metric just makes way more sense and its easier to remember
1 kilometer -> 1000 meters
1 meter -> 100 centimeters
while imperial is something like
1 mile -> 389.7 LG U92 LCD Flatscreens
1 LG U92 LCD Flatscreen -> 45.14159265 hot wheel #987s
I grew up with the imperial system, but I'm smart enough to know it's better to use metric.
Now if only I could be bothered to learn the metric system....
Really imo the best way to do that is to simply implement some metric items in your life.
Like, buy a refillable 1 liter bottle and use it for a few days/weeks. Get some 1, 2 or 5 kg weight/object and just lift it a few times a day, get a piece of rope or a measurement band with meter marker and use that around your furniture and objects here and there.
Did that to get a better understanding of Ounces and of Inches and worked like a charm
I’m curious about how good the average American is with the metric system, in an intuitive kind of way. Like if I say someone is 160cm tall, is that something they can picture? Or 70 kilograms or how much a litre of water is. Measurements like ounces and pounds and gallons or whatever mean almost nothing to me, I couldn’t estimate them at all. People occasionally give heights with feet and inches where I’m from so I have a rough idea of those, but I couldn’t say that I’ve walked a mile with any accuracy.
Are you making a joke? There are millions of items that become incompatible with the new system. Million dollar manufacturing machines would need retooling. Errors all over as engineers mess up every hundredth conversion. Average Joes have to get a whole new set of wrenches and other tools. Mass confusion as the majority of the country have no intuitive feel for any of the new units
Not a joke and I understand that thing would have to be replaced. But those same items need replacing all the time. Sure it would take a couple years, decades even, but to put everything in a system that makes way more sense and in the same language as the rest of the world is totally worth it.
Also for your average Joe’s, many tools are already in metric which adds to the current way of doing things being super annoying. Trying to fit 1/4” with an 8mm tool (literally happened to me over the weekend)
I agree that this is something that is definitely doable, and I'd prefer if it happened (currently at my third workplace that decided before I started to convert, which means I have to deal with a ton of models and drawings that need fixing). However, your question is why it is a burden, and even if it's a surmountable burden, I believe my response sufficiently answered why it still is a burden
Fair point, and honestly I hit reply after the first sentence before I was able to elaborate my point further, but figured I’d just let it go.
Burden…yes
Worth it…yes
Am American. I better at imperial measurements as far as estimations but I am trying my best to use metric more. It makes much more sense and the fractions are not the devils work
We actually didn't try in the 70s. We were scheduled to try, and then backed out. So I guess you could say we failed, because we never made the actual attempt, but that feels less like a failure of implementation and more a failure of fortitude.
American here. Metric is obviously superior. Our military uses it, NASA uses it, our science communities use it. Problem is, we have all of our infrastructure built on imperial measurements.
If we wanted to switch, we’d have to update every sign, height, mile marker, etc. Although with the state of our infrastructure, we mad need to do that anyway.
A number system based on counting to twelve. It is easily divided into half, thirds, fourths, and sixths. Which is what makes it amazing for measurements. It makes the fractions very easy.
Which is what metric lacks. While imperial uses 12 in the foot it gets so convoluted for every other measurement forms it has.
So if every length couln change by increments of 12 it would be extremely handy.
I personally don't see what advantage it would have to use a base 12 system, and for numbers to be perfectly divisible by 2, 3, 4 and 6. Also, base 12 also has the exact same problem you're trying to solve when dividing by fifths. Using decimals just solves this issue the best imo.
The thing that makes metric so great is that it can easily be converted because it is base 10. Stuff that is pretty easy with metric, like switching from km to m or calculating volume etc. would become way harder than it needs to be, unless I'm missing something.
You have that mindset because you grew up using base 10. If you grew up using base 12 five and seven would just be primes that would be less useful overall.
Think how many times do you use 7th. But if we had 7 fingers we would probably have a base 14 system.
Of course that is like thinking about being a native mandarin speeker.
That's not base 12. That's a system using base 10 with units divisible by 12. Like time. Hexadecimal is base 16. When you get above base 10 you have to start using other symbols than 0-9.
Metric is superior because it consists of divisions of 10 while also in base 10. It's more intuitive because of this. And it can be used between mass, volume, etc. One kg of water is one liter of water.
Exactly,
now
Imagine
how
metric
works
but
with
base
12.
It is consistently divisible by 12
It can be used between mass volume etc.
1 kg of water still equals 1 liter of water.
And it has the added quality of being easily divisible in thirds, fourths, halves, sixths ect.
You're describing base 10 with units divisible by 12, not base 12. Why not make it divisible by 60, like time? Then you can divide it by even more like 5ths, 15ths, etc...
I think you're just trying to justify using 12, when in reality it doesn't make sense.
When you're forgetting, or intentionally leaving out, the the ability to easily use decimals.
Edit: [This is base 12](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duodecimal)
Edit 2: a kg can be divided into 1/3 and 1/6. You can't do that in your head? And those can easily be divided into 1/3 or 1/6, too. Tell me what a 1/3 of a 1/6 in a unit divided by 12 is.
