Why is the U.S. still refusing to switch to the metric system?

[eric_erosfan]

This was prob said tongue in cheek, but my dad was an old school machinist and iron worker. He had drill bits that went down to the 3,200th of an inch.

Sheesh, I break my 1/16" drill bits just looking at them wrong.

 

[Pad_Foot]

Actually what really bugs me is the way the Commonwealth countries went off the pound shillings and pence system.

I mean, the British had a lovely and totally unique currency with pounds, shillings and pence and all sorts of weird coins and notes (the ten shilling note - a shilling was also called a bob, so the 10 shilling note was called a "ten bob note" or half a quid!). And 12 pence to a shilling but 20 shillings to a pound - and because a shilling was 12 pence, you had sixpenny (a "tanner") and thruppeny and then tuppence and a penny, and then a halfpenny, a farthing (1/4 of a penny). There was also a fourpence coin called a groat. LOL. And a two shilling coin called a florin. There was a half-crown which was two shilling s and sixpence, and a Crown, which was 5 shillings. And a ten shilling coin was a "half-sovereign" which a 10 shilling note was a quid. And then there was a one pound coin (a sovereign)

24 shillings to the pound and all sorts of weird things like florins and half-crowns, sixpence and thrupenny bits and halfpennies and farthings. There was a half-guinea which was 10 shillings and sixpence, and a Guinea, which was 1 pound and 1 shilling

pounds (£ or l in some documents) shillings (s. or /-) and pennies (d.). Thus, 4 pounds, eight shillings and fourpence would be written as £4/8/4d. or £4-8-4d. The "L S D" stands for the Latin words "libra", "solidus" and "denarius". So the denominations call came from Latin.

I mean, how cool is that. Why on earth would your replace such artistry and tradition with a plebian decimal system. Whoever made that change should be impaled on stakes to die in agony like the barbarians they were.

Then you had pieces of eight
Do your own division ! Visual fractions

 

[ChloeTzang]

Then you had pieces of eight
Do your own division ! Visual fractions

The Spanish dollar, also known as the "pieces of eight" was a silver coin worth eight Spanish reales. It was widely used as the first international currency because of its uniformity in standard and milling characteristics. and was widely used in Europe, the Americas, and the Far East. The dollar was divided into "pieces of eight," or "bits," each consisting of one-eighth of a dollar.

Fascinating. I never realized that the spanish dollar had such an influence on world currencies. The specifications of the Spanish dollar became a standard for trade in the Far East, with later Western powers issuing trade dollars, and colonial currencies such as the Hong Kong dollar, to the same specifications. The first Chinese yuan coins had the same specification as a Spanish dollar, leading to a continuing equivalence in some respects between the names "yuan" and "dollar" in the Chinese language. Other currencies also derived from the dollar include the Japanese yen, Korean won, Philippine peso, Malaysian ringgit, French Indochinese piastre, etc. since it was widely traded across the Far East in the East Indies and the East Asia.

 

[Hel_Books]

The acre is equal in area to a rectangle one furlong (one "furrow long" from farming terminology) by one chain (66 feet).

 

[WhiteTailDarkTip]

Actually what really bugs me is the way the Commonwealth countries went off the pound shillings and pence system.

I mean, the British had a lovely and totally unique currency with pounds, shillings and pence and all sorts of weird coins and notes (the ten shilling note - a shilling was also called a bob, so the 10 shilling note was called a "ten bob note" or half a quid!). And 12 pence to a shilling but 20 shillings to a pound - and because a shilling was 12 pence, you had sixpenny (a "tanner") and thruppeny and then tuppence and a penny, and then a halfpenny, a farthing (1/4 of a penny). There was also a fourpence coin called a groat. LOL. And a two shilling coin called a florin. There was a half-crown which was two shilling s and sixpence, and a Crown, which was 5 shillings. And a ten shilling coin was a "half-sovereign" which a 10 shilling note was a quid. And then there was a one pound coin (a sovereign)

24 shillings to the pound and all sorts of weird things like florins and half-crowns, sixpence and thrupenny bits and halfpennies and farthings. There was a half-guinea which was 10 shillings and sixpence, and a Guinea, which was 1 pound and 1 shilling

pounds (£ or l in some documents) shillings (s. or /-) and pennies (d.). Thus, 4 pounds, eight shillings and fourpence would be written as £4/8/4d. or £4-8-4d. The "L S D" stands for the Latin words "libra", "solidus" and "denarius". So the denominations call came from Latin.

I mean, how cool is that. Why on earth would your replace such artistry and tradition with a plebian decimal system. Whoever made that change should be impaled on stakes to die in agony like the barbarians they were.

As a veteran of the Imperial system, I thank God that we abandoned that perverse calculus. BTW It was 20 shillings to the pound.

 

[Chernosoth]

The foot is a convenient unit of length. Most people with two hands can hold them approximately one foot apart. The metric system's meter, decimeter, and centimeter are mathematically logical but lacking that one most practical unit.

