why is the US not Metric

[Black Phoenix]

You're right, it is.  And that's because EVERY ONE of these threads, and they happen a couple of times a year, devolves into US bashing.  I get a little tired of people from 3rd tier countries attacking the US.  We have done so much for so many in our mere 243 years of existence you would think we would get a little respect.  But no, people from countries thousands of years older that have accomplished exactly nothing in their entire history seem to find great glee in bashing our success because we CHOOSE not to use metric.  It's a choice and we made it!

Do outsiders, in even their most drug induced hallucinations, believe that the US cares what other countries think?

I don't know if I should really laugh or be worried that you really believe what you said with that all certainty...

[bsfeechannel]

You're right, it is.  And that's because EVERY ONE of these threads, and they happen a couple of times a year, devolves into US bashing. 

You can count me out. I'm not bashing the US "success", or whatever you mean by that. The fact is that imperial is obsolete. And it is odd that so wealthy and presumably so smart a nation is behind in the adoption of a standard that brings obvious benefits.

Do outsiders, in even their most drug induced hallucinations, believe that the US cares what other countries think?

I could argue that the largest economy in the world is the world minus the US. Five times greater. And that the US is surrounded by 7.4 billion people. And all those people in that large economy can see benefits in the adoption of an agnostic, modern system of units.

I don't think you can afford to ignore this fact.

We have done so much for so many in our mere 243 years of existence you would think we would get a little respect. 

You want respect? Stop connecting metric to politics or national pride. This is nothing but bullshit.

I get a little tired of people from 3rd tier countries attacking the US. 

Have in mind that people in "3rd tier countries" also have brains and if you don't use yours they can outsmart you pretty fast.

[soldar]

Not only dick waving but a very limp dick that saw better days ... maybe in 1969. Sad!

You're right, it is.  And that's because EVERY ONE of these threads, and they happen a couple of times a year, devolves into US bashing.  I get a little tired of people from 3rd tier countries attacking the US.  We have done so much for so many in our mere 243 years of existence you would think we would get a little respect.  But no, people from countries thousands of years older that have accomplished exactly nothing in their entire history seem to find great glee in bashing our success because we CHOOSE not to use metric.  It's a choice and we made it!

Do outsiders, in even their most drug induced hallucinations, believe that the US cares what other countries think?

rstofer, I don't want to sound confrontational and I ask you to interpret what I post in the best positive way.

I object to the gratuitous bashing of any country but I get the impression it happens regularly with China, not with America. If I see any gratuitous bashing I will denounce it.

We are discussing the metric system, not the moral standing of America in the world.  Maybe you are being too sensitive and take as America-bashing criticisms that are no such thing. An honest criticism of some American things is not bashing America and if you are taking it that way maybe you need to adjust your sensitivity and understanding.

America is not absolutely better than the rest of the world. Every country and culture have their good and their bad and a lot of what is good and what is bad is very subjective. America and Americans are not superior and many problems and reasons why America is perceived negatively are by that arrogance of feeling superior. America has many good things and has done many good things and has many bad things and has done many bad things, just like any other country. The world owes nothing to America.

The problem may be that you may be too sensitive and feel people are attacking America when they are not. Do not assign negative intentions to others without clear signs that they exist. Criticizing things about any country is very necessary to make that country better. Fanatical nationalists are not an asset to any country and sadly this is something that is growing in many countries, including America.

If you cannot take constructive criticism, if constructive praise is all you can handle, then you better restrict yourself to a very narrow group of people who think exactly like you.

[Simon]

China just gets the criticism you want Americans to accept. Although I agree with you, you can't have it both ways.

[mansaxel]

Code: [Select]

treize:tmp mansaxel$ bc -l
bc 1.06
Copyright 1991-1994, 1997, 1998, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
For details type `warranty'.