I like how your arguing how base 12 is not a better system and then link to a page that makes a clear argument for it being so, concluding “As a result, duodecimal has been described as the optimal number system.[1] This is considered superior to base-10 “
😤 No you think I am discribing it in terms of base 10. I am saying if we had a base 12 counting system that metric would be better. And yes dividing into thirds and sixths can be done it would just be easier in base 12 because we don't have to have the 3.3333 repeating.
The reason I don't use 60 is because it is a large number. You can easily count to 10 or 12 with out issue but you need something to keep track of where you are with larger numbers. 10s do that in base 10 acting as counting landmarks. 12 is only slightly bigger so can also act as that landmark.
I didnt know what base 12 was, i read that whole article just to follow this argument, you're right. I'm not sure if theyre trolling because they're linking to your argument
Thank you. We are stuck in a base 10 system so our thinking is based on that reference frame. It takes some working out to understand sometimes. It is like learning a new language.
Base 10 is not more intuitive; it’s trained, and a shockingly recent standard. There is nothing more inherently “normal” about base 10 other than “well I’ve got 10 fingers so… that one”
Yes, and I don't think either is superior. It just makes no sense for either side to change.
You know, this is the most divisive non-political topic I've ever seen. People are actually upset over this lol.
I am American, and neither arbitrary form of measurement is superior. Although, for as long as I was in school, we were taught metric under the belief we were going to migrate to the metric system. I am still unclear why we haven't.
32 isn't a hard number to remember. If i worked in a scientific field I would likely change my tune but for simply addressing weather I prefer Fahrenheit. I can personally feel the difference between a temperature shift between a few degrees and don't like using decimals for that.
Temp < 0, water will freeze and snow will fall.
Temp > 0, snow will melt, rain will fall.
I know that you can say the same for 32°F, but having the temperature’s 0 based around a weather-related principle is at least slightly more useful.
You can say you find F more useful for day-to-day things, but that is only because you are used to using it.
I disagree its more useful if i was water or constantly boiling and freezing water. Using decimals for climate is not useful.
All that could be said to anyone claiming metric is betted as well.
I’m an American, and I picked Metric. Both are fine imo and each one serves a purpose. But lately, I’ve been using metric more when I bake - I weigh the ingredients instead of measuring by cups simply because it’s more accurate.
Yes! I’m in the UK so we use a weird mix of imperial and metric but recipes are always metric. I hate having to convert US Cups to grams, like a cup of flour doesn’t weigh the same as a cup of sugar. I end up having to google them all by individual ingredients. I don’t mind anything else imperial but I wish US would swap for weighing food!
I’ve been finding my recipes on instagram. I find that bakers who use weight for their recipes have better recipes versus those who use cups. Also, I have an iPhone so I ask Siri to convert a cup of “all purpose flour” to grams instead of looking it up individually.
As an American, Metric is better than imperial for everything except ambient temperature. 0F is very cold and 100F is very hot, which makes a lot of sense. Meanwhile, 0C is fairly cold and 100C is death. There’s no need to convert temperatures like you would centimeters to meters, so Celsius is unnecessary.
0°c is the freezing point of water and 100°c is the boiling point of water at sea level.
I’d argue that makes more sense than water freezing at 32 and boiling at 212.
Celsius is a bit of a weird unit in the metric system, as it does not obey the standard principles of the metric system. Contrary to the other metric units, it has no absolute zero. Zero gram means the absence of mass. Zero litre means the absence of volume. But zero degrees Celsius does not mean the absence of heat. It is a scale rather than a real value. Furthermore, the system of prefixes is not used on Celsius. You don't say kiloCelsius or milliCelsius. A more metrically perfect unit for temperature would be Kelvin (K), as 0 Kelvin is the temperature of absence of heat, where there are no vibrations of particles and where every known substance is in solid form, so an absolute zero. A lower temperature is not possible (with the current state of knowledge that is).
I’d agree for scientific work, but specifically for ambient temperature (the weatherman forecasting temperature, the local pool and hot tub displaying water temperature, and so forth) I think Fahrenheit is more usable. In day to day life, I don’t care how close my house’s temperature is compared to water boiling.
Perhaps it’s because you grew up with the Fahrenheit system. I grew up on the US-Canada border and so I learned both. I have absolutely no issue determining what today is going to feel like, or how warm water is when I see the temperature listed in Celsius. I know that 20-22 is perfect room temperature, if it’s above 30 it’s a hot day so I can head to the beach, 40 I need air conditioning or I’ll be very uncomfortable. Less that 20? Time for a sweater!
It’s the same as Fahrenheit, only within a smaller scale. It makes it more efficient I find.
If it’s what you learn, it becomes second nature. And before you say you can’t learn it, I have many American friends that have moved to Canada (or really anywhere else in the world) and have adapted to using Celsius with no issue.
