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Has a "metric" version of time ever been proposed? Seems odd to me that we're "ok" with divisions of 12 for time but not length. I guess for science seconds are basically the only measure of time that usually matters?
Has a "metric" version of time ever been proposed? Seems odd to me that we're "ok" with divisions of 12 for time but not length. I guess for science seconds are basically the only measure of time that usually matters?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is there any compelling reason why the US should switch to the metric system for daily use? Metric is already used universally in science and engineering, which seem to be the main fields in which consistency across countries matters. I completely agree that in physics, chemistry, engineering, medicine, etc., it is important to use standard units. But what harm is it doing in practice if in everyday life, Americans s…
> A good comparison is degrees Celsius, which are just as arbitrary/unscientific (the standard metric unit is the Kelvin). Celsius is literally the same scale as Kelvin, just shifted so that 0c = water freezing.
Fahrenheit is scaled such that 0 is about the coldest it gets where I live, and 100 is about the hottest. (Very approximately, but close enough). That strikes me as a lot nicer in practice (since 99% of the time people are talking about temperature, it’s related to weather) than something based on the physical properties of a particular substance.
Also water freezing at 0 and boiling at 100 is only valid for a specific, non-metric, air pressure.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> A good comparison is degrees Celsius, which are just as arbitrary/unscientific (the standard metric unit is the Kelvin). Celsius is literally the same scale as Kelvin, just shifted so that 0c = water freezing.
Celsius is a particularly bad metric unit. It doesn't have enough units in the range most commonly encountered by humans, and it goes negative, which is also to be avoided in a good unit. So you end up needing negatives, and decimals.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is there any compelling reason why the US should switch to the metric system for daily use? Metric is already used universally in science and engineering, which seem to be the main fields in which consistency across countries matters. I completely agree that in physics, chemistry, engineering, medicine, etc., it is important to use standard units. But what harm is it doing in practice if in everyday life, Americans s…
My Jeep is a bizarre combination of metric and SAE. ISS needs to have two sets of tools[0]. NASA lost the Mars Climate Orbiter due to confusion over the units of measure[1]. Patients are given the wrong dosages[2]. It seems safe to say it's a point of ongoing friction, especially on things like international trade. [0]: https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/12391/iss-nuts-and... [1]: https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp…
I still stand by my argument that it does not matter much for everyday life.
Has a "metric" version of time ever been proposed? Seems odd to me that we're "ok" with divisions of 12 for time but not length. I guess for science seconds are basically the only measure of time that usually matters?
Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" has the space marines using "kiloseconds" and "megaseconds" conversationally, and it was always tricky for me to convert those to hours and minutes in my head accurately.
I guess the next redefinition will happen if and when there's detectable drift in "fundamental" constants?
I guess the next redefinition will happen if and when there's detectable drift in "fundamental" constants? And until then, all the metric fanbois will constantly tell you that metric is superior to imperial because its measurements are immutable. Until suddenly they are.
Has a "metric" version of time ever been proposed? Seems odd to me that we're "ok" with divisions of 12 for time but not length. I guess for science seconds are basically the only measure of time that usually matters?
Has a "metric" version of time ever been proposed? Seems odd to me that we're "ok" with divisions of 12 for time but not length. I guess for science seconds are basically the only measure of time that usually matters?
Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" has the space marines using "kiloseconds" and "megaseconds" conversationally, and it was always tricky for me to convert those to hours and minutes in my head accurately.