 

[Rightguide]

We dominate the World with pounds and ounces, inches, feet, yards, and miles. No need for change.

 

[dmallord]

Dude, it's just you and Liberia still using imperial units. Most of the readers aren’t American. If you don’t care that they get confused and it messes with their reading experience, then I guess I won’t either.

Makes me wonder about my stories. A few times I've used distances or monetary denominations in American terms. I'm not sure if it deterred foreign readers from my stories.

But I won't lose sleep over it. Maybe try not to use numbers in the future to upset them...

However, I'm left wondering about that detective who left a 'Jackson' on the bar for the name of a gorgeous dame. That has me puzzled at the moment. Should I give a Frik if a foreign reader didn't know a Jackson is slang for a $20.00 bill?

 

[ll74]

We dominate the World with pounds and ounces, inches, feet, yards, and miles. No need for change.

You don't dominate anything.

 

[Pad_Foot]

The acre is equal in area to a rectangle one furlong (one "furrow long" from farming terminology) by one chain (66 feet).

66 ft by 66 ft for an acre?? I think not.
More than 100 ft by 100 ft for sure
And? I’m tired of looking up stuff for “The American System” (Liberia was a colony of sorts. I’m not blaming them ) 43,560 sq ft = 1 acre. Logically 208.71 ft rounded per side of a square. Brilliant Bulkshit

1 furlong by 10 furlongs ? Ok. Cuz we are all still farmers farming with horses or mules or oxen

 

[Chernosoth]

1 furlong by 10 furlongs ? Ok. Cuz we are all still farmers farming with horses or mules or oxen

We will be again, but with many immigrants who learned metric. The measurement systems we eventually use could be improvised mixes of imperial, metric, and new units created as needed, with regional variations. Herders and farmers may use completely different systems.

 

[eric_erosfan]

Makes me wonder about my stories. A few times I've used distances or monetary denominations in American terms. I'm not sure if it deterred foreign readers from my stories.

But I won't lose sleep over it. Maybe try not to use numbers in the future to upset them...

However, I'm left wondering about that detective who left a 'Jackson' on the bar for the name of a gorgeous dame. That has me puzzled at the moment. Should I give a Frik if a foreign reader didn't know a Jackson is slang for a $20.00 bill?

What sounds more sexy?

"She pulled down his shorts and discovered this mysterious, handsome stranger's 12 inch..secret"

"She pulled down his shorts and discovered this mysterious, handsome stranger's 30.48 cm.. secret"

 

[Typo Fu Master]

I've used a mix of Imperial and metric all my life. I prefer Fahrenheit to Celsius only because it's what I'm used to. Similar for feet, yards and miles. If you didn't grow up with it, it seems strange. Like blood pudding.

 

[dmallord]

I've used a mix of Imperial and metric all my life. I prefer Fahrenheit to Celsius only because it's what I'm used to. Similar for feet, yards and miles. If you didn't grow up with it, it seems strange. Like blood pudding.

Yep... 12.48 meters of blood pudding would be about right for a meal for two!

 

[Venefica]

Any American with a science or engineering degree knows metric. That was original argument for it. That American kids would be at a disadvantage not knowing it. But you pick it up quickly.

The exception was the NASA mixing cm and inches and blowing up some rockets by this. The USA are centred about themselves and therefore see no need to harmonise with others. If you even cannot speak the languages of others, why bothering with the metric system?

I had recently a verbal brawl on bluesky with an US-American. His main argument was that I am stupid because my English is bad. I asked him which foreign language he speaks. Then there was silence.

 

[Robin_Starveling]

What sounds more sexy?

"She pulled down his shorts and discovered this mysterious, handsome stranger's 12 inch..secret"

"She pulled down his shorts and discovered this mysterious, handsome stranger's 30.48 cm.. secret"

Nah. This is cheating. Obviously, you’d round it to 30. But here’s the thing: we have 29, 28, 27… which makes it more accurate, while you’re leaping in huge steps.

There’s a big difference between a 6 and 7 inch cock, or a 7 and 8, yet you jump between them like there’s no 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 cm. Quite pitiful.

 

[Wonderer67]

66 ft by 66 ft for an acre?? I think not.
More than 100 ft by 100 ft for sure
And? I’m tired of looking up stuff for “The American System” (Liberia was a colony of sorts. I’m not blaming them ) 43,560 sq ft = 1 acre. Logically 208.71 ft rounded per side of a square. Brilliant Bulkshit

1 furlong by 10 furlongs ? Ok. Cuz we are all still farmers farming with horses or mules or oxen

Our old property records from the county hall of records still used old fashioned units measurement.

Literally:

“ Beginning at a stake in the old tree stump nearest to the creek. South 25 minutes east 10 chains and three links to a steak at the south corner of said property. North 89° and 3/4 E. 18 chains and 48 links to stake and stones on the south side of the large white oak corner of ______ property. “

Source wiki:
In the context of surveying using Gunter's Chain, a chain is equal to 66 feet (20.1168 meters) and consists of 100 links. Therefore, one link is equal to 0.66 feet or 7.92 inches.