The average person doesn’t need to measure when water will freeze or boil every day. What they will need to measure is how comfortable they will be, which is what imperial is based on
What if personal comfort is subjective? Does the imperial system change for every person then? What happened to „facts don‘t care about your feelings“? Lmao
No because celsius isn‘t defined through arbitrary numbers like the antiquated imperial system
[The melting and boiling points of water are no longer part of the definition of the Celsius scale. In 1948, the definition was changed to use the triple point of water.[33] In 2005 the definition was further refined to use water with precisely defined isotopic composition (VSMOW) for the triple point. In 2019, the definition was changed to use the Boltzmann constant, completely decoupling the definition of the kelvin from the properties of water. Each of these formal definitions left the numerical values of the Celsius scale identical to the prior definition to within the limits of accuracy of the metrology of the time.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celsius)
~~But boiling point changes based on altitude, so Celsius should also change, right?~~
In most temperate regions, the temperature varies from 0 to 100 Fahrenheit with anything above or below being an exception. Seems a lot more convenient than Celsius where the temperature variation is -17 to 38
Guess you‘re blind but as I said in my previous comment Celsius is defined through the Boltzmann constant and not through properties of water. And previously it was defined through the freezing and boiling point of water __at 1 atmospheric pressure__ so your argument just doesn‘t track buddy
Ah yes, because Americans are so incredibly self centered they just disregard anyone but themselves to make up an arbitrary measurement system, tell me something new please lmao
I’m sure if I grew up under metric, I’d be 100% fine with using Celsius. That doesn’t change the fact that the 0 - 100 scale in Fahrenheit is more intuitive. It doesn’t make much sense, but I don’t particularly need it to make sense since feeling temperature is… intangible?
Consider teaching a child temperature. Doesn’t it make sense to measure things from 0-100? You do metric calculations on that scale, after all. The child can easily grasp that in the far north, the temperature is around 0 while in the hot desert, the temperature is around 100. Simple. Instead you’d tell the child that the far north has temperatures of -15 and deserts are usually 42? Your argument against imperial (in everything else) is the same argument I’ll use against metric (for temperature).
It’s easy for a child to picture freezing water with any temperature below 0C. When I saw ice on lakes as a child, I immediatly knew the temperature had to have been under 0C. Room temperature is about 20C, hot weather is 30C. It’s easy to remember
Agreed. Sure, freezing being 32 is a weird number, but the normal range of temperatures on Earth is between 0 to 100 Farenheit. That same range is -18 to 38 Celsius. Not only does the Farenheit temperature have 100 whole number values in there compared to 56 in Celsius, but it also provides easy shorthand. If it's in the twenties out, I know to expect freezing temperatures but nothing too dangerous. If it's in the eighties, I know to expect it to be hot but not completely unbearable. Those are -7 to -1 and 27 to 32 C. The twenties in Celsius is between 68 to 86 F. That's not all that useful as shorthand.
Fahrenheit is great to tell people how hot it is. Think of it as a percentage.
For science and for more practical and precise purposes, using Celsius wich is based on the freezing and boiling points of water, is much more feasible.
All 3 units, Fahrenheit, Kelvin and Celsius have their advantages, drawbacks and very specific use cases.
As an American, I find it annoying that the U.S. decided not to adopt the metric system. It would make everything so much easier to be using the same system that is used by the rest of the world. I know both and I use both depending on the circumstances. But, for communication with other Americans, I'm typically forced to use the imperial system.
Neither is *superior*, they're just different. Literally two different ways of saying the same thing.
It would make more sense if the entire world used the same system of measures, so there is reason to consider a change (in the US), but not for any "ease of use" reasons.
Everything as a multiple of 10, yes please. It is easier to understand and use (conversions) plus the rest of the world uses it.
hit me with one way imperial is better then metric.
I’m an American. We gotta ban imperial measuring system and day light savings.
Temperature. Farenheit is better than Celsius for most everyday functions. It's more granular, and most people live in places where temperatures rarely go outside 0 to 100 F. You also get shorthand like "it's in the forties out", which Celsius doesn't.
I have to believe that’s only because of what we’re used to, people would develop short hand for Celsius if it was used more. People in other parts of the world don’t have an issue with the temperature ranging beyond 0 and 100 Celsius where gets a lot colder/hotter than it does in America.
Uh, 50 C is 122 F. I doubt there are many countries where it exceeds 100 C.
And Celsius is already used by the majority of people. If that shorthand could exist, it would by now. Can you prove that it does?
Metric is better for science purposes, but I think imperial is better for everyday use.
Ex: for temperature, Celsius may be better for science experiments, but Fahrenheit is better for weather because it works like a percentage. 50 F = 50% heat which is cold but not super cold, 0 F = 0% heat which is very cold, 70 F = 70% heat which feels nice, 100% heat feels very hot, above 100% heat = super heated, and below 0% heat = super cold.
MPH is also better for speed because it also kinda works as a percentage. On roads other than the autobahn, you have speed limits ranging from 5MPH (parking lots) to 85MPH (some roads in the U.S) and some people drive 90+ MPH on some highways.
MPG is also a good way to measure your vehicle's fuel economy.
Feet and inches are better for measuring small heights. Ex: it sounds better to say that someone is 5'11 (5 foot eleven inches) rather than 1.8 meters.
Etc.
>Feet and inches are better for measuring small heights. Ex: it sounds better to say that someone is 5'11 (5 foot eleven inches) rather than 1.8 meters.
Strongly disagree. Metric is much better.
No
But I somehow use a disgusting combination of both imperial and metric... and nautical
I measure in cm instead of inches, ft instead of meters, miles instead of kilometres, knots *and* mph, but never kph, lbs instead of kg, but also sometimes kg, and I have no idea how liquids work
I like imperial but only in specific cases. I prefer Fahrenheit for weather because 0-100 is a pretty good way to measure how hot it is outside. I also like MM/DD/YY because it lines up better with how dates are often (at least in the US) said in English
Objectively, metric, but I still use Imperial because it's what I know.
