Why aren't we using the metric system??

[vash]

I'm glad Roman numerals went extinct.


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[Charles Freeborn]

I recall a story back in the day ('70's ) that the trade unions shot it down. Demanded that the gov fork over money to every union member to re-tool.
I have no idea if this is true, but it is plausible. Unions would have no such power today. If the corporations wanted it, they'd get it.

[Hawkeye's-911T]

For the same reasoning you think a slotted screw is better than a Robertson.

It's the Phillips Head I am not exactly nuts about - Robertsons seem to be more robust & resistant to driver damage.

Cheers
JB

[rcooled]

My company's been using the metric system for the design and documentation of all new products for the last five years. All the fabrication shops we outsource to here in Silicon Valley are fully capable of building parts from drawings and CAD models made to metric dimensions. Converting over from imperial was a bit challenging in the beginning, but it all flows easily now. The most difficult part for me was getting the hang of applying precision tolerances to metric dimensions. Because I was so used to thinking in 'inches', I made some charts to help me quickly reference things like what .00005" is in millimeters. After that, I was good to go.

[ZOO]

Originally Posted by 911 Rod

For the same reasoning you think a slotted screw is better than a Robertson.

Well played! The Robertson screw head is the king of all screw fasteners.

[oldE]

Originally Posted by ZOO

Well played! The Robertson screw head is the king of all screw fasteners.

Even the King has weaknesses. If you have to putty in the head and perhaps remove it again later, slot heads are much easier to clean.

Back on topic: I consider myself to be "Bilingual", I can work with either Imperial or Metric.

I was glad to see the reference to the "Gimli Glider". That is a perfect example of what can happen during the transition from one system of measurement to another. Once you are past that, Working with decimals is so much easier.
At the Interpretive Centre, I get people asking about the volume of water used in Acre-feet. It is so much simpler to take an 80 cm rise in water, over 10 sq km and work with the resulting 800,000 cu M.
But then I'm basically lazy.
Best
Les

[Mark Henry]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye's-911T

It's the Phillips Head I am not exactly nuts about - Robertsons seem to be more robust & resistant to driver damage.

Cheers
JB

Many moons ago I was doing my apprenticeship with a company that did the interior of Coke head office in Atlanta. A bunch of us were supposed to go down and install all the woodwork, our tools were sent down, but then we found out the boss screwed up the work visas. About a week later our tools returned and nothing was missing except every single Robertson driver and bit.

[Rinty]

Originally Posted by hardflex

wasnt' there a space mission that failed a few years ago because someone didn't carry the units out correctly in the formula? Didn't convert from Metric to English or vice versa?

That was NASA's $125 million Mars Orbiter in 1999.

Nov. 10, 1999: Metric Math Mistake Muffed Mars Meteorology Mission | WIRED

In Canada, the Trudeau Liberals introduced the Metric System in 1970. We did, eventually, get used to metric. But the West has never gotten over Trudeau.

[campbellcj]

Originally Posted by Jrboulder

Well America, Germany and China are by far the top 3 manufacturers and exporters of the world, each exporting over $1.5 trillion (in 2014), #4 is Japan at $684 billion. Our top export is "engines, pumps and machinery." While not everything at your local Walmart is made in the USA, we do pretty well in many high-value areas that require a little more than subsidized steel, nonexistent environmental regulations and cheap labor.

Think along the lines of the F35 jet's engine @ $14 million a pop. Or a Boeing 777 around $300m. That's what we still make here. And cars...lots and lots.

Back on topic, I have no damn idea why we didn't go metric, yet. Why do some Brits still talk in gallons and miles, at least in the media? Is a mix of systems in common use?

[Won]

Originally Posted by campbellcj

Back on topic, I have no damn idea why we didn't go metric, yet. Why do some Brits still talk in gallons and miles, at least in the media? Is a mix of systems in common use?

Fuel, for example, is sold in litres but otherwise measured in Imperial gallons (4.54L or 1.20095 US gallons). All distance and speed signs are in miles, but in smaller lengths they seem just as comfortable with m/cm/mm.

Speaking of Imperial gallons, I only recently found out that car advertisements in Canada show MPG (Imp.) numbers which look "better" than MPG (US), followed by the L/100km figure in small prints. If you don't know this, and because 99% of the time you talk MPG in Canada it's in US gallons, I think it's borderline misinformation. The rest of Europe also uses L/100km, but to me km/L makes more sense so I can quickly figure out how far I can get once the fuel reserve light comes on with 10L left or something.

