. LOL”
You’ve got that right.
I am so nervous my butthole is twitching like a rabbit’s nose.
Base 8 is the easiest way to translate to/from binary; each digit represents three bits. The four-digit transponder codes for aircraft are actually 12-bit numbers, which is why only the digits 0-7 are used.
Yeah we need a break before we go into action here. I sort of like the laid back conversations like these.
TMI / LOL
it's divisible by 6. The Sumerian numeric system was a base 60, hence we have 360 degrees in a circle
The problem with the Imperial is that is is not truly a base - anything.
But they're tough and don't really come alive until you give em some boost.
Either that or an Esslinger head. They're used in all kinds of race venues.
I'm going to guess that these tires are either on a truck or a race car...
The Ranger switched to a 2.3L Duratec in mid-2001, actually. The most obvious difference between the two engines is the Duratec is a DOHC engine.
Wrongo! I majored in physics, so the metric system is something I understand well. The problem is replacing dreadfully expensive machine tools.
OK, so you're in the "acceptance" camp rather than the "education" one. Your milling machine can't cut a millimeter of metal off? What does it do, skip over it until you've dialed in a nice Imperial measurement? Other than a screw machine, I guess I don't know enough about machine tools to understand why the machine would care what system it's on. The computer controls don't speak metric?
What "blueprints"? Nobody "sends blueprints" for anything outside of civil construction, that I've ever heard of in 15 years or more. They're CAD files, and CAD software can instantly translate and/or scale the same drawing into whatever measurements you like. If anyone is still using blueprints, the problem is pretty clear: Tradition trumps everything.
I used to be a drafter working for a printer manufacturer, and we worked exclusively metric. That was clear back in the 90's. The CAD software certainly doesn't care one way or the other.
You get a lot of exercise jumping to conclusions. My machines are not CNC. Neither are my measuring tools.
OK, so you're in the "acceptance" camp rather than the "education" one.
You are in the "doesn't read" camp. Physics and Computer Science degrees aren't handed out by gas stations.
Would it help your understanding to know that my metalworking equipment is for hobby purposes?
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