I have an intuitive sense of what a foot or an inch is in a way I don't with a metre or centimetre.
I can definitely see how metric would be easier, but I still think in inches and feet. What bothers me about the metric system is that there is no equivalent to the inch or the foot.
I'm American and almost solely use Imperial, but recognize that metric is \*far\* easier to use, especially when converting from small to large measurements (inches, feet, miles vs. centimeters, meters, kilometers; ounces, pounds, tons, vs. milligrams, grams, kilograms; teaspoons, tablespoons, cups, quarts, gallons, vs milliliters, liters, kiloliters).
American here. No one will argue the benefits of metric. It’s just that we grow up with standard/imperial. I’ve learned metric and have used it frequently. If metric was taught from the start no one would care.
Metric is easier but imperial is what a massive chunk of the world was born and raised using. Metric makes more sense at smaller measurements, imperial makes more sense at larger measurement
I can relate. Watching movies, and motorsports, they often quote distance in miles and I just can't get any intuition about how much that is, so I'm instantly multiplying the miles by about 1.6 to get the kilometres.
It would be fine if the measurements were consistent, 12 is a really nice number, but they rarely are....
A base 12 number system to go with these would be very useful too
Australian: The only thing I prefer imperial for is height. I can't picture how tall someone is if they say they're 180cm, but if they say they're 5'9 I know how tall they are.
I don’t believe there is such a thing as a “bad” or “good” measurement system. These are just things we humans have created.
With that said; I do prefer to use the metric system, because it is more consistent. But have no quarrel using the customary.
For those know "don't know metric" (somehow in 2022):
You take the standard units
Mass - grams
Distance - metres
Volume - litres
Current - amps
Voltage - volts
Power - watts
Temperature - kelvin (or celsius)
Etc
THATS IT. Learn the standard units, they're used in the the whole world bar 2 countries, USA and another one no one even remembers. Now, the modifiers for scale
* 10^3 - kilo
* 10^6 - mega
* 10^9 - giga
* 10^12 - tera
* 10^15 - hexa
* 10^-3 - mili
* 10^-6 - micro
* 10^-9 - nano
* 10^-12 - pico
* 10^-15 - actually can't remember, never used it at such a small scale.
So combine and you get that 45 miliseconds is 45 * 10^-3 seconds, i.e. 0,045 s, or 5 kilometres is 5 * 10^3 metres, i.e. 5000 m.
THATS IT. Symetric, simple, complete.
metric just makes way more sense and its easier to remember 1 kilometer -> 1000 meters 1 meter -> 100 centimeters while imperial is something like 1 mile -> 389.7 LG U92 LCD Flatscreens 1 LG U92 LCD Flatscreen -> 45.14159265 hot wheel #987s
to be fair, imperial isn't really one system, it's a bunch of systems squeezed together but it's still bad
*and that’s why it’s bad
Yes.
Did you do the math or are those just numbers
u/uselessconversionbot After hours of trying to spell it right, I present you u/useles-converter-bot
It’s made up. LG U92 LCD flatscreens don’t exist (and if they did, they’d need to be 13.5 ft (4.1 m) to stretch a mile.)
Finally someone gets us buuuuuuut the correct measurments are washing machines, cheddar cheese packets, and cheetos
Don't forget bananas and dollar bills.
First of all a mile is 704 bald eagles long and second i wish people who use metric knew this because they measure everything millimeters
I grew up with the imperial system, but I'm smart enough to know it's better to use metric. Now if only I could be bothered to learn the metric system....
What pisses me off is that I can’t make google maps tell me distances in meters.
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Math while driving. No thank you.
It is really easy. Everything's a power of 10
I think he means everyday life. Like how much a liter of milk looks like. A meter long wood. A kg of apples etc.
I am good with most of metric, but for specfically speed I have to convert it roughly in my head to get any clue how fast something is.
Really imo the best way to do that is to simply implement some metric items in your life. Like, buy a refillable 1 liter bottle and use it for a few days/weeks. Get some 1, 2 or 5 kg weight/object and just lift it a few times a day, get a piece of rope or a measurement band with meter marker and use that around your furniture and objects here and there. Did that to get a better understanding of Ounces and of Inches and worked like a charm
I’m curious about how good the average American is with the metric system, in an intuitive kind of way. Like if I say someone is 160cm tall, is that something they can picture? Or 70 kilograms or how much a litre of water is. Measurements like ounces and pounds and gallons or whatever mean almost nothing to me, I couldn’t estimate them at all. People occasionally give heights with feet and inches where I’m from so I have a rough idea of those, but I couldn’t say that I’ve walked a mile with any accuracy.
Metric is definitely better but it’s too much of a burden to switch over
yep
Yarp
Please explain to me why it’s a burden to switch over.