 

[Pad_Foot]

Our old property records from the county hall of records still used old fashioned units measurement.

Literally:

“ Beginning at a stake in the old tree stump nearest to the creek. South 25 minutes east 10 chains and three links to a steak at the south corner of said property. North 89° and 3/4 E. 18 chains and 48 links to stake and stones on the south side of the large white oak corner of ______ property. “

Source wiki:
In the context of surveying using Gunter's Chain, a chain is equal to 66 feet (20.1168 meters) and consists of 100 links. Therefore, one link is equal to 0.66 feet or 7.92 inches.

Do they supply these chains ?
Links have been stretched for them to measure correctly. And chains? What a pain!

 

[Robin_Starveling]

The exception was the NASA mixing cm and inches and blowing up some rockets by this. The USA are centred about themselves and therefore see no need to harmonise with others. If you even cannot speak the languages of others, why bothering with the metric system?

I had recently a verbal brawl on bluesky with an US-American. His main argument was that I am stupid because my English is bad. I asked him which foreign language he speaks. Then there was silence.

Their education system is notoriously bad. The only reason they still have Silicon Valley is because they import brains from abroad. Half of their PhD graduates are foreigners. None of the greatest entrepreneurs: Musk, Brin, and others, were born there.

There would never have been a space program if they hadn’t imported scientists from Nazi Germany, and they’d never have had a nuclear program without bringing in the greatest minds from the continent.

Their entire economy rests on exponentially increasing debt. Let’s not upset them too much by pointing out that their grandkids are likely to speak Mandarin…

 

[Wat_Tyler]

Our old property records from the county hall of records still used old fashioned units measurement.

Literally:

“ Beginning at a stake in the old tree stump nearest to the creek. South 25 minutes east 10 chains and three links to a steak at the south corner of said property. North 89° and 3/4 E. 18 chains and 48 links to stake and stones on the south side of the large white oak corner of ______ property. “

Source wiki:
In the context of surveying using Gunter's Chain, a chain is equal to 66 feet (20.1168 meters) and consists of 100 links. Therefore, one link is equal to 0.66 feet or 7.92 inches.

There is a piece of a town not too far from here which was laid out wrong. The story goes that the surveyor was a drunk. He broke his chain somehow and took it to his drunken blacksmith buddy to have it repaired and then off to the saloon. The blacksmith opened a link and repaired the chain. Problem is, now it only has 99 links, so it is now two-thirds of a foot short. This chain was then put to work, resulting in some fucked-up plats.


It's an old town and an old story about people who are all long dead. Take it for what it's worth.

 

[Wonderer67]

There is a piece of a town not too far from here which was laid out wrong. The story goes that the surveyor was a drunk. He broke his chain somehow and took it to his drunken blacksmith buddy to have it repaired and then off to the saloon. The blacksmith opened a link and repaired the chain. Problem is, now it only has 99 links, so it is now two-thirds of a foot short. This chain was then put to work, resulting in some fucked-up plats.


It's an old town and an old story about people who are all long dead. Take it for what it's worth.

Maybe the chain the drunken blacksmith fixed was a metric link.

“I’ll just put this 10cm link on this old chain and see what happens…”

 

[Hel_Books]

Hel_Books said:
The acre is equal in area to a rectangle one furlong (one "furrow long" from farming terminology) by one chain (66 feet).

66 ft by 66 ft for an acre?? I think not.
More than 100 ft by 100 ft for sure
And? I’m tired of looking up stuff for “The American System” (Liberia was a colony of sorts. I’m not blaming them ) 43,560 sq ft = 1 acre. Logically 208.71 ft rounded per side of a square. Brilliant Bulkshit

1 furlong by 10 furlongs ? Ok. Cuz we are all still farmers farming with horses or mules or oxen

A furlong is 1/8 of a mile. A furlong by a chain (66 feet) is 43,560 square feet, or one acre.

 

[Robin_Starveling]

A furlong is 1/8 of a mile. A furlong by a chain (66 feet) is 43,560 square feet, or one acre.

Whoa, it’s even worse than I thought.

Wait! If a furlong is 1/8 of a mile, which is about 200 m, and a chain is about 20 m, then an acre is roughly 4,000 square meters, which is 4 dunams!

Yay, I finally know what an acre is.

 

[Wat_Tyler]

Maybe the chain the drunken blacksmith fixed was a metric link.

“I’ll just put this 10cm link on this old chain and see what happens…”

This would have made sense to him because he descended from French revolutionaries. Of course! That's brilliant.

 

[Rightguide]

You don't dominate anything.

Your state of ignorance is yours and yours alone, luckily for the rest of us, logic and common sense refuse to do the heavy lifting on your behalf, and we’re in no hurry to start.