/* Set something sensible, for woodworking. */
scale=4
/* Window width is 4' 11" and 1/16. We want to leave 3/8" clearance on each side.
    Let's start with making all fractions equal, and since /16 is the smallest, that's
    what we choose.  */

/* 4 feet and eleven inches and one sixteenth as sixteenths */
(((4*12) + 11 )*16) + 1
945

/* We want to deduct 3/8" twice, but let's start with the conversion into sixteenths. /*
3*2
6
8*2
16

2*6
12
/* that's 12/16 = 2 * 3/8
    We now have everything in 1/16" increments. Let's do the subtraction */

945 - 12
933

/* The result is 933/16. Let us calculate, briefly going decimal here.  */

933/16
58.3125

/* .3125 looks like it could be a sensible fraction of something. We could do what engineering
   people in USA seem to do and cheat by declaring the result 58 inches 313 thou, but since
   fractions are allegedly more natural, let's find the true beautiful fraction. 

   We can cheat another way and let the computer do some modulo: */
scale=0
933%16
5
scale=4

/* That means we've got 58 inches 5/16" but let's restore feet. Because feet are important. A natural unit. */
58/12
4.8333

/* Again, we cheat with modulo: */

scale=0
58%12
10

scale=4

/* So, now we've got something approaching the result:

4' 10 5/16"

Easy, huh? We could, of course be un-american and do something different :*/

inch=25.4

((((4*12) + 11 ) + (1/16) ) * inch ) - (2 * (3/8) * inch)
1481.1375

/* Let's  compare:

Now, if we'd been using metric from the start, we'd be starting with KNOWING that the window is:

(((4*12) + 11 ) + (1/16))  * inch = 1500.1875  mm

and the deductions are

3/8" * inch = 9.5250 mm each.

Thus, we've got ONLY this calculation to do:

*/

1500.1875 - (2 * 9.525)
1481.1375

/* Of course, if we'd started out in metric, we'd probably had rounded numbers to full centimeter, leaving us with: */

150-(2*1)
148

/* My children can do that in an instant. QED. */

[Zero999]

Not only dick waving but a very limp dick that saw better days ... maybe in 1969. Sad!

You're right, it is.  And that's because EVERY ONE of these threads, and they happen a couple of times a year, devolves into US bashing.  I get a little tired of people from 3rd tier countries attacking the US.  We have done so much for so many in our mere 243 years of existence you would think we would get a little respect.  But no, people from countries thousands of years older that have accomplished exactly nothing in their entire history seem to find great glee in bashing our success because we CHOOSE not to use metric.  It's a choice and we made it!

Do outsiders, in even their most drug induced hallucinations, believe that the US cares what other countries think?

You do realise the person you've just responded to is in Spain, which played a very large role in making the USA what it is today?

[soldar]

China just gets the criticism you want Americans to accept. Although I agree with you, you can't have it both ways.

I never said otherwise but there is a great difference between objective criticism and bashing. Nobody here is bashing America.

But quite often there is gratuitous bashing of China. "It's made in China and therefore it's crap" is a common theme. I never heard the same about America. I have never seen "It is American and therefore it is crap".

A bridge collapses in China and the entire country and culture is at fault and condemned as corrupt. A bridge collapses in America and the engineer who built it is blamed.

Not to mention that many Americans feel entitled to tell China how it should govern itself but would never accept the reverse.  The government of China is bad and wrong and evil while the government of America is benevolent and democratic and all things good.

We are discussing America's use of units and how going metric might be better. There is no moral judgment involved and I can't see how it can be taken as America bashing except by the very insecure and touchy.

To give a parallel example: Over the years I have discussed with Chinese people how Chinese script is hard to learn and requires energy and resources which could be dedicated to other things if China adopted pinyin or other simpler script. Not one time has any Chinese person taken it as an insult to their country and told me to bugger off and that they don't care what I think.

[Gyro]

Second, despite our backward system, we have walked on the Moon and nobody else has and we did it 50 years ago.  Some of the work was calc'd in metric, most of it was built in customary units.  Call back when you leave footprints!  In the meantime (probably another 100 years or so), keep working on the project, you'll get there someday, but we'll be on Mars before you get to the Moon!

....

Been to the Moon, largest economy in the world, Imperial units...  See a pattern here?
....