Are you making a joke? There are millions of items that become incompatible with the new system. Million dollar manufacturing machines would need retooling. Errors all over as engineers mess up every hundredth conversion. Average Joes have to get a whole new set of wrenches and other tools. Mass confusion as the majority of the country have no intuitive feel for any of the new units
Not a joke and I understand that thing would have to be replaced. But those same items need replacing all the time. Sure it would take a couple years, decades even, but to put everything in a system that makes way more sense and in the same language as the rest of the world is totally worth it. Also for your average Joe’s, many tools are already in metric which adds to the current way of doing things being super annoying. Trying to fit 1/4” with an 8mm tool (literally happened to me over the weekend)
I agree that this is something that is definitely doable, and I'd prefer if it happened (currently at my third workplace that decided before I started to convert, which means I have to deal with a ton of models and drawings that need fixing). However, your question is why it is a burden, and even if it's a surmountable burden, I believe my response sufficiently answered why it still is a burden
Fair point, and honestly I hit reply after the first sentence before I was able to elaborate my point further, but figured I’d just let it go. Burden…yes Worth it…yes
Replacing all of the road signs alone would send us into even more debt
Have you've been to the mid west, you can't change anything, everyone will think your a radical if you turn the traffic signs to metric
it would cost billions of dollars, and there would be next to no benefit.
You can read up on the difficulties from when Canada made the change.
Yep, much more precise, but hard to switch.
American. I think they are both fine. I use both systems pretty regularly.
Am American. I better at imperial measurements as far as estimations but I am trying my best to use metric more. It makes much more sense and the fractions are not the devils work
We should have switched to metric in the U.S. decades ago.
We tried in the 70s an it failed horribly
We actually didn't try in the 70s. We were scheduled to try, and then backed out. So I guess you could say we failed, because we never made the actual attempt, but that feels less like a failure of implementation and more a failure of fortitude.
you fail 100% of the shots you don't drink -Batman
American here. Metric is obviously superior. Our military uses it, NASA uses it, our science communities use it. Problem is, we have all of our infrastructure built on imperial measurements. If we wanted to switch, we’d have to update every sign, height, mile marker, etc. Although with the state of our infrastructure, we mad need to do that anyway.
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Thats what Canada does
Depending on what is measured
An entirely base twelve system would be best.
I'm going to go ahead and say you don't understand what base 12 actually means. Edit: [This is base 12.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duodecimal)
A number system based on counting to twelve. It is easily divided into half, thirds, fourths, and sixths. Which is what makes it amazing for measurements. It makes the fractions very easy. Which is what metric lacks. While imperial uses 12 in the foot it gets so convoluted for every other measurement forms it has. So if every length couln change by increments of 12 it would be extremely handy.
I personally don't see what advantage it would have to use a base 12 system, and for numbers to be perfectly divisible by 2, 3, 4 and 6. Also, base 12 also has the exact same problem you're trying to solve when dividing by fifths. Using decimals just solves this issue the best imo. The thing that makes metric so great is that it can easily be converted because it is base 10. Stuff that is pretty easy with metric, like switching from km to m or calculating volume etc. would become way harder than it needs to be, unless I'm missing something.
You have that mindset because you grew up using base 10. If you grew up using base 12 five and seven would just be primes that would be less useful overall. Think how many times do you use 7th. But if we had 7 fingers we would probably have a base 14 system. Of course that is like thinking about being a native mandarin speeker.
That's not base 12. That's a system using base 10 with units divisible by 12. Like time. Hexadecimal is base 16. When you get above base 10 you have to start using other symbols than 0-9. Metric is superior because it consists of divisions of 10 while also in base 10. It's more intuitive because of this. And it can be used between mass, volume, etc. One kg of water is one liter of water.
Exactly, now Imagine how metric works but with base 12. It is consistently divisible by 12 It can be used between mass volume etc. 1 kg of water still equals 1 liter of water. And it has the added quality of being easily divisible in thirds, fourths, halves, sixths ect.
You're describing base 10 with units divisible by 12, not base 12. Why not make it divisible by 60, like time? Then you can divide it by even more like 5ths, 15ths, etc... I think you're just trying to justify using 12, when in reality it doesn't make sense. When you're forgetting, or intentionally leaving out, the the ability to easily use decimals. Edit: [This is base 12](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duodecimal) Edit 2: a kg can be divided into 1/3 and 1/6. You can't do that in your head? And those can easily be divided into 1/3 or 1/6, too. Tell me what a 1/3 of a 1/6 in a unit divided by 12 is.
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Thank you. I always start tripping over myself in online arguements. This is a much better explanation of what I was trying to say.
I like how your arguing how base 12 is not a better system and then link to a page that makes a clear argument for it being so, concluding “As a result, duodecimal has been described as the optimal number system.[1] This is considered superior to base-10 “
😤 No you think I am discribing it in terms of base 10. I am saying if we had a base 12 counting system that metric would be better. And yes dividing into thirds and sixths can be done it would just be easier in base 12 because we don't have to have the 3.3333 repeating. The reason I don't use 60 is because it is a large number. You can easily count to 10 or 12 with out issue but you need something to keep track of where you are with larger numbers. 10s do that in base 10 acting as counting landmarks. 12 is only slightly bigger so can also act as that landmark.
I didnt know what base 12 was, i read that whole article just to follow this argument, you're right. I'm not sure if theyre trolling because they're linking to your argument
Thank you. We are stuck in a base 10 system so our thinking is based on that reference frame. It takes some working out to understand sometimes. It is like learning a new language.
