Will the US ever adopt the Metric System?

[Immy]

I really thought it would be universal by now. What's keeping America behind the rest of the world?

 

[gleaner1]

That's a tricky question. There are too many problems with adopting the system, it is happening, but will take a long long time. The US auto industry has adopted metric fasteners for the most part. There are a lot of meanings to "the metric system". The US will probably never go to metric road and highway signage. Selling stuff by the kg or liter? Or gram or meter? They do sell soda in one, two and three liter bottles. Booze bottles are metric measure (in NY, not sure of other states), beer is still imperial measure. What about engineering or technology or manufacturing? If you are an offshore company buying US made equipment such as heavy machinery or machine tools, and you want a metric machine, no problem there at all, we do it every day. There is essentially no difference in price between imperial and metric standard parts such as steel and bearings and common machine components. When we all agree that we want our road signs and weights and measures and temperatures to be metric, then it will happen. It will be a long time before you pump 10 liters of gasoline into your truck (with the 5.7l engine...auto industry) that gets about 8 km/l and burn it up going 80 km/hr down the highway, hauling your 8 meter long bass boat that weights 1800 kg, to hit the ten square kilometer lake trying to tease out that 750 mm long bucketmouth on that beautiful sunny day with temps in the lower twenties (Celsius of course).

 

[gordon and tanner]

I support the introduction of the metric system every inch of the way.

Dad

 

[spartacus53]

In baby steps, it will have to be baby steps

Look at it this way, we've probably been using our system for 200 years and many Americans don't even understand it the way it is..

Now you want to throw a monkey wrench in and change systems... What will these poor people do then, fail at both sets of measurement and never get anything done

 

[olroy70]

Just think of the jobs!!!!!!!!!!

How would the tool makers sell both metric and standard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lot of things have been metric for years.

The computer field went to it. I remember my salesman ordering cables and converted the meters to feet........ Cables that were so long, the crates looked like coffins!!!!!!!!!! for a pair!!!!!!!!!!

Sure delayed the installation!!!!

 

[lonesomebob]

WHAT THE HECK EVER FORyou need two setof wrenches now to work on older cars. At 80 I find it a pita to have to figure what size anything is . Europe should to our system! as for temp ,anything is hot or cold. distanceeither close or too far. just live with it. Bob

 

[Frankn]

Look at it this way, they are both odd systems, one is based on the diameter of the earth at the equator and the other is based on an old English kings foot. So take your choice ? It's what you got use to. The older you are, the less you want to change. By the way, don't worry about the wrench sizes, just use the one that fits. many are interchangeable and there is always the fitsall adj. Frank

 

[packerbacker]

Helloooooooooooooo...........you talkin' about getting rid of the foot-long hot dog?? I don't think so.

 

[cokat7]

In canada we have it. When I went to school they taught the metric system, but at home everything was still standard. I need to convert my fuel mileage into MPG to understand it. I do use 2 sets of tools to work on nearly everything, one nice thing about that is when the 1/2" wrench is a little loose I go to the metric set and grab a 13mm and it goes on super tight. I have learned to convert the metric into standard for nearly everything. Bout the only thing I like about the metric system is temperature degrees, 0 is freezing point of water, above 0 is in the + and below 0 is in the -, it's easy and I like it, all the rest was absolutely confusing, expensive and pointless if you ask me. What were they thinking?

 

[gord]

Helloooooooooooooo...........you talkin' about getting rid of the foot-long hot dog?? I don't think so.

No, you'll replace it with the third-of-a-meter hot dog - 10% bigger!

 

[Twisted One]

I think we will eventually forced to convert the majority of our system to metric as more and more jobs are being out sourced to companies that use metric measurements, much like they did to the automobiles. If the fad to send all manufacturing over seas continues.

 

[RGINN]

No, by God, the west was won by the inch and the mile! Makes sense when you study it though, and I do have a set of metric wrenches.

 

[spartacus53]

Well all I can say is that the auto manufacturer's were a bit slow in converting to the metric system.

The shipping industry converted all formulas back in the early 80's. There was a time up until then that freight was charged by either 40cft per, or 2240 pounds, known as the long ton. Although the long ton is close to a metric ton, the volume weight was significantly different. 1 Cubic meter is only 35.314 cft

There were also rates for BF board foot, and that would have to be converted to meters. Another nightmare

 

[werleibr]

Metric is also easyer to convert to larger numbers. In the power of 10 while imperial is a bunch of other numbers that are not as easily converted in the head. How tall is a 74 inch beam? (6 ft 2 in) while 1000 meters is 1km. 1 cubic metre = 1000 L. 1 L =1000cc =1000ml... SO simple to convert. While 1 mile =1760 yards = 5280 ft = 63,360 inches... not so easy to convert.

 

[ivan salis]

nah , we will just keep on treating it as a "red headed stepchild"

 

[Frankn]

Spart, Panocio or whatever his name was, already converted the board foot! Frank

 

[Westfront]

Helloooooooooooooo...........you talkin' about getting rid of the foot-long hot dog?? I don't think so.

No, you'll replace it with the third-of-a-meter hot dog - 10% bigger!

It didn't work with third of a meter. We get a half meter sausage. So even more bigger! And You can order a one meter tray of beer...

 

[Daedalus]

They did try to convert to metric back in the early 70's , it was in our schools and that is what we had to use.
It did not work , too much of our system is just taught to us from birth . They dropped it a few years later and all went back to the norm here.
It is still listed on most things , metric that is but when it comes down to it we use our system the most.

In Engineering we did use the Metric system on some things but we found that we still converted it back into our system when we worked on projects.
As it is now I can use either one but I use the American standard Engineering the most.

 

[Born2Dtect]

Temperature Conversion.

Celsius (C) to Fahrenheit (F) (C x 1.8) +32 = ___ F 25C = 77F

Fahrenheit (F) to Celsius (C) (F -32) / 1.8 = ___C 77F = 25C

Now explain this -40 C = -40 F ??

Is this cool or what! Now don,t get hot over it!

Sorry, I,m a closet commedian.

Ed D.

 

[packerbacker]

get back in the closet