Why the heck does America still use outdated measurement and date units?

[it wasnt me]

I graduated high school 1980, in the mid-1970s I saw this exact chart when they were trying to re-educate us going from the traditional system to the metric system.

In that case, it's a misleading chart. Fahrenheit is not more or less metric than Celsius. (And even if there was a difference in metric-ness between these two, when was the last time you needed to convert a temperature or calculate with that temperature?)

 

[Scepticalscribe]

......

When we changed from 2 lbs to 1 kg for sugar, few of us really noticed. Doesn't feel much different in the hand, nor look much more. If pouring into a sugar bowl, or weighing out a few ounces or grams for a recipe, who cares?

As long as the system used is internally consistent - in other words, as long as the ratios remain the same and the quantities are measured in the same system or scale, use all metric, or all imperial - it doesn't really matter which system you use.

Fahrenheit (and the imperial system) may be more precise, while the metric system - once mastered - is easier to remember.

The only real issue for most of us was whether price went up.

Indeed.

In that case, it's a misleading chart. Fahrenheit is not more or less metric than Celsius. (And even if there was a difference in metric-ness between these two, when was the last time you needed to convert a temperature or calculate with that temperature?)

I learned both systems and am equally at ease in both.

 

[DallasCowboysFan]

I think we should use the metric system, but the politicians don't have the guts to mandate the change.

These are the nations that use the Imperial system. The U.S. is basically alone...

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

As long as the system used is internally consistent - in other words, as long as the ratios remain the same and the quantities are measured in the same system or scale, use all metric, or all imperial - it doesn't really matter which system you use.

Fahrenheit (and the imperial system) may be more precise, while the metric system - once mastered - is easier to remember.

Indeed.


I learned both systems and am equally at ease in both.

I am not quite old enough to have used imperial measurements and certainly wasn't taught them at school. The UK is a strange one was we use imperial terminology in day to day life like going to the pub for a pint, buying a pint of milk or travelling in miles. It seems to be different when actually measuring something as anybody under 45 uses metric and those older than 45 mainly use imperial with people closer to 45 using a mix. I agree, I think metric is easier to learn and remember, but that may be easy for me to say lol.

 

[JT2002TJ]

I say we will switch to metric when all the Wrong Side Drive nations switch to the Right side of the road...

*I grew up with metric as an American expat

 

[bzgnyc2]

I think we should use the metric system, but the politicians don't have the guts to mandate the change.

Sounds more like a suicide mission. You might as well be asking them to mandate every American learn French or Latin. Not that such a thing would hurt but it would get a politician unelected.

In the meantime politicians can't fix daylight savings and there's actual popular support for that. Just not a majority on what the fix should look like.

These are the nations that use the Imperial system. The U.S. is basically alone...

It is but all science and I suspect most engineering in the US is already done in metric. At this point what's the upside for mandating regular people learn a new "language"? Most products are already dual-labeled. It would basically be road signs and which units things were rounded to (e.g. 1 gallon versus 4L of milk or gas).

Then while there is a nice regularity to the MKS (cgs, etc) system it is ultimately arbitrary. I like how in Star Trek they assume that other species also use meters and the like. Or maybe the universal translator takes care of that too...

What I like better is that this thread keeps coming back to life...

 

[Macky-Mac]

..... (And even if there was a difference in metric-ness between these two, when was the last time you needed to convert a temperature or calculate with that temperature?)

actually right here on Macrumors in the Community Discussions forum......and in particularly in the "what's on your mind" thread since people comment on their local weather using whichever is used where they live. We're a fairly international community so temperatures in both systems get mentioned

 

[it wasnt me]

actually right here on Macrumors in the Community Discussions forum......

I mean: to microdegrees or something. Unlike money, lengths or weights, there is no “one degree temperature is exactly 100 wurby-or-whatever”.

 

[Fred Zed]

I think we should use the metric system, but the politicians don't have the guts to mandate the change.

These are the nations that use the Imperial system. The U.S. is basically alone...

Ok so primarily the majority of the western world uses imperial 😂

 

[decafjava]

Ok so primarily the majority of the western world uses imperial 😂

Eh, do you math?

EU 449 million.

UK 69 million

US 336 million.

 

[Fred Zed]

Eh, do you math?

EU 449 million.

US 336 million.

You missed my emoji huh 🤔

 

[GrayFlannel]

…when was the last time you needed to convert a temperature or calculate with that temperature?)

Quite frequently actually and that includes distances/speeds, and weight too.

The UK is a strange one was we use imperial terminology in day to day life like going to the pub for a pint, buying a pint of milk…

Wow. I‘ve never heard anyone going to the pub for a pint in America. And definitely never heard of anyone going to the store to buy 16 ounces of milk.

I say we will switch to metric when all the Wrong Side Drive nations switch to the Right side of the road...

