 BigBadWolf says: Not that I am in any hurry to learn it but... geez now I feel like I am standing alone in a 100 acre open field! It's not hard. Conversion is hard, so stop trying to convert it to the old system! Just learn the new measures. I got so confused coming from metric-friendly Australia to the US -- ounces, inches, pounds?? Makes no sense. In the UK we have only converted in theory (in 1972-3 I think) but many people Still insist on using non-metric (imperial) units. Some things are usually in metric (Temperature, packaged food, bottled drinks) and some usually in imperial (Draught beer, Peoples weight & Height, Signpost and speed limits). This is a bit ridiculous, had a clean break been made in the 1970s then it would be far simpler now. It's just stubborn people who refuse to learn new things and feel they are loosing something tangible. To complicate things many of these old measurements are different in the US and UK so they can't even be used exporting to the US. Isn't the football (soccer) pitch still measured in yards? That's funny considering it's the USA that doesn't play soccer (much). Canada is a bit tainted - they use metric but... they sell in pounds, and measure apartments in square feet... I've lived my whole life here, and I still can't convert pints to quarts to gallons to ounces, etc. If you're ever stuck in the market needing to convert measures, you can txt the conversion to 466453 (google) For example, send "16 oz in lbs" and it will return 16 ounces = 1 pound Very handy! I've often wished the u.s. would switch to metric, but it would mean almost all of my woodworking tools would need to have there measurements replaced somehow. I have one ruler that cost $60 by itself that is in inches only and that would become useless. It would be extremely expensive to switch over though I'm sure it's not getting any cheaper... Atom and His Package has a great song called "Go Metric". http://www.atomandhispackage.com/mp3s/metric.mp3 "We want metric, we want it now..!" Back when I worked in the scene shop in college, we did everything in metric. It's a lot easier to get math right when all conversions are in base 10  Most people in Australia adapted easily enough but the two systems are often so "different", you need to work out the life skills stuff first ( like a half a kilo is the same as a pound of steak, and a litre of wine is enough.) A metre is about the same as a yard and , as ericskiff said, the maths is much easier. Especially as you have the money side already. The easier maths is much better, especially for younger students. Doesn't the U.S. military operate using metric units? I moved to Australia from the US...I agree...just forget about conversion & learn the new measurements. Then I moved back to the US after seven years...arrgghh! I use both metric and imperial happily. which is my experience in the UK - here we use both systems, and I've never seen the need to prosecute people for selling banana's in pounds and ounces. honestly the metric system is simple because its decimal, everything works on multiples of 10 the imperial system however is intuitive, and based on standards that are derived from the human form, a foot is well a foot long. Practically most of the UK is built on the imperial system; built using feet and inches, so if your buying a 3' door, it makes sense to talk in feet and inches - just choose which best fits the job in hand. Its fair to say its odd we sell petrol in litres and talk about miles p... I think the metric system is easier and more accurate (when calculating as its base 10). But there gas never been 240 pence in the pound, it was 240 pennies pence is metric.I am glad that we do speed limits in MPH because if we changed the government would just change the symbol and not convert so a 30 mph would become 30 kmph which is a little under 19mph. why can't a gallon be a gallon world wide ? a US gallon is 3.75 litres a UK gallon is 4.52 Litres Oh I forgot wood stock measurements a 3"x3"x8' has become 75mm x 75mm x 8' what is with that ? one or the other please |
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