We do learn both (at least in my state), but the problem is, the people who don't want to switch, it's because they're out of school and don't know the metric system, so they would have to learn a new way if they converted.
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· 10 years ago
We should banish those people to states like mine where we don't get to learn the metric system
In the UK it's officially metric but it's mixed with Imperial. Speed limits and distances are in miles. Some shops show produce weights in kilograms and pounds. People still give their height in feet and inches, their weight is in stones and pounds (14 pounds per stone). So you can live with both.
Unfortunately, the education system in the UK only teaches young people metric - we have to pick up Imperial ourselves along the way. So this means, while the younger generations still understand the two separately (for the most part), the understanding of the relationship between the two is deteriorating (i.e they're asked to get around 35 lbs of fruit, but don't know what that should be in kilograms).
That's something that I try stay cognisent of when I am posting measurement information on comment threads and forums that I know have an international audience. I'll post the figures in both imperial and metric. It seems to be the considerate thing to do and it helps me increase my metric fluency.
I gotta tell you though, doing calculations in metric is far easier than imperial in most cases.
I'm so down for this I hate that we're like the only ones to not do it.
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· 10 years ago
Except the problem is that with all the crappy American system it would cost literally billions of dollars that we don't even have. I like metric but it would cost a lot of $$$$
I live in New Zealand. I love American shows and I don't know if it's just me, but I usually spend a good five minutes pausing and converting their measurement units.
Here's a hint for the more common ones, feet, miles and pounds:
One meter is roughly three feet, a person that says they are six foot tall is just under two meters tall. Use about 30 cm per foot, someone 5 1/2 foot tall would be about 165 cm tall.
One mile is roughly 1 1/2 kilometers. If a distance or speed is given in miles add half back into it. 50 miles/mph is about 75 K/Kph.
One pound is about a half kilo, just divide by two. A 200 pound person is roughly 100 kilos.
This is very, very rough estimation, but close enough to get your head around it.
We definitely should, but, we are trillions of dollars in debt and then we have to go and change every road sign in the country? Now that would take a TON of money so that's the last thing we need to do right now, but maybe in the future.
Maybe you people should petition the whitehouse so that you can get the message out. Jay Carney will have to write a press release stating the the billions of dollars it would cost to flip a switch and convert to metric just are not in the budget at this time. The entire interstate and intrastate highway systems and every back country road have signs posting your location in miles, speed limits in miles, distance to next exit in miles. The DOT requires reams of paperwork to be filed daily that is all in miles and pounds and imp tons. Thousands of supermarkets have signage in pounds. NOAA and NWS use farenheit
and miles in most of their documentation and in all of their alerts. Every bridge and crane in the country has capacity placards in tons. The cost to various government agencies and private industry would be beyond the realm affordability for our nation right now as many of us struggle to pay our property taxes and keep up with the high cost of simply being alive these days.
I gotta tell you though, doing calculations in metric is far easier than imperial in most cases.
One meter is roughly three feet, a person that says they are six foot tall is just under two meters tall. Use about 30 cm per foot, someone 5 1/2 foot tall would be about 165 cm tall.
One mile is roughly 1 1/2 kilometers. If a distance or speed is given in miles add half back into it. 50 miles/mph is about 75 K/Kph.
One pound is about a half kilo, just divide by two. A 200 pound person is roughly 100 kilos.
This is very, very rough estimation, but close enough to get your head around it.
and miles in most of their documentation and in all of their alerts. Every bridge and crane in the country has capacity placards in tons. The cost to various government agencies and private industry would be beyond the realm affordability for our nation right now as many of us struggle to pay our property taxes and keep up with the high cost of simply being alive these days.