I know, every time I bring up the Moon thing people frame it as American Exceptionalism.  Well, yes, it's true.  But if it wasn't for AE, the French people would be speaking German and the standards would be in Berlin.  The Germans always did have the superior scientists.
....

You're right, it is.  And that's because EVERY ONE of these threads, and they happen a couple of times a year, devolves into US bashing.  I get a little tired of people from 3rd tier countries attacking the US.  We have done so much for so many in our mere 243 years of existence you would think we would get a little respect.  But no, people from countries thousands of years older that have accomplished exactly nothing in their entire history seem to find great glee in bashing our success because we CHOOSE not to use metric.  It's a choice and we made it!

Do outsiders, in even their most drug induced hallucinations, believe that the US cares what other countries think?

@rstofer:

Has it occurred to you how insulting your naive comments and view of the rest of the world are to the rest of us outside the US?

Lest you forget (or don't even realize) the father of the US space program was Werner von Braun, a member of the German Nazi Party and the SS, secretly smuggled out of Germany, together with around 1600 fellow scientists and stocks of V2 missiles. In his time as head of the V2 program, he was an active party to the deaths of up to 20 thousand people (slave labour) not to mention the people killed by his weapons. All conveniently swept under the carpet and forgotten in the interests of the US race to the moon. As you say, The Germans always did have the superior scientists!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wernher_von_Braun

Presumably von Braun had to convert from the metric system to the American customary system when he was recruited to pioneer the US space program. Now that really is irony!

As for your country's 243 years of existence, you should remember that your continent's population also dates back (hundreds of) thousands of years, just like the rest of us.

As for 'American Exceptionalism' please don't forget the agreement between Churchill and Roosevelt to share technological information. As it turned out, a distinctly one-sided arrangement, giving the US the jet engine, vital contributions to supersonic flight and accelerating its atomic weapons development (the US's developments then being classified, requiring the UK to virtually have to start from scratch again to keep pace catch up).

The US is very good at importing other peoples' technological developments and claiming them as its own. Maybe that's the secret of becoming 'the world's largest economy'.

I could go on, but I will halt it there. This thread started out as a civil discussion but if you really must turn it into a political point scoring exercise, then please be better informed.

Enough with the superiority crap, as I said, it's insulting.

[Macbeth]

The real problem is those crazy imperialists that insist on using the term "mil" when they should just say "thou" to avoid ambiguity with millimeters. UK here, worked for a motorcycle parts engineering and toolmaker shop that dealt with imperial and metric without much problem.

We would never call out "mil" instead of "thou". Because millimeters are "mil" and we only need one syllable. Just state "thou"

When a Harley Davidson dealer was on the phone, we knew how to change tune. Yeehaw! 

[Mr. Scram]

What advantage does metric offer to the average person walking down the street?  Not a darn thing!  Some of our industry has converted, some more might convert, some never will.  So what?

Second, despite our backward system, we have walked on the Moon and nobody else has and we did it 50 years ago.  Some of the work was calc'd in metric, most of it was built in customary units.  Call back when you leave footprints!  In the meantime (probably another 100 years or so), keep working on the project, you'll get there someday, but we'll be on Mars before you get to the Moon!


Why do you care what we do?  Why is this all so terribly important to you?  We don't care what you're doing, we certainly don't criticize your use of the metric system but we're not staging protests demanding change.  We simply don't care!  If we need metric, we use it.  If we don't, well, we don't.  It isn't important in our everyday lives.

And do be aware that, as backward as we are, we're still the largest economy in the world.

Been to the Moon, largest economy in the world, Imperial units...  See a pattern here?


Satisfactory to whom?  It is already satisfactory to us and we're the only people that matter.  We haven't converted at the population level in the last 50 years, why do you assume we will to it to your satisfaction in the next 50 years?  Do you imagine that we care what the world thinks?  Your only option is to redefine your idea of "satisfactory" and imagine that what you see today meets your new standard because what you see is all you'll ever see.  Industry may change, science and medicine have changed or always were metric but the person walking down the street isn't going to change - ever!  And certainly not just to meet your "satisfaction".

