Whine: I got quoted 12 times and not one person understood what I meant.

[Brainpalm]

So, since I can't whine and ***** in the thread that this occurred in as it got closed, I'd thought I'd make a new one so I could say my piece. After all 12 people misread what I said, and I'm sure there are others who will try to misread what I say now, so as far as I'm concerned, I've got a new topic and not a rehash of a recently closed one.

Effectively, this is another metric vs imperial thread (hey, the rules say no repeat threads within a month, and I've not seen a thread dedicated to this that recently, so here goes). In my original post responding to some one accusing America of using a stupid measurement system, I said:

Stop bitching about our measuring system. You don't see us complaining about how dumb the size of the units of the metric system measures are.

See, what I mean by that is NOT that metric is stupid for using multiples of 10 for converting up to larger measurements. That's actually genius. I'm saying that the physical size of the measurements are too small or too large to be of proper use. For my everyday use, the measurements are unwieldy.

Of course that is all a matter of opinion, and what sizes of measurements you are raised with dictate how you visualize certain distances, weights and volumes, but all I know is I want a measurement system that gives me a good number for what I'm trying to measure, with the least amount of fractions, decimals or segments involved. When I want to borrow a cup of sugar, I don't want 230 milliliters, or whatever the conversion is. If I'm off by just a few crystals, I'm suddenly adding 231, a full unit over the intended amount. I'd look like a fool if I added an extra cup, teaspoon or tablespoon of an ingredient while baking cookies. The same goes for temperature. I like to hear that the temperature is a nice even 70F, not a random 21.1C. The boiling and freezing temperature of water is irrelevant when I want data on the climate for my day. Just because they made the scale 0-100 doesn't make it instantly better.

In b4 "QQ some more"

Edit: Optional discussion: Change a common imperial vernacular with a metric one to make it sound stupid. Example: Centimeterworm

You dont have to be so exact with the measurements in metric. I mean we just round weather to then nearest whole number not say 21.1 (as would you with your imperial system), and who the hell specifically measures out cups of sugar to get exactly 230 milliliters, what are you on about? Those problems you state there aren't specific to metric, they occur with imperial too. The weather wouldn't always happen to be a whole even number where you come from, they round it, so when you hear 70, it is probably 70.3 or something.

Also your choice of system to use is usually decided by where you come from. For example im Australian and we use metric here, so I'm used to it, and i see your imperial system as illogical and rather stupid, BUT I understand you guys would think the same about metric. Also doing physics makes you use metric as you are required to put units as the S.I. units which are mostly metric.

 

[Jonluw]

Never have I heard someone measure temperature with decimals. Just because we use a different scale, do you think we don't bother to use round numbers?
If someone asked me what temperature it is outside right now, I'd say five celsius. Your argument is just as silly as me saying that I don't want to convert to Fahrenheit, because that means that 23 C would be 73.4 F
Anyone withing their right mind would call it 73 F, or at worst 73.5

And say: when you go to borrow a cup of sugar, do you get a real cup filled with sugar, or does your neighbour measure up 1 cup in accordance to the regulations? In the latter case, it's no better than the example you use of how it would supposedly work in a society where someone uses the metric system (it doesn't, by the way.) and in the former case: that's how everyone does it already. You don't go over to your neighbours asking for the exact amount of ingredients you need. You ask for roughly the amount of ingredients you need. If a recipe says "230 ml of sugar" I will first wonder why it's being so specific, and then go ask my neighbour for 3 dl of sugar (noone measures in ml outside of chemistry).

Spoiler: Also: two images

The countries in the world that do not use the metric system. (coloured black)

Now please learn it, so that other people don't have to deal with your inches and feet.

 

[gameoni]

WOW this is so just a non-issue. use what you have learned as long as you can relate what you need to the person you are talking to. For example: if i want a length of rope and i say "i need 3ft of rope" and the guy doesn't know what 3ft of rope looks like i am going to need to transfer it in to 1 Meters(0.914 cm to be precise)or not get my rope there.

BTW sugar is a solid and would be measured in Grams not Liters.

 

[Jonluw]

Speaking of football, my friend said today that Canadians should call hockey "football" just to further confuse the debate between English and American football.

Brilliant! They should also develop a measuring system based on the diametres of hockey pucks, and the length of hockey sticks.
The unit for weight would be the average weight of a beaver, and the unit for volume would be the volume of one beaver of maple syrup.

 

[Jonluw]

The fact you have all that information says to me you know what you are talking about, but none of it makes any sense to me in the context of what I learned.

I thought Metric was based purely off of water. It makes a lot more sense than Krypton radiation, because water is the most common substance you can see and touch on the planet. I know for a fact that in Science class that one cubic centimeter of water is also 1 gram and one milliliter. From that point on, you can extrapolate distance, weight, and volume. Put it through a few temperature tests and then you have Celsius. I really don't know my science history, but I find it implausible that they determined the wavelength of krypton radiation hundreds of years ago and decided to use that as a measuring system.

