Metric or Standard?

[NJBob]

Been in construction management for over 40 years. Decades ago out government decided they were only going to publish construction drawings in a metric format.

Here are the.problems that came apparent.

None of the workers had metric tapes or knew how to read them after we distributed them.

You lose your perception of distance. You know what 25' should look like. But can't picture what 6 meters looks like. Led to a lot of mistakes that could have been caught.

Didn't last long. We just started having the drawings converted to Standard. Sure did come up with some silly measurements in 32nds and 64ths.

Personally since I do have an engineering degree metric is a much simpler system all the way around. It just doesn't work with a standard workforce.

I recall working on a government project that had both standard and metric dimensions on the construction documents. That was a pain for the design team.

 

[Bighorn66]

I choose metric. We all choose metric, really, because Imperial units are now defined by metric approximations. One inch, for example, is precisely 2.54cm.

The hill I will choose, however, is that Fahrenheit is the superior temperature scale when considering the four major conventions.

Also: "Which one has furlongs? I like furlongs."
-Definitely not. I always thought that kid was a horrible casting choice for John Connor. The only bad thing in that film, really.

That’s where my head is. I can do all the metric stuff fine except temperature.

Fahrenheit is a great scale for weather. At 0°F it is ****ing cold out. Any lower and you die! And 100°F perfectly expresses really ****ing hot. Over 100° and you could die!

Which leads me to a great quandary of thermodynamics. Think about cooking the Thanksgiving turkey. The bigger it is, the longer it takes to get the huge bird to the proper cooking temperature. However, obese people suffer from heat stroke faster than skinny people. Thermodynamics says this is not possible because we know it takes them longer to heat up.

So we should make fat people work in the sun longer than skinny people.

 

[Bighorn66]

Well globally metric is the standard so I admit that I am confused.

Further exacerbating this confusion is that my collegiate education was steeped in metric yet my elementary education and my childhood made "standard" the - dare I say - foundational measuring stick

I prefer using metric but I still find myself converting to standard instinctively while doing so.

My engineering college education was mixed. The first school I attended was all metric. The second was both. And in the real world, it was all in English units. Then I worked for a Japanese company. To this day since my early machining experience was in inches, I have to convert tolerances to “mils” (1/1000 of an inch) to know what processes will be required.

 

[Moi621]

That’s where my head is. I can do all the metric stuff fine except temperature.

Fahrenheit is a great scale for weather. At 0°F it is ****ing cold out. Any lower and you die! And 100°F perfectly expresses really ****ing hot. Over 100° and you could die!

Which leads me to a great quandary of thermodynamics. Think about cooking the Thanksgiving turkey. The bigger it is, the longer it takes to get the huge bird to the proper cooking temperature. However, obese people suffer from heat stroke faster than skinny people. Thermodynamics says this is not possible because we know it takes them longer to heat up.

So we should make fat people work in the sun longer than skinny people.

You want some real fun? Imagine the Metric calendar

French Republican calendar - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The French Republican calendar

Date conversion form between the Gregorian and Revolutionary calendars, covering the entire period when the latter was used in France

www.napoleon-empire.org

Or how about Metric time?

Another set of examples supporting Metric is great for Science
But, for everyday use, give me lbs, gallons, inches/feet

And what is a Metric dozen? Illegal.

 

[Boots]

I choose metric. We all choose metric, really, because Imperial units are now defined by metric approximations. One inch, for example, is precisely 2.54cm.

The hill I will choose, however, is that Fahrenheit is the superior temperature scale when considering the four major conventions.

Also: "Which one has furlongs? I like furlongs."
-Definitely not. I always thought that kid was a horrible casting choice for John Connor. The only bad thing in that film, really.

Sure, and if I would have learned it like I was supposed to I would have signed up for that 10K!

 

[George50]

It’s settled now. We will all be on standard. Trump said today that he would put tariffs of 10,000% on any country that does not convert to “standard” by the end of the year!

 

[Sabre]

It’s settled now. We will all be on standard. Trump said today that he would put tariffs of 10,000% on any country that does not convert to “standard” by the end of the year!

Be careful, some here hate Trump so much they may actually believe you.

 

[Lovebug]

Yeah, at this point, if I had to deal with metric in construction I'd be rioting in the streets!
"OH, hell no! Hell no! Metric must go!"

What is so difficult about metric?

 

[cAPSLOCK]

Metric for God's sake... PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE metric...

Why are not whole numbers loved by the mechanical folks? Why should we have to contend with fractions when we torque a nut.

All that is holy sings hymns of metric.

That said, I recognize for those who are professional wrench turners may NEED to be able to adapt to the legacy system.

A 1/4" socket is also a holy thing.

But in time... metric as the winner.

OK... All of this said... I need to know which one of you I lent my 10mm socket to, and I need it back.

 

[Bighorn66]

You want some real fun? Imagine the Metric calendar

French Republican calendar - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The French Republican calendar

Date conversion form between the Gregorian and Revolutionary calendars, covering the entire period when the latter was used in France

www.napoleon-empire.org

Or how about Metric time?

Another set of examples supporting Metric is great for Science
But, for everyday use, give me lbs, gallons, inches/feet

And what is a Metric dozen? Illegal.

Those are awful ideas

Their most egregious violation of the laws of nature is their campaign to eradicate the noble pint. A pint is the exact perfect amount of beer. A pour any larger than that and your last swig is going to have spent too much time in the ambient conditions to please your pallet properly. And a smaller pour—yes I mean you 11.2 ounces—and you’ll annoy the hell out of the wait staff by too frequently asking for another.

 

[ttwtt78640]

Those are awful ideas

Their most egregious violation of the laws of nature is their campaign to eradicate the noble pint. A pint is the exact perfect amount of beer. A pour any larger than that and your last swig is going to have spent too much time in the ambient conditions to please your pallet properly. And a smaller pour—yes I mean you 11.2 ounces—and you’ll annoy the hell out of the wait staff by too frequently asking for another.

Unfortunately, there seems to be an abundance of 10 oz. beer mugs and glasses.

 

[yankintx]

That’s where my head is. I can do all the metric stuff fine except temperature.

Fahrenheit is a great scale for weather. At 0°F it is ****ing cold out. Any lower and you die! And 100°F perfectly expresses really ****ing hot. Over 100° and you could die!

Which leads me to a great quandary of thermodynamics. Think about cooking the Thanksgiving turkey. The bigger it is, the longer it takes to get the huge bird to the proper cooking temperature. However, obese people suffer from heat stroke faster than skinny people. Thermodynamics says this is not possible because we know it takes them longer to heat up.

So we should make fat people work in the sun longer than skinny people.

I am the same, I am fine using both except for Celcius. My last imperial measurement hill to stand on is good old Fahrenheit.

Old dog yes.

Metric is broken into 10's therefore easy to comprehend.