Reading mode: Light Dark

why metrics, why not?

Go to last post
M

marcg

Well-known member
Messages
148
Reaction score
0
Location
melbourne, AU
Was Thomas Jefferson right about metrics, and is the metric system legal in the USA?.

The International System of Units (SI) is a modernized version of the metric system established by international agreement. The metric system of measurement was developed during the French Revolution and was first promoted in the U.S. by Thomas Jefferson. Its use was legalized in the U.S. in 1866. In 1902, proposed congressional legislation requiring the U.S. Government to use the metric system exclusively was defeated by a single vote
 
How would a 6 foot length of a 2 * 4 be measured in the metric system?

; )
 
It is by far the easiest too use. Working in 1/10 1/100 1/1000. Money is so much easier. Strange thing is tons and tonnes. A ton is 2240 pounds. a metric tonne is 2200 lbs. Quite close. It does get a bit more complex when you use metric for liquids.
 
Naturally, the metric system is easier to use as well as being an international system. In the long run, US manufacturing would benefit substantially from conversion to metric. However, in the short run, a US conversion to metric would be hugely expensive for government and industry alike. The other reason the push to metric is so slow is natural resistance to change on a significant part (probably the majority) of the US population.

HMc
marcg said:
Was Thomas Jefferson right about metrics, and is the metric system
legal in the USA?.

The International System of Units (SI) is a modernized version of
the metric system established by international agreement. The
metric system of measurement was developed during the French
Revolution and was first promoted in the U.S. by Thomas Jefferson.
Its use was legalized in the U.S. in 1866. In 1902, proposed
congressional legislation requiring the U.S. Government to use the
metric system exclusively was defeated by a single vote
Click to expand...
--
H McCollister
 
It would never work in the good old USA. Can you imagine buying gas in liters instead of gallons? And having football field lines at 9.14 meters, instead of 10 yard markers? And at Thanksgiving, having to order who knows how many kilograms of turkey, instead of simply getting a 15 pounder? And what about our favorite sayings like "Give him an inch and he'll take a mile"? No, we'll stick with the English system, which is obviously creatively inspired.

Bruce
stan walker said:
It is by far the easiest too use. Working in 1/10 1/100 1/1000.
Money is so much easier. Strange thing is tons and tonnes. A ton is
2240 pounds. a metric tonne is 2200 lbs. Quite close. It does get a
bit more complex when you use metric for liquids.
Click to expand...
 
In the short run? Apparently you have not worked in manufacturing.

I have worked in the auto industry for 10 years. Not once have I specified anything in inches or feet or pounds or slugs, etc. It is all metric. I now work in a company that supplies components to many different fields, medical, automotive, cell phone, electronics, etc. Only one of my customers sends me things in inches. And even with that I immediately convert to metric and do all my work in metric.

The really isn't a resistance to switch to metric. There just isn't really any need to. Those who need to use metric in the work place can use metric and use metric without difficulty. What is the benefit for me to know my distance to grandma's house in km? What's the benefit for me to swim 50 m instead of 50 yrds other than getting a little more exercise? There really isn't any. More than resistance, it really just too lazy to even care about switching.
hmac said:
HMc
marcg said:
Was Thomas Jefferson right about metrics, and is the metric system
legal in the USA?.

The International System of Units (SI) is a modernized version of
the metric system established by international agreement. The
metric system of measurement was developed during the French
Revolution and was first promoted in the U.S. by Thomas Jefferson.
Its use was legalized in the U.S. in 1866. In 1902, proposed
congressional legislation requiring the U.S. Government to use the
metric system exclusively was defeated by a single vote
Click to expand...
--
H McCollister
Click to expand...
--
Brian
 
Although the literal calculation would be 1828.8 of 50.8 x 101.6 we would order 1830 of 50 x 100 as our timber is guaged to the metric system,as someone who has spent half of their life using the imperial system and the other half the metric system I can assure you that the metric system has many advantages,an example would be calculation of a water tank size,you need a 1000 litre tank,there are 1000 litres to the cubic metre,thus a tank 1metre square,and this filled with water weighs 1 metric tonne,try calculating a 200 gallon tank in your head.LOL then move on to fluid ounces---- etc etc.

The funny thing is after all these years I do not remember my metric height,I am still 5feet 11inches tall,but my weight is 84 kilos,and I still cant get my head around "litres per kilometer' my car still does 30 miles to the gallon.
jaymc said:
How would a 6 foot length of a 2 * 4 be measured in the metric system?

; )
Click to expand...
--
Frank Perry
 
jaymc said:
How would a 6 foot length of a 2 * 4 be measured in the metric system?
Click to expand...
Have you ever measured a 2x4? It ain't. It's 1.5 x 3.5. About 40 years ago it was 1.75 x 3.75. About 100 years ago it really was 2 x 4, aka true-by-four.

But anyway, to answer your question, you'd ask for a 39mm x 88mm, which is what a 2 x 4 really is. Modern sawmills are setup in mm.
 
Although we refer to it as 50 x 100 it is actually smaller, as is your 4 x 2 if refering to finished (ie planed) if you ask for sawn timber it is actually 50 x 100.

