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'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.
Do outsiders, in even their most drug induced hallucinations, believe that the US cares what other countries think?
We have done so much for so many in our mere 243 years of existence you would think we would get a little respect.
I get a little tired of people from 3rd tier countries attacking the US.
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?
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. */
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?
China just gets the criticism you want Americans to accept. Although I agree with you, you can't have it both ways.
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?
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.
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.
we CHOOSE not to use metric. It's a choice and we made it!
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.
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.
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
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.....
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!
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?
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.
Sure we could use the inch, but I'd never use feet or yards, ...
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.
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.
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.
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.