I know, every time I bring up the Moon thing people frame it as American Exceptionalism.  Well, yes, it's true.  But if it wasn't for AE, the French people would be speaking German and the standards would be in Berlin.  The Germans always did have the superior scientists.

The Apollo flight computers used metric and converted it to imperial for the non scientific personnel flying along. The imperial part was quite literally for show.

When you say "we" can you indicate your personal contributions to the achievements you list?

[bsfeechannel]

I've purchased metric collets for my routers so I can use metric end mills (cuz they're cheaper), so there's an example of adapting to metric TO SAVE MONEY vs spending money just be metric.

OK. Now that we've dispelled the idea that suggesting the US forgo this dreaded imperial system is an "attack" to the US, let's study how much it costs to maintain it.

Last year I made a series of videos about repairing a vintage Black and Decker drill. It was an imperial festival. Screws were not a big problem, although I could not find the exact models for a reasonable price.

I had also to change an oilite bronze bushing. You can find them in whatever supplier of parts for home appliance repair shops. The problem is that they are all metric these days. I could find one that was almost exactly the size I wanted but it would not be interference-fitted in the pocket, requiring a special Loctite® glue for oilite bushings. I'd also have to enlarge the inner diameter using a brand new drill bit. This bearing cost me US$0.30.

On ebay I found the exact size for my drill. It cost US$6.00 delivered. Let's discount US$3.00 for postage and there you have it: ten times more expensive. Just because it is imperial.

So does it take a lot of money to change to metric? And how about to keep it imperial? My sample shows that it costs a lot, perhaps more than the change.

[KL27x]

we CHOOSE not to use metric.  It's a choice and we made it!

As an American, I apologize for rstopher.

America didn't choose imperial. We were handed it by the Brits. I wouldn't say we actively choose to keep it. We just don't have incentive to change it officially/completely. We already took the knee to the rest of the world by changing all of our units of measurement to be defined by global (metric) standard. Why should anyone in another country care, beyond that?

Fasteners are the only place you might say that standardization could save money in the long haul, but this is realistic only with a global centralized government. In the current world, multiple standards have a life of their own. Setting aside threads, we have torx, hex, robertson, phillips, Japanese phillips, and about 48 other standards for drivers. At any given point in time, someone is gonna gravitate towards one or the other based on where he was born, what is available in his area, and what tools he has (which this includes not just what kind of screwdrivers and/or taps he might have, but we're also talking machine lathes and gearing/transmissions. And whether metric or imperial, a given machine lathe might only be able to do a small subset of thread sizes. You can't just change a label or a setting or a few lines of code to change thread pitch.

It would also "save money" if we decided on 10 models of car and made everyone choose from those 10 models instead of a hundred. But since we would be able to maintain those 10 models of cars for 100 years, it would tank our economies. It wouldn't just be the auto industry that would suffer. Just think of all that lost revenue from folks no longer having to buy that one stupid SAE/metric bit/wrench for a single job. 

[boffin]

Has it occurred to you how insulting your naive comments and view of the rest of the world are to the rest of us outside the US?

....

Enough with the superiority crap, as I said, it's insulting.

Watch the 1st eight minutes of the US TV Series "The Newsroom", it sums up this thread beautifully

[soldar]

So does it take a lot of money to change to metric? And how about to keep it imperial? My sample shows that it costs a lot, perhaps more than the change.

Having to buy, use, stock, manage, etc different items (American and metric) costs a lot of money. manufacturers will always try to minimize the number of parts because it saves money. Maybe you can use three long screws and three short screws to hold a part in place but, even though using six long screws, even though it might cost a tiny amount more in purchasing would simplify the list of parts, save in number of parts that need to be stocked, etc.

Standardization and uniformity save money. It is not cheaper to make a car with manual roll up windows. It is cheaper to make all the cars in the same model line alike. Making one with manual windows would cost more, not less, even though in theory you are saving the purchase of the electric motors.

[Simon]

Has it occurred to you how insulting your naive comments and view of the rest of the world are to the rest of us outside the US?