 

[MacDaddyPanda]

Lol oh man this thread is about 8 yrs old now. I personally just use a mix as needed. I talk online with people from different countries and time zones. I’ve grown accustomed to guesstimating the conversion of temps and measurements. If i need to be more precise ill look it up. I agree on date formatting. That’s annoying af. I’ve adopted 24hr clock yrs ago. I just prefer it for aesthetic reasons and it is more intuitive to quickly tell the actual time of day.

 

[Tech_Fan]

I know this thread was created 8 years ago, but I’ve just read it for the first time. All I can say is wow! The OP went on a rant because she didn’t want to be inconvenienced. In addition, she wants others to be inconvenienced so she wouldn’t have to be.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Wow. I‘ve never heard anyone going to the pub for a pint in America. And definitely never heard of anyone going to the store to buy 16 ounces of milk.

You don’t have pubs in America like we have here so I’m not surprised by that.

 

[Rychiar]

Americans don't like what Brits call cigarettes either 😄

 

[jlc1978]

It is but all science and I suspect most engineering in the US is already done in metric.

Aeronautical Engineering was a holdout for some stuff since a lot of airfoil work was done in imperial.

You don’t have pubs in America like we have here so I’m not surprised by that.

And since Lucas doesn’t make our refrigerators we don’t drink warm beer.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I know this thread was created 8 years ago, but I’ve just read it for the first time. All I can say is wow! The OP went on a rant because she didn’t want to be inconvenienced. In addition, she wants others to be inconvenienced so she wouldn’t have to be.

On a recent deployment abroad, a deployment that took place in the Balkans, which lies in Europe, while working with with an international organisation (an organisation that is headquartered in Warsaw, also found in Europe) a few American colleagues - complacently, cluelessly, and obliviously, I would say also arrogantly - insisted on using what is (to our minds, a largely European audience, in a European country) the perfectly idiotic, and illogical, US date unit system, which was, frankly, annoying, and tedious (it meant getting the day and date of meetings confused, actually, wrong, for example, as Europeans read this stuff quite differently).

Now, one or two US colleagues took the perfectly sensible view of "when in Europe, write the dates on formal reports, and when arranging meetings, as Europeans do", but several did not, which also ensured that any professional respect for them - and what they said and wrote - was considerably eroded and undermined.

 

[Wizec]

Liberty son, liberty.

 

[timber]

Sounds more like a suicide mission. You might as well be asking them to mandate every American learn French or Latin. Not that such a thing would hurt but it would get a politician unelected.

In the meantime politicians can't fix daylight savings and there's actual popular support for that. Just not a majority on what the fix should look like.



It is but all science and I suspect most engineering in the US is already done in metric. At this point what's the upside for mandating regular people learn a new "language"? Most products are already dual-labeled. It would basically be road signs and which units things were rounded to (e.g. 1 gallon versus 4L of milk or gas).

Then while there is a nice regularity to the MKS (cgs, etc) system it is ultimately arbitrary. I like how in Star Trek they assume that other species also use meters and the like. Or maybe the universal translator takes care of that too...

What I like better is that this thread keeps coming back to life...

About 20 years ago at a training course in Schenectady, NY I met some friendly US electrical engineers from Springfield, Missouri that did confirm that they did all their work in metric. The work being extra high voltage grid planning which was my daytime hobby at the time.
Yes, as a proper ignorant European I did ask if Springfield was the same city as in the Simpsons.
Regarding TV shows I always get the idea they use kms and other units and 24 hour times to make the characters look either more snob, scientific or erudite.

 

[GrayFlannel]

Liberty son, liberty.

Unfortunately SNL stopped being amusing about 43 years ago.

 

[GrayFlannel]

… but several did not, which also ensured that any professional respect for them - and what they said and wrote - was considerably eroded and undermined.

When it comes to business respect is optional but doing what you’re told isn’t.
Remember the golden rule. He with the gold makes the rules.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

And since Lucas doesn’t make our refrigerators we don’t drink warm beer.

We drink cold lager and bitter is served at just under room temperature from a pump. It’s usually 10 degrees which is the temperature of the average beer cellar. We find the ‘warm beer’ stereotype quite amusing too lol.

 

[bzgnyc2]

Now, one or two US colleagues took the perfectly sensible view of "when in Europe, write the dates on formal reports, and when arranging meetings, as Europeans do",

Either that or something sensible like ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DD)

but several did not, which also ensured that any professional respect for them - and what they said and wrote - was considerably eroded and undermined.

Funny how that is true generally and as such becomes logical not to have confidence in people who don't understand that.

 

[timber]

I think we should use the metric system, but the politicians don't have the guts to mandate the change.

These are the nations that use the Imperial system. The U.S. is basically alone...

That line of reasoning would probably make people stick to their guns even more.