Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

One thing I still can't get over after 15 years in the U.S. is Farenheit. Not getting it. Have to convert to Celsius if I want to know what to wear.

Fahrenheit is one of the strenghts of the imperial system over metric.

0F=damn cold, 100F = damn hot

Then ever ten degrees makes it easy to figure out the weather.
30's = winter jacket + gloves
40s' = winter jacket
50's = light jacket
60= lighter jacket
70= t-shirt
etc

Basically every ten tells you a different wardrobe change. Not like 22 vs 25c.

You wear a jacket when it's 60 degrees out?

Huh? No one in America who is American is going to tell you how to get somewhere in km. Of course in Europe they'll use km, even if American. I have no idea what the distance between two places in Europe is in miles when I'm visiting, because everything is measured in km.

Anonymous wrote:The other benefit of the imperial system for length (feet/inches) is it's based on a 12-base system. 12 is evenly divisble by 2,3,4,6 so it's easy to take 1/3rd of the length exatly. Metric and lengths are only evenly divisible by 5 and 2. How often do you need to take 1/5th of the length vs 1/2 or 1/3?

Really? That's a benefit? As opposed it divisible by 2,5, 10, 100, 1000? So, divide by 1/3rd is easier than by half? So 1km is 1000 meters, but 1 mile is how many feet? 5280ft. So much easier.

I don't like it because it means I have to do some conversions in my head, and I'm too tired for that. I spent ten years overseas and still never got the hang of simply "knowing" what degree of Celsius felt like without doing some calculations. But, when talking to non-Americans overseas, I would use whatever unit they used.

One thing I REALLY dislike is when Americans living overseas write using "British" conventions: "realiSe" or "centRE". Drives me batty.

The other benefit of the imperial system for length (feet/inches) is it's based on a 12-base system. 12 is evenly divisble by 2,3,4,6 so it's easy to take 1/3rd of the length exatly. Metric and lengths are only evenly divisible by 5 and 2. How often do you need to take 1/5th of the length vs 1/2 or 1/3?

Anonymous wrote:

One thing I still can't get over after 15 years in the U.S. is Farenheit. Not getting it. Have to convert to Celsius if I want to know what to wear.

Fahrenheit is one of the strenghts of the imperial system over metric.

0F=damn cold, 100F = damn hot

Then ever ten degrees makes it easy to figure out the weather.
30's = winter jacket + gloves
40s' = winter jacket
50's = light jacket
60= lighter jacket
70= t-shirt
etc

Basically every ten tells you a different wardrobe change. Not like 22 vs 25c.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You idiot, Americans on vacation in a country that uses the metric system will talk about distances there in metric because that's what all the signage uses.

The OP has probably never left the US.

Or took a science class. Or ran laps around a 400m track. Or has any interest in learning anything. And is likely a Trump supporter.

European here and after 25 years still couldn't care less about feet and yards and inches. The reason being I don't want to learn and I think it is antiquated measuring system and just like so many born Americans who dislike metric, I dislike imperial measurement system and the US measurement system.

Anonymous wrote:I heard this same interview. It was on Fox News and the American tourist kept dropping the meters distance statement. I thought the same thing, most Americans have no idea how far 200 meters is nor do I care or ever need to know.

Yes, be proud of being ignorant.

Anonymous wrote:You idiot, Americans on vacation in a country that uses the metric system will talk about distances there in metric because that's what all the signage uses.

The OP has probably never left the US.

Is this meant to be one of the farce posts? No one actually "hates" scientific measurement and intellegence right?

Please tell me America hasnt sunk this low.

Anonymous wrote:I heard this same interview. It was on Fox News and the American tourist kept dropping the meters distance statement. I thought the same thing, most Americans have no idea how far 200 meters is nor do I care or ever need to know.

Do you know what a little over a 10th of a mile is? Anybody who ever walked the track in gym class should know 200m (half a lap of a standard track).

I heard this same interview. It was on Fox News and the American tourist kept dropping the meters distance statement. I thought the same thing, most Americans have no idea how far 200 meters is nor do I care or ever need to know.

all in all its pretty easy these numbers get close. not exact but close enough

5 kilometers =3 miles
1 kilogram = 2.2lb
2.5 cm = 1 inch
1 liter = 1 quart
1 meter = 1 yard

OP, Burma, Liberia and the US are the only countries that don't use SI.

Obviously that makes the US is the only industrialized country that doesn't use SI.


That's embarrassing. Explain again why you shouldn't be ashamed?