....

Enough with the superiority crap, as I said, it's insulting.

Watch the 1st eight minutes of the US TV Series "The Newsroom", it sums up this thread beautifully

to be honest is the same stuff in different words that comes out over here, usually it's about haw we won the war and don't need anybody. And those people will happily take us back to a system that is pointless. Sure we could use the inch, but I'd never use feet or yards, it would be all inches and thou's just like we use mm and µm.

I can put inches into my 3D CAD package, not sure it supports feet, definitely not yards....... It's an american made software. imperial does not work. Sure keeping some stuff helps but change where ever feasible.

[Simon]

I've purchased metric collets for my routers so I can use metric end mills (cuz they're cheaper), so there's an example of adapting to metric TO SAVE MONEY vs spending money just be metric.

OK. Now that we've dispelled the idea that suggesting the US forgo this dreaded imperial system is an "attack" to the US, let's study how much it costs to maintain it.

Last year I made a series of videos about repairing a vintage Black and Decker drill. It was an imperial festival. Screws were not a big problem, although I could not find the exact models for a reasonable price.

I had also to change an oilite bronze bushing. You can find them in whatever supplier of parts for home appliance repair shops. The problem is that they are all metric these days. I could find one that was almost exactly the size I wanted but it would not be interference-fitted in the pocket, requiring a special Loctite® glue for oilite bushings. I'd also have to enlarge the inner diameter using a brand new drill bit. This bearing cost me US$0.30.

On ebay I found the exact size for my drill. It cost US$6.00 delivered. Let's discount US$3.00 for postage and there you have it: ten times more expensive. Just because it is imperial.

So does it take a lot of money to change to metric? And how about to keep it imperial? My sample shows that it costs a lot, perhaps more than the change.

You are talking about an old item. There has to be a cut off point. And you were still able to find the parts.....

[bsfeechannel]

You are talking about an old item. There has to be a cut off point. And you were still able to find the parts.....

The fact that it is old is irrelevant. I'm repairing a mechanical Οlivetti printing calculator the same vintage and everything in it is metric. EVERYTHING.

What a relief!

[tooki]

You are talking about an old item. There has to be a cut off point. And you were still able to find the parts.....

The fact that it is old is irrelevant. I'm repairing a mechanical Οlivetti printing calculator the same vintage and everything in it is metric. EVERYTHING.

What a relief!

So... even if the USA could magically switch to 100.0% metric within the hour, you’d still be unhappy, because they didn’t change sooner? Sounds to me like another reason to not bother, if people are just gonna be mad no matter what.

[bsfeechannel]

We already took the knee to the rest of the world by changing all of our units of measurement to be defined by global (metric) standard. Why should anyone in another country care, beyond that?

Man, why so melodramatic? Is the US adhering to a global standard that has been proved to work better than all the previous versions a token of resignation?

Come on! You should celebrate.

It would also "save money" if we decided on 10 models of car and made everyone choose from those 10 models instead of a hundred. But since we would be able to maintain those 10 models of cars for 100 years, it would tank our economies. It wouldn't just be the auto industry that would suffer. Just think of all that lost revenue from folks no longer having to buy that one stupid SAE/metric bit/wrench for a single job. 

That's why we can't have nice things. When we say you should change, you say it is expensive. When we show that not changing costs more, you say it will hurt someone.

In that case I prefer rstofer's answer: "it is a question of national pride, we are willing to pay for it and we don't care about the rest".

It's not a reasonable answer, but at least it doesn't contain contradictions.

[Cerebus]

Sure we could use the inch, but I'd never use feet or yards, ...

You'd have to use feet, otherwise you'd fall over all the time and your legs would fray.

[KL27x]

Man, why so melodramatic? Is the US adhering to a global standard that has been proved to work better than all the previous versions a token of resignation?

Come on! You should celebrate.

Erm, no. First off, you read to much into "take a knee." It's not a matter of pride to me. I could give a shit.

