And legally America does use the metric system…
Comment on How many hands long do they get?
CMDR_Horn@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
French invented metric system…
nialv7@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
BastingChemina@slrpnk.net 3 weeks ago
Yes, since the 60’ in the US the measurements are based on the metric system.
In 1959 the inch was redefined to be exactly 25.4mm.
So the US and any other country using the imperial system is just using metric but which weird conversion just to make things harder.
Tetsuo@jlai.lu 3 weeks ago
I think it technically suggest the use of the metric system but doesn’t mandate its use. And so practically speaking its not used much outside of science fields.
StrongHorseWeakNeigh@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
And at least Americans use a consistent system of measures. Not the weird half breed that the UK uses.
Acinonyx@lemmy.sdf.org 3 weeks ago
the more metric the better. in that regard, the UK is better than the US. of course, both are inferior to any other country which only uses the metric system
Impound4017@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
If I might make an argument for the imperial system? I’ll acknowledge that it is bad, particularly from a scientific perspective, but one advantage that imperial has over metric is its use case for human related issues. Most of the stuff you interact with daily is much more easily measured in feet and inches vs meters and centimeters (this ignores decimeters, but I’ve literally never seen anyone use decimeters in my entire life). Another good example is temperature. Celsius is more objective, but when dealing with the standard sorts of temperatures humans are generally concerned with, Fahrenheit gives you more granularity within that range.
All that is to say: If I’m at work and someone uses imperial for an official measurement, I’m putting my fist through the drywall, but from a day to day perspective, I actually prefer imperial.
Also, the mile is fucking indefensible. I’ll happily leave all 5280 of its feet out to rot.
Damage@slrpnk.net 3 weeks ago
Most of the stuff you interact with daily is much more easily measured in feet and inches vs meters and centimeters
Hard disagree. The centimeter is the best measurement there is for everyday stuff, you can easily express both round values or weird ones, and don’t need to switch between two scales as you do with feet and inches (and the stupid fact that there’s 12 inches in a feet, wtf). Meters are for distances.
(this ignores decimeters, but I’ve literally never seen anyone use decimeters in my entire life)
BECAUSE THE METRIC SYSTEM IS DECIMAL AND YOU DON’T NEED STUPID CHANGES BETWEEN UNITS, MOST PEOPLE JUST SAY TEN CENTIMETERS!
Celsius is more objective, but when dealing with the standard sorts of temperatures humans are generally concerned with, Fahrenheit gives you more granularity within that range.
If you’re measuring ambient temperature, 99% of the time being more precise than 1°C is pointless, in a room you may have more variance than that from a corner to another, same goes for outside. For things where you need better precision you sure as hell wouldn’t be using the imperial system, and you could instead take advantage of this neat trick called DECIMALS.
Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk 3 weeks ago
Most of the stuff you interact with daily is much more easily measured in feet and inches vs meters and centimeters…
… only if it’s what you’re used to.
Rothe@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
It is not best for “human related” issues, imperial is pretty bad for those as well, but because you have grown up with they seem so to you.
Deckname@discuss.tchncs.de 3 weeks ago
Are there any? E.g. here in Germany we use kcal instead of kJ for food energy density. Also horsepower is used instead of W for engines. But for the most part we use only metric.
I’m wondering if there are countries where they completely conform to the metric system.
ryedaft@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
At least when you use calories and kilocalories you don’t have to multiply by 12 or 3 or 5820 when you want to compare a big and a small number.
Of all the terrible non-metric things Americans use the Fahrenheit is the most defensible. It’s just idiotic when the rest of the world uses metric.
StrongHorseWeakNeigh@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
Why do you guys have so much identity tied up in the metric system
mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
fucking stones.
they measure thing in stones, still. the uk acts all uppity about metric shit and still uses imperial garbage variably all over.
mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
yeah this is imperial washing. they setup a colony and left it with an antiquated system of measures, then cheated off their neighbor for a better one.
Deckname@discuss.tchncs.de 3 weeks ago
And the worst part is, they didn’t even adopt it completely. They were not even going the complete mile.
69420@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Whatever happened to going the whole nine yards?
Damage@slrpnk.net 3 weeks ago
Oh, you!