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| why is the US not Metric |
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| tooki:
--- Quote from: KL27x on December 20, 2019, 10:21:26 pm ---^Yeah, I know they exist. I wonder if any countries exist where you cannot buy combination tape measures (with those disgusting inches!) at the local hardware store. In case people have not seen inches, I wanted to make it clear they don't roll over at 12. --- End quote --- I have never seen a combination one in a hardware store anywhere outside of the Americas (as of now, meaning Europe and Thailand). Whether measuring tapes, foldable yardsticks, office rulers, or analog calipers, micrometers, etc, it’s metric-only by default. For sure, here in Switzerland you have to look far and wide to find non-metric measures (other than in electronic gadgets, which are usually switchable). If you need something in inches here, you will not find it in retail, but rather through the large industrial suppliers. (For example, I recently ordered some combination metric/inch vernier calipers from Mitutoyo, which makes nearly all its products — even digital! — metric-only. So I had to order them from Switzerland’s biggest tool vendor, since other places only carried the metric-only versions.) Frankly, I doubt your claim that combination tape measures are readily available (as in, retail) in France. What’s your source for that belief? (Your wording makes me think it’s just something you heard through the grapevine.) |
| KL27x:
--- Quote from: vk6zgo on December 21, 2019, 10:41:15 am ---The text of the link didn't say a thing about the accompanying picture, so perhaps you are reading things into it which suit your understanding of the situation. --- End quote --- Ok, pot. --- Quote ---What annoys us is when you make up silly reasons why Australia Metricated, missing the obvious one----- that it was a good idea. --- End quote --- Got it. Metric is good! Why not use it? Ok. Why not use more than one system if you want? --- Quote ---The whole idea of Metric, as well as Imperial, is that the units can be read & understood by anyone familiar with the system, no matter what language they speak. --- End quote --- My point is that people speak different languages. So the fact that "anyone" can understand a meter doesn't help you very much to communicate with someone in French or Russian. OTOH, if I could use 2.54 and a calculator to speak russian, that would be pretty awesome. Still easier for you to speak with us than with Russia. Just think of the rest of the native english speaking world as foreign to you, speaking a "completely different" language which you just need a calculator to understand. Conversely, Americans can use metric just fine when the want to communicate in English with English speaking Asia/europe/russia and/or Australians, the Irish, and South Africans. We are totally ok that our perception of the world is framed differently and in some cases requires conversion to be accurate as needed. We don't mind. It works for over a century, already. We invested quite a lot in making the meter standard and in the process also making inches and lbs standard across the world. Abeit, fl oz and gallons not so. That is unfortunate but of little consequence in daily life for anyone. --- Quote ---Nobody "objects" to the words (inches, feet, yards, miles) We are just bemused by the fact that you continue to cling to the last vestiges of the system they are part of, whilst, over tens of postings, you have gone from "It's too expensive", to "We are already metricated where it matters", to "Australians gave away their heritage", to implications of totalitarianism in the Metrication process", finally, something vaguely to do with internationalism. --- End quote --- It IS expensive. And America IS already metricated where it matters. Australian government determined that having two systems was the worst possible outcome. To an American, this is patently wrong. Considering the value of metric in chemistry and physics and electronics, and the body of knowledge that has been built around metric, the worst outcome would be to have only imperial. This is why we were keen to gain access to metric and completely change chemistry and physics to metric. Well before much of the rest of the former commonwealth. Having both is fine with us, because we have been doing it ever since the scientific community adopted metric and later SI (which we had a big hand in). We consider imperial as part of our language and culture and we appreciate it, and there are in fact real advantages to using in certain contexts. As it turns out, it isn't cancer. There is no problem having both. Australia cut its left testicle off for nothing. That was the correct one to remove, if you had to keep just one. America doesn't need to follow suite, and it probably never will in our lifetimes. Unless it's your goal to be a construction worker or civil engineer in America, there is no reason you can't use metric to your hearts content. Some Americans do. |
| ebastler:
--- Quote from: KL27x on December 21, 2019, 07:39:47 pm ---America doesn't need to follow suite, and it probably never will in our lifetimes. --- End quote --- That probability depends on your age. :P |
| KL27x:
Unless anyone today will live 300 years, I stand by that. IF America (as we know it) continues to exist in 300 years, I would bet it still has mile signs. Barring events that cause a change in our government resulting in unbalance or authoritarian regime or such. |
| GeorgeOfTheJungle:
--- Quote from: KL27x on December 21, 2019, 08:12:34 pm ---IF America (as we know it) continues to exist in 300 years, I would bet it still has mile signs. --- End quote --- I doubt that because gubbermints love to spend. If there's an opportunity there it's only a matter of time. |
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