So we would ask for either 50 x 100 finished, or 50 x 100 sawn.if you asked for 39mm x 88mm they would give you a funny look.
nickleback said:
jaymc said:
How would a 6 foot length of a 2 * 4 be measured in the metric system?
Click to expand...
Have you ever measured a 2x4? It ain't. It's 1.5 x 3.5. About 40
years ago it was 1.75 x 3.75. About 100 years ago it really was 2
x 4, aka true-by-four.

But anyway, to answer your question, you'd ask for a 39mm x 88mm,
which is what a 2 x 4 really is. Modern sawmills are setup in mm.
Click to expand...
--
Frank Perry
 
marcg said:
Was Thomas Jefferson right about metrics, and is the metric system
legal in the USA?.

The International System of Units (SI) is a modernized version of
the metric system established by international agreement. The
metric system of measurement was developed during the French
Revolution and was first promoted in the U.S. by Thomas Jefferson.
Its use was legalized in the U.S. in 1866. In 1902, proposed
congressional legislation requiring the U.S. Government to use the
metric system exclusively was defeated by a single vote
Click to expand...
They've used it for years. It's called dollars and cents.
Skipper494.
 
Those of us that have need to use metric do so... nobody else cares! I really learned a lot of it in the Marines, as far as distance and weight. Now I work in weights and measures as well. Although we still measure crime scenes in feet and inches, because the jury won't understand what we are talking about if I say the room is 4.5 meters by 3.7 meters. Most Americans would jsut look at you and smile.

--
Crime Scene Photography
 
A puzzling post. The cost involved relates to, in the auto industry for example, switching all of their fasteners over to metric nuts and bolts instead of inches. The sizes are different, the threads are different. Apparently in your auto manufacturing work, you haven't run across the fact that SAE wrenches rarely fit a metric nut. So, when you are building a car and you need more 9/16 bolts, you call up Inventory and ask them to send you some more 14.2875 millimeter bolts? Hmmm...

As to the rest, what would be the cost for federal, state, local governments to change all their road signs to kilometers and kilometers-per-hour? Just as one of the more obvious examples?

HMc
Brian said:
The really isn't a resistance to switch to metric. There just
isn't really any need to. Those who need to use metric in the work
place can use metric and use metric without difficulty. What is
the benefit for me to know my distance to grandma's house in km?
What's the benefit for me to swim 50 m instead of 50 yrds other
than getting a little more exercise? There really isn't any. More
than resistance, it really just too lazy to even care about
switching.
hmac said:
HMc
marcg said:
Was Thomas Jefferson right about metrics, and is the metric system
legal in the USA?.

The International System of Units (SI) is a modernized version of
the metric system established by international agreement. The
metric system of measurement was developed during the French
Revolution and was first promoted in the U.S. by Thomas Jefferson.
Its use was legalized in the U.S. in 1866. In 1902, proposed
congressional legislation requiring the U.S. Government to use the
metric system exclusively was defeated by a single vote
Click to expand...
--
H McCollister
Click to expand...
--
Brian
Click to expand...
--
H McCollister
 
It is true that there are still non metric parts on vehicles, but each year that number is reduced. All of the parts I designed used metric fasteners. All of the auto manufactures run their CAD systems in metric. And because of this more and more fasteners are going metric. It's just easier to design metric for metric and not have to mix and match.

And no, you don't ask for a 14.2875 mm bolt, you ask for a part number as there are dozens if not hundreds of varieties of bolts with the same diameter.
hmac said:
As to the rest, what would be the cost for federal, state, local
governments to change all their road signs to kilometers and
kilometers-per-hour? Just as one of the more obvious examples?

HMc
Brian said:
The really isn't a resistance to switch to metric. There just
isn't really any need to. Those who need to use metric in the work
place can use metric and use metric without difficulty. What is
the benefit for me to know my distance to grandma's house in km?
What's the benefit for me to swim 50 m instead of 50 yrds other
than getting a little more exercise? There really isn't any. More
than resistance, it really just too lazy to even care about
switching.
hmac said:
HMc
marcg said:
Was Thomas Jefferson right about metrics, and is the metric system
legal in the USA?.

The International System of Units (SI) is a modernized version of
the metric system established by international agreement. The
metric system of measurement was developed during the French
Revolution and was first promoted in the U.S. by Thomas Jefferson.
Its use was legalized in the U.S. in 1866. In 1902, proposed
congressional legislation requiring the U.S. Government to use the
metric system exclusively was defeated by a single vote
Click to expand...
--
H McCollister
Click to expand...
--
Brian
Click to expand...
--
H McCollister
Click to expand...
--
Brian
 
Besides he died "??" years ago. And I can't figure that in metric either. 60 sec's to a minute (not minute of angle either), 60 minutes to an hour, 24 hours to a day. 365 days to a year. Sort of.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
UHS-II Cards Reviewed
2
Replies
21
Views
6K
RLight
R
J
This just posted on a photo job site
2 3
Replies
48
Views
49
dipics
D

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top