Wondering why the metric system has never been converted to by the US

I speak often with a friend from Germany and I'm find that the biggest problem is just reference points to swtiching. Like if he is talking about the weather it takes me a second to realize that its really warm becuase I have to think about it. In metric I know off the top of my head that 0 is freezing and 100 is boiling but don't really have reference points between them.

The system I'm used to although its alot less easy I have been using it for so long that I know that at 40 I need a jacket, at 50 a sweatshirt, etc.
 


Got it. I'm a little slow this very humid week.



I don't believe I said that's all they use.

Huh?

By "also", I meant "in addition to the fact that NASA uses metric". I was agreeing with you AND pointing out the fact that the meme was inaccurate because Liberia and Myanmar do not use metric nor have they put someone on the moon.
 
Okay, I've "seen" them. Never made one, and don't see doing it it the near future.
Most people in the US wouldn't. I am now retired and one of my hobbies is finding new recipes to try via the internet. Often non-US recipes come up which is why I occasionally use measurements in grams.

But my old time favorites are still in cups, etc.
 


Metric system is far easier to learn and to use. Period. Truly.

I grew up in Canada and we were forced to learn both to some degree, but mostly relied on metric. My kids are growing up in the U.S., and to my surprise, they are learning both now!!

So perhaps at some point the U.S. will wise up and switch.
 
Metric system is far easier to learn and to use. Period. Truly.

I grew up in Canada and we were forced to learn both to some degree, but mostly relied on metric. My kids are growing up in the U.S., and to my surprise, they are learning both now!!

So perhaps at some point the U.S. will wise up and switch.
Not likely.
The Government tried to shove it down our throats once and it didn't happen, so I'm thinking that a voluntary switch is pretty much not going to happen.
Far too much money, time, and effort, involved in fixing something that most people believe isn't broken.
Much like Great Briton holding on to their Pound Sterling system when the rest of Europe gave in to the Gnomes of Zurich and switched to the Euro.
 
Not likely.
The Government tried to shove it down our throats once and it didn't happen, so I'm thinking that a voluntary switch is pretty much not going to happen.
Far too much money, time, and effort, involved in fixing something that most people believe isn't broken.
Much like Great Briton holding on to their Pound Sterling system when the rest of Europe gave in to the Gnomes of Zurich and switched to the Euro.
You might be right, but just a set of silly reasons IMO. Resisting something better and more efficient because change is hard.
 
You might be right, but just a set of silly reasons IMO. Resisting something better and more efficient because change is hard.
Granted.
But silly or not people will resist change that they see as unnecessary, burdensome, or "Not our way".
Witness the fact that there are hundreds of languages in use today in a time where instantaneous World wide communication is a reality and a single language would be much more efficient.
Try to get people to make that change............:)
 
I definitely don't disagree with you, but we have people working in stores who can't make change for a dollar without a calculator. You're talking about fractions. I don't think we'll ever switch for everyday stuff for that reason.

I came across that once. The computer went out at the restaurant and the line was getting longer. She was using pencil. Got the manager over and showed them both how to do it. Say the bill is 34.85 and you are given a 50 dollar bill. You start counting change from 34.85 up to 50 dollars. Learned that from my step mother who worked as a sales clerk at Sears back in the stone age (1950s)
 
If I remember correctly regarding speed. In Canada speed signs were posted in metric. In the usa they posted both ways. In Canada you learned fast or got a speeding ticket. I was sailing down the highway 100 speedometer wasn't marked in metric. Crazy I know, when you're young. My cousin was with me and knew metric. He said multiply by .6 and drop the right hand digit. Thank god the Mounties were busy somewhere else.

Off topic. We crossed over to us at Detroit. Back then American currency was more than Canadian. The toll taker had two bags of coins. The toll was 25 cents Canadian (I think). Every time someone gave him American he would replace it with Canadian. Easy money for him.
 
Granted.
But silly or not people will resist change that they see as unnecessary, burdensome, or "Not our way".
Witness the fact that there are hundreds of languages in use today in a time where instantaneous World wide communication is a reality and a single language would be much more efficient.
Try to get people to make that change............:)
I don’t see the parallel with language. That is very much tied to culture — makes sense for people to retain, protect and pass on. Not so with a system of measurement.

People reflexively resist change yet it’s around us every day — and we end up dealing with it. There’s no intelligent reason to resist a change that is in fact an improvement. Only excuses.
 
I came across that once. The computer went out at the restaurant and the line was getting longer. She was using pencil. Got the manager over and showed them both how to do it. Say the bill is 34.85 and you are given a 50 dollar bill. You start counting change from 34.85 up to 50 dollars. Learned that from my step mother who worked as a sales clerk at Sears back in the stone age (1950s)


That's how I learned to do it, also. I'm surprised you've only encountered it once, I see it all the time. Along with the poor cashiers that can hardly count the coins to give the change the register says they need. It's really sad that so many lack basic math skills.
 
I don’t see the parallel with language. That is very much tied to culture — makes sense for people to retain, protect and pass on. Not so with a system of measurement.

People reflexively resist change yet it’s around us every day — and we end up dealing with it. There’s no intelligent reason to resist a change that is in fact an improvement. Only excuses.

Like several have pointed out, most industries have already switched. I know all of the specifications for mine have been in metric since the 1980s and all of the older ones were either in metric to begin with or have been switched over the years unless there were equipment restrictions.

There's really no reason to force people to switch the units they use for every day measurements.
 
It is a "language" in that it is a set of terms that we use to define a certain thing, in this case distance, volume, weight, etc. English (or Imperial) units are one language that most Americans have learned and are comfortable with because that is what they use to define measurements. Metric is a different language with terms that define values that aren't the same as the ones our system uses, so we can't easily switch between the two. It's not like 1 cm = 1 inch, that would be a much easier change.
It is not a language in the sense that it makes sense culturally for people to protect it and pass it on.

Makes no sense to keep the current inferior system.
 

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