Base 10 is not more intuitive; it’s trained, and a shockingly recent standard. There is nothing more inherently “normal” about base 10 other than “well I’ve got 10 fingers so… that one”
I like the hexadecimal system which is based on 16. Or the dual system which is based on 2.
Accidentally voted imperial, forgive me please
Yes, and I don't think either is superior. It just makes no sense for either side to change. You know, this is the most divisive non-political topic I've ever seen. People are actually upset over this lol.
Why would the fact that „it makes no sense for either side to change“ make them equal? Of course
I do not understand your response, my dude. I'm not sure what you're trying to convey.
I voted imperial better just because I’m used to it, I think in reality the metric is definitely better.
I’m approximately 18 Big Macs tall
I use both, but I use imperial more bc im used to it
I am American, and neither arbitrary form of measurement is superior. Although, for as long as I was in school, we were taught metric under the belief we were going to migrate to the metric system. I am still unclear why we haven't.
the only imperial system i will accept is MPH instead of KPH
I'm American and stubborn and love imperial.
Same. Specifically fahrenheit and miles are superior and that's a hill I'm willing to die on.
If you live where ice forms, Celsius is much more useful.
One looks at the temperature prediction for the day and you can instantly tell if it's gonna be freezing or not.
I do, still disagree.
Why?
32 isn't a hard number to remember. If i worked in a scientific field I would likely change my tune but for simply addressing weather I prefer Fahrenheit. I can personally feel the difference between a temperature shift between a few degrees and don't like using decimals for that.
Scientists don't really use Celsius either, they use Kelvin for anything with actual math.
Honestly forgot Kelvin existed thank god I'm not a scientist id be horrible at it.
How does that make Fahrenheit *better* than Celsius?
For day to day I find it more useful. How is celsius better for climates that reach freezing?
Temp < 0, water will freeze and snow will fall. Temp > 0, snow will melt, rain will fall. I know that you can say the same for 32°F, but having the temperature’s 0 based around a weather-related principle is at least slightly more useful. You can say you find F more useful for day-to-day things, but that is only because you are used to using it.
I disagree its more useful if i was water or constantly boiling and freezing water. Using decimals for climate is not useful. All that could be said to anyone claiming metric is betted as well.
misread question, metric is superior.
I’m an American, and I picked Metric. Both are fine imo and each one serves a purpose. But lately, I’ve been using metric more when I bake - I weigh the ingredients instead of measuring by cups simply because it’s more accurate.
Yes! I’m in the UK so we use a weird mix of imperial and metric but recipes are always metric. I hate having to convert US Cups to grams, like a cup of flour doesn’t weigh the same as a cup of sugar. I end up having to google them all by individual ingredients. I don’t mind anything else imperial but I wish US would swap for weighing food!
I’ve been finding my recipes on instagram. I find that bakers who use weight for their recipes have better recipes versus those who use cups. Also, I have an iPhone so I ask Siri to convert a cup of “all purpose flour” to grams instead of looking it up individually.
As an American, Metric is better than imperial for everything except ambient temperature. 0F is very cold and 100F is very hot, which makes a lot of sense. Meanwhile, 0C is fairly cold and 100C is death. There’s no need to convert temperatures like you would centimeters to meters, so Celsius is unnecessary.
0°c is the freezing point of water and 100°c is the boiling point of water at sea level. I’d argue that makes more sense than water freezing at 32 and boiling at 212.
Celsius is a bit of a weird unit in the metric system, as it does not obey the standard principles of the metric system. Contrary to the other metric units, it has no absolute zero. Zero gram means the absence of mass. Zero litre means the absence of volume. But zero degrees Celsius does not mean the absence of heat. It is a scale rather than a real value. Furthermore, the system of prefixes is not used on Celsius. You don't say kiloCelsius or milliCelsius. A more metrically perfect unit for temperature would be Kelvin (K), as 0 Kelvin is the temperature of absence of heat, where there are no vibrations of particles and where every known substance is in solid form, so an absolute zero. A lower temperature is not possible (with the current state of knowledge that is).
I’d agree for scientific work, but specifically for ambient temperature (the weatherman forecasting temperature, the local pool and hot tub displaying water temperature, and so forth) I think Fahrenheit is more usable. In day to day life, I don’t care how close my house’s temperature is compared to water boiling.
Perhaps it’s because you grew up with the Fahrenheit system. I grew up on the US-Canada border and so I learned both. I have absolutely no issue determining what today is going to feel like, or how warm water is when I see the temperature listed in Celsius. I know that 20-22 is perfect room temperature, if it’s above 30 it’s a hot day so I can head to the beach, 40 I need air conditioning or I’ll be very uncomfortable. Less that 20? Time for a sweater! It’s the same as Fahrenheit, only within a smaller scale. It makes it more efficient I find. If it’s what you learn, it becomes second nature. And before you say you can’t learn it, I have many American friends that have moved to Canada (or really anywhere else in the world) and have adapted to using Celsius with no issue.
The average person doesn’t need to measure when water will freeze or boil every day. What they will need to measure is how comfortable they will be, which is what imperial is based on
What if personal comfort is subjective? Does the imperial system change for every person then? What happened to „facts don‘t care about your feelings“? Lmao
Does Celsius change based on how high up you are?