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by Won

F... If you don't know this, and because 99% of the time you talk MPG in Canada it's in US gallons...

I don't thinks so. I know nobody that when they talk MPG in Canada are talking US gallon. We use to have Imperial Gallon before switching to litres.

Any car display stickers or adverts, shows both, are base on Imperial Gallon like it was forever, so no misleading whatsoever.

[Won]

Hey that's good to know! But I do know in my own circle of car friends we always talk in US MPG. Another example why life is so much easier with km's and litres

I have seen pictures of older milk or oil jugs labeled in all 3 units. I think that's quite nice that you just learn all those units eventually without trying too hard.

Slightly off topic, but relating to all different units/systems co-existing in Canada: I never got to learn French in grade school as I was already busy learning English first (ESL). But whenever we visit France now for example, I randomly remember the French words I saw on the bilingual packaging from Canada. So it's a very slow process, but it appears I'm learning by osmosis too Also the joke about Canadians who "write like Brits and speak like Americans with enough French thrown in to cause confusion" is very true, I cringe whenever someone says "fillet" here...

[bobrestore]

I'm retired Operating Engineer. I layed out the work and conducted the operations with the machines... For highway work; with any Federal funding there was a mandate that all engineering work, even, the writing on the stakes and sprayed markings on the ground had to be metric. Of course some operators had problems and I had to translate for them, however the most costly mistakes were made by the design engineers in the office. They would naturally do work in there head in tenths of a foot and then print that thought on the metric plan .... yes it was off by x times 3.28. These kind off errors were endured for years and I guess it was thought that eventually it would catch on..... All I can say is it was no problem for me. Actually the meter was less prone for making a one foot type bust..... But you would not believe how costly it was because of engineering slip ups (think Hubble telescope). And because of loss of productivity.... Think ordering dinner in a restaurant that only speaks Spanish. bob

[James Brown]

a less NASA drill is to double a baking recipe in metric and imperial, you will be switching to metric

[Mark Henry]

Originally Posted by Won

Fuel, for example, is sold in litres but otherwise measured in Imperial gallons (4.54L or 1.20095 US gallons). All distance and speed signs are in miles, but in smaller lengths they seem just as comfortable with m/cm/mm.

Speaking of Imperial gallons, I only recently found out that car advertisements in Canada show MPG (Imp.) numbers which look "better" than MPG (US), followed by the L/100km figure in small prints. If you don't know this, and because 99% of the time you talk MPG in Canada it's in US gallons, I think it's borderline misinformation. The rest of Europe also uses L/100km, but to me km/L makes more sense so I can quickly figure out how far I can get once the fuel reserve light comes on with 10L left or something.

As said you are wrong about Canada using US gallons, we have (did) always used Imperial gallons and any Canadian MPG claims would have been in Imperial. The car manufactures would have been in deep poop as we have strict measurement laws. Oil manufactured/packaged in Canada will be in full liters, but if it's packaged in the US it by law must be labeled in metric and French. So a "liter" of US specialty oil that is really a US quart will be measured as .946 liters.

As far as conversion of MPG to L/100km this is a prime example of how you must totally forget Standard and think in Metric.
Does anyone remember the Clint Eastwood movie Firefox? The flashback scene to fire weapons he was told "You must think in Russian". Same thing "you must think in Metric".

Say your car gets 10L/100km (10 liters per 100 kilometers), just move the decimal place so 10L/100km = 1.0L/10.0km or 10/100km = 100L/1000km
Within seconds you know simply doing the math in your head you need 1 liter to go 10KM or 100L to go 1000km.

When you think in metric things become quite simple, because most of the time when calculating you are just moving the decimal place.

[Won]

Yeah sorry, fresh off the boat immigrant problem! But I can't do 4.1L/100km into km/L quite so quickly in my head..?

[wayner]

Ask yourself a different question instead of converting. I need to go 100km, so how many litres so I need?

Oh, 4.1, so if I only wanted to go 10km I would only need 0.4.

[Won]

But if I'm going 17.3km... just kidding, I get all your points

[wayner]

Originally Posted by Won

But if I'm going 17.3km... just kidding, I get all your points

Carry the one, divide by zero, stop for a coffee

[vash]

Originally Posted by Won

But if I'm going 17.3km... just kidding, I get all your points

That's almost 860 Gunther chains!!


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