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why is the US not Metric
bsfeechannel:
--- Quote from: rsjsouza on October 29, 2019, 05:53:38 pm ---
--- Quote from: tooki on October 29, 2019, 03:24:17 pm ---
--- Quote from: rsjsouza on October 29, 2019, 03:17:48 pm ---
--- Quote from: tooki on October 29, 2019, 03:07:37 pm ---All jokes aside, an interesting thing is the difference between e.g. US horsepower and German Pferdestärke (literally “horsepower”, but measured differently).
--- End quote ---
Similar thing with the Brazilian "cavalo vapor" or CV: slightly less powerful: 735W.
--- End quote ---
Does that literally mean “steam horse”? :)
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Yes. The big passenger ships used to be also called "vapor" as they were steam powered. That was probably the inspiration for the name.
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The name cavalo-vapor, popularly known as cavalo, was inspired by the same unit created by James Watt, the horsepower.
With the introduction of the steam engine, the reference people had for power were horses, so how many horses (equivalent to the same power in) steam is your engine? Other languages also have similar names, like the French cheval-vapeur (or just cheval), the Italian cavallo-vapore, etc.
In countries with the Imperial System, the horsepower is still 33,000 ft lbf/min = 745.69987158227022 W
In countries with metric system the horsepower, cavalo-vapor, Pferdstärke, лошадиная сила or whatever was rounded down to 75 kgf⋅m/s = 735.49875 W.
soldar:
--- Quote from: bsfeechannel on October 31, 2019, 07:49:41 am ---The name cavalo-vapor, popularly known as cavalo, was inspired by the same unit created by James Watt, the horsepower.
With the introduction of the steam engine, the reference people had for power were horses, so how many horses (equivalent to the same power in) steam is your engine? Other languages also have similar names, like the French cheval-vapeur (or just cheval), the Italian cavallo-vapore, etc.
In countries with the Imperial System, the horsepower is still 33,000 ft lbf/min = 745.69987158227022 W
In countries with metric system the horsepower, cavalo-vapor, Pferdstärke, лошадиная сила or whatever was rounded down to 75 kgf⋅m/s = 735.49875 W.
--- End quote ---
In Spanish it is caballo de vapor, shortened to caballo but it is now an informal unit used for car advertising and for nominal denomination of electric motors but in reality there are two different units the mechanical HP and the metric HP which are close in value but different.
During the late 18th century and early 19th century motive power was classified as being blood, steam or electric. Blood was mainly horses but included any other animals and humans so that bicycles and rickshaws are "blood powered". Searching Google I see the term is still widely used in South America and mainly by those opposed to overworking and cruelty to animals.
Tracción de sangre.
So basically at that time you could have a blood horse, a steam horse or an electric horse.
rstofer:
--- Quote from: bsfeechannel on October 31, 2019, 07:30:38 am ---
The other myth is that the metric system is "eurocentric". Countries that have adopted the metric system outside Europe don't have that sentiment. Metric is international. You can buy something from a distant country, and if a screw breaks, you can find it locally. You don't have to import it from a distant land just because of their whimsical standard. People don't even think of France when they use the system. It is so ingrained in the everyday life that I guess that most don't have the slightest clue that the French started it two centuries ago. I hope that I don't hurt any French pride here, but the truth is that the French are irrelevant for the system now, since the whole world took it over.
In short, no one gets less American for going metric.
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What a thing is or isn't misses the point. The only important point is perception. In my view, the perception is "Metric? Oh, that's European, isn't it? Aren't the standards kept in France? We'll pass..."
I know that everybody rails against my explanation but if you stop and think, the US could have easily converted over the last 50 years but hasn't. Why not? In my view, it's 'perception'. If you have a better explanation, let's hear it. After all, portions of the economy (like science and engineering) use metric, "Bob the Builder" is still using customary units.
Ma and Pa Kettle, of "Flyover, Indiana" see no purpose in changing anything. Their family has farmed that land for generations and they aren't in a hurry to change anything. And they vote!
Perception and the fact that there's no compelling reason to convert except to appease others. We're getting along in our own befuddled way and we don't want the EU telling us what to do. Again, it's perception.
Facts are not in play, only perception.
tooki:
--- Quote from: rstofer on October 31, 2019, 02:22:40 pm ---
--- Quote from: bsfeechannel on October 31, 2019, 07:30:38 am ---
The other myth is that the metric system is "eurocentric". Countries that have adopted the metric system outside Europe don't have that sentiment. Metric is international. You can buy something from a distant country, and if a screw breaks, you can find it locally. You don't have to import it from a distant land just because of their whimsical standard. People don't even think of France when they use the system. It is so ingrained in the everyday life that I guess that most don't have the slightest clue that the French started it two centuries ago. I hope that I don't hurt any French pride here, but the truth is that the French are irrelevant for the system now, since the whole world took it over.
In short, no one gets less American for going metric.
--- End quote ---
What a thing is or isn't misses the point. The only important point is perception. In my view, the perception is "Metric? Oh, that's European, isn't it? Aren't the standards kept in France? We'll pass..."
I know that everybody rails against my explanation but if you stop and think, the US could have easily converted over the last 50 years but hasn't. Why not? In my view, it's 'perception'. If you have a better explanation, let's hear it. After all, portions of the economy (like science and engineering) use metric, "Bob the Builder" is still using customary units.
Ma and Pa Kettle, of "Flyover, Indiana" see no purpose in changing anything. Their family has farmed that land for generations and they aren't in a hurry to change anything. And they vote!
Perception and the fact that there's no compelling reason to convert except to appease others. We're getting along in our own befuddled way and we don't want the EU telling us what to do. Again, it's perception.
Facts are not in play, only perception.
--- End quote ---
What a load of steaming nonsense. You've been told the "better explanation" already, but here it is, for the "slower" reader:
People and companies do switch when it makes sense to. Detroit is as "flyover" as you can get in USA, yet American cars went metric decades ago, because it made sense.
The real reason for not switching is that switching incurs real costs and real risks, and if there's no benefit, then you won't take on that cost and risk. Nobody gives a rat's patoot about who invented the units.
Simon:
In a word ISO, international standards organisation. Do they have any non metric standards. They are international not "european"
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