I think we were the first with metric money? We still pay for things in centidollars.
Comment on Everyday, as an American
Zorque@lemmy.world 5 months ago
You could always use the metric system, that was always allowed. Most food (I’ve seen) has both imperial and metric measurements. Most digital measuring devices and lots of analog ones will have options for both. Speedometers generally have both.
Really, the only one stopping you from using the metric system in your daily life is you. Unless of course you’re saying you want other people to use it. Which is a distinctly different proposition.
captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
Aux@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Why do Americans call the decimal system “metric”?
dan@upvote.au 5 months ago
They’re different things. The metric system uses decimal. All metric units are decimals, but not all decimals are metric measurements.
bitwaba@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Because that’s it’s name
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_system
But if you wanna get all specific about it we can call it SI
…m.wikipedia.org/…/International_System_of_Units
It’s certainly not the Decimal system
Aux@lemmy.world 5 months ago
There’s no such thing as metric money. What are you talking about?
Septian@lemmy.zip 5 months ago
I’d argue the two greatest barriers for the average, non-STEM individual adopting metric in America is the speed limits being in mph and the temperature being in °F. Both are convertible easily enough, but when you constantly have to do so to engage with critical infrastructure or safety (cooking temps, etc.) It provides a barrier against adoption for anyone without the drive to make a concerted effort to use metric.
bitwaba@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Between the two, I think temperature is the harder one. But strangely, it also brings weight and volume back into it: Cookbooks.
So many recipes are finely tuned balances of measurements that just look plain alien when converted to metric.
Kushan@lemmy.world 5 months ago
In the UK we’re mostly using metric with the odd exception (we still love a pint of beer), one of which is that speeds are measured in MPH. It’s not really a big deal, there aren’t many customers between miles and kilometres and anything less than a km is still usually measured in metres.
ASeriesOfPoorChoices@lemmy.world 5 months ago
thanks to shrinkflation, all pints are now schooners. Tomorrow, middies.