230 years since British pirates robbed the US of the metric system
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Re: 230 years since British pirates robbed the US of the metric system
#2As an American I think our measurement system is the best because of its name. Imperial.
The fact that the US has dominated while on a totally different is pretty wild
Re: 230 years since British pirates robbed the US of the metric system
#3As an American I think our measurement system is the best because of its name. Imperial. The fact that the US has dominated while on a totally different is pretty wild
While the American system of measurement often is referred to as the Imperial System, this usage is erroneous.
The US, ever since the formative years of the New World-nation, has used the *US Customary System*.
The Imperial System, alternatively, was established in 1824 for Great Britain and its colonies. Even today, decades after officially switching to SI (metric) units, volume in the UK is measured in British Imperial units.
For further fun, what year did the US Office of Weights and Measures adopt the metric system as the foundation for the Official National System and formally define the US foot in terms of the SI metric length?
Re: 230 years since British pirates robbed the US of the metric system
#4I find it more that a little amusing, that despite the US friendship with France, Websters idea of decolonising English was to alter the french derived words like 'centre'
Re: 230 years since British pirates robbed the US of the metric system
#5As an American I think our measurement system is the best because of its name. Imperial. The fact that the US has dominated while on a totally different is pretty wild
I find it quite strange that the British don't use imperial units anymore.
Re: 230 years since British pirates robbed the US of the metric system
#6Interesting backstory about the lost metric influence.
The problem I have with Celsius is that it’s so clinical. “Man it was sunny day at 23.1” just doesn’t roll off the tongue like say it’s mid seventies today”.
Re: 230 years since British pirates robbed the US of the metric system
#7Interesting backstory about the lost metric influence. The problem I have with Celsius is that it’s so clinical. “Man it was sunny day at 23.1” just doesn’t roll off the tongue like say it’s mid seventies today”.
Nobody uses decimals in these situations, and "it was almost 30 today" isn't that much different. Short and gets the point across.
Re: 230 years since British pirates robbed the US of the metric system
#8Such a long article, repeatedly praising the "simplicity" of the metric system, and it still ignores all possible opposing views. Not a word about the superiority of the duodecimal system when dividing quantities, even though a couple of examples are quoted (12 inches is a foot, 12 pence to the shilling). No effort to explain whyever someone would approach the matter in this way. The author is either extremely biased or extremely ignorant.
Re: 230 years since British pirates robbed the US of the metric system
#9Such a long article, repeatedly praising the "simplicity" of the metric system, and it still ignores all possible opposing views. Not a word about the superiority of the duodecimal system when dividing quantities, even though a couple of examples are quoted (12 inches is a foot, 12 pence to the shilling). No effort to explain whyever someone would approach the matter in this way. The author is either extremely biased…
Quick, how many inches are in a yard?
Re: 230 years since British pirates robbed the US of the metric system
#10As an American I think our measurement system is the best because of its name. Imperial. The fact that the US has dominated while on a totally different is pretty wild
I find it quite strange that the British don't use imperial units anymore.
Not strange at all. Working in a metric system is beneficial to our economy, and trading out to the rest of the world.
The options are to trade in Imperial measurements with the US, or the entire global economy in Metric.
The US can weather that difference given its size both physically and economically