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The super-slow conversion of the U.S. to metric (2025)

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Re: The super-slow conversion of the U.S. to metric (2025)

#21

Post by yurishimo »

cupofjoakim wrote: post #9

The US being stuck in imperial is such a meme nowadays with "freedum units" and the like. It's yet another odd thing that makes it easy for the rest of the world to laugh at the US. In these isolationist times I doubt this will change soon though, but it'd definitely help international collaboration.

Everyone who wants to collaborate internationally is already doing it. Science in the US is entirely metric. Construction and domestic measurements are the two biggest holdouts and honestly they’re both negligible. Given the proliferation of global manufacturing, most businesses are converting at the end before retail for US customers.

If the government was competent, they could rip off the bandaid and everyone would adapt within a year or two, but we need to wait at least 3 years for that to even begin to become a possibility again.

Re: The super-slow conversion of the U.S. to metric (2025)

#24

Post by ljf »

beardyw wrote: post #18
pjc50 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And in a few places they're different (US measuring "cup" vs UK, US gallon, etc) edit: ref https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zfnjb7h

UK doesn't use cups in recipes and fuel is dispensed in litres. Road signs are still in miles.

It has been a long time since fuel was sold here in the UK in gallons, but most cars still are spoken of in terms of MPG (miles driven per gallon of fuel). There are steps to move this to L per 100km - but most people here still use MPG.

We also use Pints in pubs, which are a different size to US pints.

Re: The super-slow conversion of the U.S. to metric (2025)

#25

Post by arethuza »

beardyw wrote: post #18
pjc50 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And in a few places they're different (US measuring "cup" vs UK, US gallon, etc) edit: ref https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zfnjb7h

UK doesn't use cups in recipes and fuel is dispensed in litres. Road signs are still in miles.

I'll drive 80 miles to walk 25 km to climb mountains because they are over 3000ft high (Munros) even though I think about the heights on the mountains in metres!

Re: The super-slow conversion of the U.S. to metric (2025)

#26

Post by mgoetzke »

yurishimo wrote: post #21
cupofjoakim wrote: post #9

The US being stuck in imperial is such a meme nowadays with "freedum units" and the like. It's yet another odd thing that makes it easy for the rest of the world to laugh at the US. In these isolationist times I doubt this will change soon though, but it'd definitely help international collaboration.

Everyone who wants to collaborate internationally is already doing it. Science in the US is entirely metric. Construction and domestic measurements are the two biggest holdouts and honestly they’re both negligible. Given the proliferation of global manufacturing, most businesses are converting at the end before retail for US customers. If the government was competent, they could rip off the bandaid and everyone would…

The fact that canadian lumber companies seem to be switching their machinery to metric is funny though. https://woodcentral.com.au/canadas-sawmills-weigh-metric-swi...

Re: The super-slow conversion of the U.S. to metric (2025)

#27

Post by JamesTRexx »

jabl wrote: post #11
p-e-w wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being able to count using fingers is more valuable than having one more prime factor.

You can actually count to 12 on your fingers using one hand. Use the thumb as a pointer, then for each of your other fingers you have three joints. So 3*4=12.

This is why men are superior to women, we can always count to one higher. (or two including the tip, as someone suggested with the fingers) :-p ducks

Re: The super-slow conversion of the U.S. to metric (2025)

#29

Post by t-3 »

hans_castorp wrote: post #16
jabl wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can actually count to 12 on your fingers using one hand. Use the thumb as a pointer, then for each of your other fingers you have three joints. So 3*4=12.

Or use a hand as a 5-bit integer, then you can count to 31 :)

It's hard to actually count using more than 4 bits/hand though. The quickest methods that require the least dexterity are those that count the knuckles (which are actually used in some counting traditions, unlike binary finger-counting).
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