Changing the definition of an inch from "that piece of metal" kept in a dark safe at a specific temperature and humidity in our department of national weights and measures to being a derivative of cm has nothing to do with metric being better or worse. If you want a tomato to be a tomato no matter what country, you have to choose one or the other to be the standard. Aside from having more traction, the thing that is nice about metric is how it is "calibrated." If you get into a squabble with someone else over what a kg actually is, you could theoretically actually do the measurements rather than have to take the word of the guy that has "that piece of metal."

Once you've agreed on that, you ought not care if some other people prefer to express height on a drivers license as 1.49 meter, or 14.9 decimeters, or 149 cm. Or feet, or inches or hands. As long as the conversion has been defined, and the calibration is from the same standard. This standard which we've all agree upon is derived from the earth, which we all have equal access to. You think we won't need to know how to use ratios and do conversions, anymore, if we convince stupid Americans to convert to the "superior" metric system?

The reason imperial will take centuries more to die out, if it ever does, is because it's not a big deal. Other than a few exceptions, say brit pints vs US pints, imperial has all its hens in order, and has had them that way since centuries before metric was even born. If there were many kinds of imperial (and/or other alternatives) measurements, then it would be a bigger deal. The reason France invented metric and europe adopted it is because they were living with hundreds of different competing standards, at the time.

[bsfeechannel]

So... even if the USA could magically switch to 100.0% metric within the hour, you’d still be unhappy, because they didn’t change sooner? Sounds to me like another reason to not bother, if people are just gonna be mad no matter what.

That's not the question. I was not unhappy because the vintage drill was imperial. It was vintage. I'd be if it was a modern drill and I had to pay extra just because of its "imperiality". That made me speculate about how much it costs for those who insist in maintaining this outdated system of units.

[bsfeechannel]

The reason imperial will take centuries more to die out, if it ever does, is because it's not a big deal. Other than a few exceptions, say brit pints vs US pints, imperial has all its hens in order, and has had them that way since centuries before metric was even born. If there were many kinds of imperial (and/or other alternatives) measurements, then it would be a bigger deal. The reason France invented metric and europe adopted it is because they were living with hundreds of different competing standards, at the time.

Imperial, besides its many shortcomings already discussed, plays yet another detrimental role in the minds of those who defend its existence.

AvE likes to play a joke on degrees celsius by calling them degrees "science", as if science had a bad effect over machinists. He likes to pronounce métrique, instead of metric, as if anything metric was foreign. Granted, it is a joke, and I laugh at it, but this is far from the truth. 

I can see that there is this mindset that metric is for engineering and science, that's enough, what else do you want? It is not meant for the common person.

However metric, as I showed with the cake recipes, is used all over the world in the kitchen, the same way it is used in the construction site, the groceries store, the workshop or laboratory.

Metric is for everybody. In metricated countries, metric is taught for people to use everywhere. And they actually do.

So it doesn't matter how many "hens" imperial has "in order" or how long it's out there. It is dying a slowly painful death, and causing damage while it still exists.

[Altair8800]

Just for fun...  A blast from the past from the UseNet Oracle...  Long but fun...   

=====
> Oh great Oracle whose keyboard never has crumbs,
> Will the USA ever go metric?

And in response, thus spake the Oracle:

Ladies and gentlemen, we are here today to determine the United States
measurement challenge once and for all.      

In the blue corner we have our current US champion for many years,
weighing in at 220.4623 pounds, our hero: Igor Imperial.

In the red corner we have, weighing in at 100kg all the way from
France, and currently storming the world wherever he goes, our
challenger: Mean Mr Metric.

It will be a great fight today and one that may change the course of
history. Can Mean Mr Metric defeat Igor Imperial and change US life
forever, or will Igor outwit the classy opponent and maintain his place
in history.

We are about to find out.

Gentlemen, I want a clean fight. Shake hands and come out fighting on
the bell.

Round 1: "DONG"

They both approach each other and meet in the middle of the ring.
Metric has trained well and opens with the first punch:

How many feet in a mile?

Imperial answers after a moments hesitation with:

5280

"Good exchange there Bob, hasn't worried either of them."

