Comment on Everyday, as an American

iopq@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

• namingthingsiseasy@programming.dev ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  How is this supposed to be considered using the metric system? If you tell someone that you weigh 80kg and he doesn’t have a clue what you mean, then you’re not really using the metric system, are you?

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  • iopq@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    That’s on them, the pound is exactly 0.45359237 kg

    So the conversion is trivial: 176lbs

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    • namingthingsiseasy@programming.dev ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Also, another issue with what you’re suggesting is that people have to memorize several conversion factors as well. Inherently, you only have to be able to convert inches -> cm and pounds -> kg, but unless you want to do even more math in your head, you also have to remember feet -> cm, yards -> cm, miles -> cm, square feet -> square meters, cubic feet -> cubic meters (phew, that’s just all the length conversions), pounds -> kg, ounces -> grams, pounds -> grams, cups -> grams (for every fluid you might want to measure), litres -> gallons, litres -> pints, etc.

      Or you could just go through the one-time effort of actually using the metric system so you don’t have to carry this mental burden with you everywhere you go…

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    • namingthingsiseasy@programming.dev ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      The problems with that are:

      1. hardly anyone knows the conversion factor

      2. other people aren’t going to do the math in their head

      That’s on them

      them == everybody in this case. Practically, nobody is going to do what you suggest - instead, they will ask people who use metric to do the conversion for them. And why should we be responsible for doing the work when they are the ones who refuse to use the system that 96% of the world has adopted?

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