But hey, maybe my junior-high science teacher and books were full of shit. It happens.

One metre was originally defined as one ten-millionth of the distance from equator to the North pole. It is only recently that they changed it to the distance krypton radiation travels in a set amount of time.

Edit: So somebody already said that...

I feel so clever now.

 

[GodofCider]

So you are telling me that instead of saying 1.5 centimeters you would rather say 5/8 inchs? The metric system seems a hell of a lot more accurate then the imperial system.

They're equally as accurate. One is simply more mechanical in design, and thus functions better in mathematics though.

(Side note) I still think minutes should be measured in at least a one hundred second base.

 

[HentMas]

Speaking of football, my friend said today that Canadians should call hockey "football" just to further confuse the debate between English and American football.

now that is a dreadfull thought, but well

on the matter at hand! i agree with OP!!

but in the first thing that comes to mind, werent VS threads ment to be a "no no" in this site?? then why argue over "measuring systems"???

 

[Zenode]

Imperial is more practical for linguistics but seriously only a few countries in the world still use Imperial and the United States of America is the ONLY first world country to still use it. Most of our language (English) is composed of Latin combined to make words, so if Metric is abandoned you can still use the lingo and not look like and idiot since EVERYONE will be doing it and still understand.

Who cares if you got misinterpreted, it happens once in a while, your argument wasn't clearly explained and people decided to say something.

 

[thylasos]

I'm kind of funny this way because sometimes I use the metric system and smetimes I use the imperial system

Pretty much. The signs here are in miles, some people cook by metric, some cook by imperial, depending on how old the recipe book is, and our measuring jugs have both measures, just on opposite sides. I tend to cook by experience and common sense, though. I use celcius when I'm talking about the weather because I was never really exposed to fareinheit, but plenty of people in this country still use it.

I find it easier to tell what a metre is than a yard, but generally I talk about things in feet and inches, which made life slightly tough in Russia, where metric is fairly ruthlessly enforced, but they've also got their own antiquated and/or colloquial measurements in poods (weight) and versts (distance) and so on.

In my experience, imperial and other colloquial systems do exactly what they're meant to, facilitate easily-relatable distances, while metric is much better suited for scientific or vaguely scientific tasks.

 

[thedeathscythe]

Can someone please explain to me what Fahrenheit even means? What is it based on?

As much as I love what Fahrenheit does for me in expressing the temperature outside or on my thermostat, it is a fucking crazy system that probably should never have been created. Basically a guy took the temp of a solution he just threw a bunch of shit into and decided to call it his own system. Why on earth we took that as a standard is beyond me. But hey, like I said, I like what it does for me in my day-to-day life.

Lol, yeah, pretty much man, he said "32! That's where water melts", like....why not start at zero? It just makes no sense to me.

OT: I'm Canadian so I use metric system for the most part, but I do use pounds for my weight, and I know both imperial and metric for drink sizes that I like (for instance 593ml or so is a good size water, while 20oz is usually a large drink at most places, like a venti at Starbucks), so while I prefer metric, I use both. If I had to choose one, I would say the world would benefit from the ease of metric, but I'm not going to defend it to the death, especially when I don't even know my weight in kilograms.

 

[redisforever]

I use metric and stand by it, because that's what I've been using for the 16 years (in 5 days) of my life, and it's what I'm used to.

 

[Ravek]

I like to hear that the temperature is a nice even 70F, not a random 21.1C

Haha that's genius.

 

[Continuity]

form a physics point of view, give me metric.

in a bar, give me a pint. Or better yet, give me several pints.

 

[Signa]

I like to hear that the temperature is a nice even 70F, not a random 21.1C

Haha that's genius.

Well, as I clarified in one of my posts, when I took a visit to Canada, they were using decimals to express the weather. I've been called out on that line a lot in this thread, so I know why you are pointing it out now. I know if I was using Celsius commonly, I'd only use full numbers even if the weather channel does otherwise.

 

[Varitel]

As an engineering student, I use the metric system almost constantly. Yet I have very little idea of how much a kg is in terms of actual mass. I also agree that the meter seems a bit long to me for a lot of everyday uses. Getting misquoted is bound to happen though, and I have to say, you could have been more specific.

 

[Lokithrsourcerer]

all of you if interested in thi subject or not should watch the 2 BBC horizon episodes:
"how long is a piece of string" and "how much is 1 degree" facinating and good explination of why we use what and where it all comes from.

I live in England and i think our tactic of using both when it is relevant works well. metric for engineering, imperial for at the bar

although i've never understood why America who use the imperial system don't sell pints in bars
(or at least not in any bars i went to when i have visited)

 

[leady129]

What I like about the metric system: absurdly easy conversions

What I dislike about the metric system: words are cumbersome and can't sound "cool." When was the last time you heard of someone who got beaten to within a centimetre of his life?

Ah but if his life bar started a seventy three centimeters and we then divide by... ... ... ... ... you know what, sod it. I'm going to stick with "He was flayed within a milligram of his life"

 

[Shirokurou]

Two words: world standardization.