"No Bill, it's still neck and neck, although Imperial took a fraction
of a second to divert that question."

Imperial decides to attack with a similar strategy:

How many metres in a kilometre?

Instantly, Metric flashes back with:

1000

"Wasn't that a great counter by Metric eh Bob - so quick. He's looking
good tonight"

"Sure is Bill"

Imperial goes on the attack again with a curly one:

How much does a litre of water weigh?

Metric comes back quickly with:

1 kilogram

"Great offense from Imperial there Bob. Combining both measurement of
mass and volume - well thought out."

"Sure thing Bill, but I think he may have left himself a bit vulnerable
here. If I can guess, Metric should follow up with..."

How much does a pint of water weigh?

Imperial reels back with such a tough one. He hesitates.

"Thought he'd do that Bill, he's looking shaky. I wonder how he's
trained for this?"

Suddenly, Imperial's eyes light up and he comes back with:

1.0431758 pounds

"Well Bob, our champ got out of that one but it was a bit messy eh?"

"It was Bill. I think he was lucky there. Metric should come back with
a tough one here if he's got it in him."

As Metric prepares for an offense, the champ Imperial slips in a sneaky
one:

If 1mm of rain falls on 1 square metre of roof, how much water
is collected?

"What a shot Bob! That'll hurt him."

Metric defends without a flinch:

1 litre

"No Bill, Metric has trained too well and has got too much ability.
That reply was instananeous. You know, I think he should follow the
same strategy as before and follow up with..."

If 1 point of rain falls on 1 square foot of roof, how much water is
collected?

"Imperial is down!"

1 2 3 4 5 6 7...

7.97922 fl oz

"What an answer! Our boy's still got guts!"

"DONG"

End of Round 1.

"Bill, that bell came just at the right time. This fight shouldn't last
the next round."

"You're right Bob, but that guy from France is just too good.

Round 2: "DONG"

Imperial comes out and slips in a gentle offense:

How many grams in a kilogram?

Metric defends:

1000

"Playground stuff there Bob."

"Yeah Bill"

Metric goes for the kill:

How many grains in an ounce?

"Uh oh. I think this is it Bob."

Imperial stutters:

uuuhhhhmmmmmmm. Which system?

"Oh Bill, he's answered with a question. That's not following the
spirit of the game!"

Metric replies:

All three.

"Curtains Bill. I'm sure."

Imperial responds:

Well in Avoirdupois its 437.5, in Apothecary its 480 and the other
one is... What other one?

Metric jabs:

You tell me.

Imperial falls to the floor.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

"Knocked out Bob!"

"Yeah Bill. I guess we have to get used to the idea of a new system
here in the US of A. This guy is a mean lean measuring machine."

"Just let me interrupt you Bob, our man Leroy is down in the ring
talking with Mean Mr Metric."

"Mean Mr Metric that was an incredible last blow there. Tell me what is
that other system"

Tell you the truth, Leroy, I don't know nor care. I just know there
are three and they are all stupid.

"Interesting response there from Mean Mr Metric, Back to you Bill"

"We've just got word that the judges are going to make an
announcement..."

After final discussion, the judges have decided to declare the fight
null and void due to the fact that the win by Mean Mr Metric would mean
that some politicians might lose the next election.

You owe the Oracle a life in the dark ages.
=====

[Cerebus]

AvE likes to play a joke on degrees celsius by calling them degrees "science", as if science had a bad effect over machinists. He likes to pronounce métrique, instead of metric, as if anything metric was foreign. Granted, it is a joke, and I laugh at it, but this is far from the truth. 

He always says "degrees Science!" with gusto and enthusiasm, more in the form of an affirmation than an approbation. And have you not noticed that he speaks to his daughter in French? Saying métrique instead of metric is an affectation, but I suspect the motivation behind doing it is much more to do with the fact that he's French Canadian than to inject a sense of 'foreignness' - to a French Canadian there's nothing 'foreign' about le patois Français, to them it's a domestic product. It's easy to forget that for some of those Snow Mexicans sneaking over the border to raid the Hazard Fraught, French is their everyday language.