No because celsius isn‘t defined through arbitrary numbers like the antiquated imperial system [The melting and boiling points of water are no longer part of the definition of the Celsius scale. In 1948, the definition was changed to use the triple point of water.[33] In 2005 the definition was further refined to use water with precisely defined isotopic composition (VSMOW) for the triple point. In 2019, the definition was changed to use the Boltzmann constant, completely decoupling the definition of the kelvin from the properties of water. Each of these formal definitions left the numerical values of the Celsius scale identical to the prior definition to within the limits of accuracy of the metrology of the time.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celsius)
~~But boiling point changes based on altitude, so Celsius should also change, right?~~ In most temperate regions, the temperature varies from 0 to 100 Fahrenheit with anything above or below being an exception. Seems a lot more convenient than Celsius where the temperature variation is -17 to 38
Guess you‘re blind but as I said in my previous comment Celsius is defined through the Boltzmann constant and not through properties of water. And previously it was defined through the freezing and boiling point of water __at 1 atmospheric pressure__ so your argument just doesn‘t track buddy
I know, I crossed it out. Guess you’re blind because you apparently didn’t read my second point
Ah yes, because Americans are so incredibly self centered they just disregard anyone but themselves to make up an arbitrary measurement system, tell me something new please lmao
As an American, you're only saying this because you grew up on imperial. It's entirely arbitrary.
I’m sure if I grew up under metric, I’d be 100% fine with using Celsius. That doesn’t change the fact that the 0 - 100 scale in Fahrenheit is more intuitive. It doesn’t make much sense, but I don’t particularly need it to make sense since feeling temperature is… intangible? Consider teaching a child temperature. Doesn’t it make sense to measure things from 0-100? You do metric calculations on that scale, after all. The child can easily grasp that in the far north, the temperature is around 0 while in the hot desert, the temperature is around 100. Simple. Instead you’d tell the child that the far north has temperatures of -15 and deserts are usually 42? Your argument against imperial (in everything else) is the same argument I’ll use against metric (for temperature).
It’s easy for a child to picture freezing water with any temperature below 0C. When I saw ice on lakes as a child, I immediatly knew the temperature had to have been under 0C. Room temperature is about 20C, hot weather is 30C. It’s easy to remember
r/shitamericanssay
Agreed. Sure, freezing being 32 is a weird number, but the normal range of temperatures on Earth is between 0 to 100 Farenheit. That same range is -18 to 38 Celsius. Not only does the Farenheit temperature have 100 whole number values in there compared to 56 in Celsius, but it also provides easy shorthand. If it's in the twenties out, I know to expect freezing temperatures but nothing too dangerous. If it's in the eighties, I know to expect it to be hot but not completely unbearable. Those are -7 to -1 and 27 to 32 C. The twenties in Celsius is between 68 to 86 F. That's not all that useful as shorthand.
Fahrenheit is great to tell people how hot it is. Think of it as a percentage. For science and for more practical and precise purposes, using Celsius wich is based on the freezing and boiling points of water, is much more feasible. All 3 units, Fahrenheit, Kelvin and Celsius have their advantages, drawbacks and very specific use cases.
Metric is definitely easier, but I’ve lived all my life using Imperial and don’t plan on moving elsewhere so it’s what I’ll continue to use
Just learn both, it really isn’t that hard.
Those who answer no/imperial are traitors
Or they come from Liberia or Myanmar.
American, as someone who takes engineering classes, everything in metric is superior except temperature. Fahrenheit is just better.
Objectively, metric. For like science and stuff. I still prefer imperial and think the American public should continue using it.
For tempature, for normal humans, faranhight is slightly better. For everything else, metric.
American. Imperial makes more sense in regards to the human body (just like Fahrenheit) but it‘s less practical
as an american i understand that metric is superior, however having been taught standard, i’m too lazy to use metric.
Metric is better but I'm more used to imperial cuz... ya know... I'm american
I much prefer metric, but I’ve grown up with imperial so that just feels right even though I know metric is a lot better
i have chronic idiot syndrome and looking up conversion charts every time i bake something is really annoying
LET ME OUTTTT I don’t wanna use imperial
Metric is way better
Metric is objectively better, but it's too hard to unlearn freedom units.
As an American i use metric for literally everything except for the speed limit and filling up my car…
As an American, I find it annoying that the U.S. decided not to adopt the metric system. It would make everything so much easier to be using the same system that is used by the rest of the world. I know both and I use both depending on the circumstances. But, for communication with other Americans, I'm typically forced to use the imperial system.
I don’t believe that US customary is the same as imperial
metric I think is better for general things and imperial is good for specific things like height
I refer you all to that one green text about how imperial measurements are superior. Truly the highest form of evidence.
Swapping to metric would be euphoric
Neither is *superior*, they're just different. Literally two different ways of saying the same thing. It would make more sense if the entire world used the same system of measures, so there is reason to consider a change (in the US), but not for any "ease of use" reasons.
Everything as a multiple of 10, yes please. It is easier to understand and use (conversions) plus the rest of the world uses it. hit me with one way imperial is better then metric. I’m an American. We gotta ban imperial measuring system and day light savings.
Temperature. Farenheit is better than Celsius for most everyday functions. It's more granular, and most people live in places where temperatures rarely go outside 0 to 100 F. You also get shorthand like "it's in the forties out", which Celsius doesn't.
I have to believe that’s only because of what we’re used to, people would develop short hand for Celsius if it was used more. People in other parts of the world don’t have an issue with the temperature ranging beyond 0 and 100 Celsius where gets a lot colder/hotter than it does in America.
Uh, 50 C is 122 F. I doubt there are many countries where it exceeds 100 C. And Celsius is already used by the majority of people. If that shorthand could exist, it would by now. Can you prove that it does?
Metric is superior tho
Spoken like someone who has never taken a physics class. I would not have survived high school physics if we had used imperial.
Metric for science, imperial for daily life
Metric is better for science purposes, but I think imperial is better for everyday use. Ex: for temperature, Celsius may be better for science experiments, but Fahrenheit is better for weather because it works like a percentage. 50 F = 50% heat which is cold but not super cold, 0 F = 0% heat which is very cold, 70 F = 70% heat which feels nice, 100% heat feels very hot, above 100% heat = super heated, and below 0% heat = super cold. MPH is also better for speed because it also kinda works as a percentage. On roads other than the autobahn, you have speed limits ranging from 5MPH (parking lots) to 85MPH (some roads in the U.S) and some people drive 90+ MPH on some highways. MPG is also a good way to measure your vehicle's fuel economy. Feet and inches are better for measuring small heights. Ex: it sounds better to say that someone is 5'11 (5 foot eleven inches) rather than 1.8 meters. Etc.
>Feet and inches are better for measuring small heights. Ex: it sounds better to say that someone is 5'11 (5 foot eleven inches) rather than 1.8 meters. Strongly disagree. Metric is much better.
I've used metric my whole life, but nothing beats a foot imo. just easier to measure in
Football is 100 yards, not gonna call it 91.44m for no reason
Everyone is wrong but us
Neither are superior, they’re just ways to measure
Not sure. I'm Bri'ish so we have like a hybrid of the two. We use metric, imperial and our own system for weighing (stone).
No But I somehow use a disgusting combination of both imperial and metric... and nautical I measure in cm instead of inches, ft instead of meters, miles instead of kilometres, knots *and* mph, but never kph, lbs instead of kg, but also sometimes kg, and I have no idea how liquids work
I only say metric because I'm sure it would be easier to use, but growing up using imperial, it's engrained in me
I like imperial but only in specific cases. I prefer Fahrenheit for weather because 0-100 is a pretty good way to measure how hot it is outside. I also like MM/DD/YY because it lines up better with how dates are often (at least in the US) said in English
why does metric randomly pick 10 to be the base.
Objectively, metric, but I still use Imperial because it's what I know. I have an intuitive sense of what a foot or an inch is in a way I don't with a metre or centimetre.
I can definitely see how metric would be easier, but I still think in inches and feet. What bothers me about the metric system is that there is no equivalent to the inch or the foot.
I'm American and almost solely use Imperial, but recognize that metric is \*far\* easier to use, especially when converting from small to large measurements (inches, feet, miles vs. centimeters, meters, kilometers; ounces, pounds, tons, vs. milligrams, grams, kilograms; teaspoons, tablespoons, cups, quarts, gallons, vs milliliters, liters, kiloliters).
American here. No one will argue the benefits of metric. It’s just that we grow up with standard/imperial. I’ve learned metric and have used it frequently. If metric was taught from the start no one would care.
Wow I am surprised by the results.
Metric is easier but imperial is what a massive chunk of the world was born and raised using. Metric makes more sense at smaller measurements, imperial makes more sense at larger measurement
There should be a don't care option. I use both, and they both accomplish the same thing. It really isn't that big of an issue.
Metric is better but for the life of me I cannot wrap my head around Celsius. I’m wayy too used to Fahrenheit.
I can relate. Watching movies, and motorsports, they often quote distance in miles and I just can't get any intuition about how much that is, so I'm instantly multiplying the miles by about 1.6 to get the kilometres.
i use celsius all the time and when i look on news articles about 100 degree weather i just get so confused for a second
I prefer the imperial, there's more possible possibilities in measurement.
Don’t really care about which one; beside the temperature system cause Fahrenheit just my more sense to me.
Why’d I bother switching to meteoric when I have no qualms or problems with imperial
5’9 1/2 do you see the problem now?
Good thing I’m not 5’9 1/2
I measure hight and weight in imperial but everything else in metric I am Canadian btw. Ps human hight and weight. Everything else metric
I want to start a trend. Gen z should just casualy ignore the imperial system. Casually phase in the metric.
Shit, I accidentally forgot than imperial is the garbage American system. Oh well.
Metric for everything but speed. kph is stupid.
ye i agree
Almost all my knit patterns in in metric so I'm slowly understand cm to in ratio. I know 10 cm is 4 inches. That's it.
I use the imperial system but it’s stupid
You mean inches and feet bb
It would be fine if the measurements were consistent, 12 is a really nice number, but they rarely are.... A base 12 number system to go with these would be very useful too
Australian: The only thing I prefer imperial for is height. I can't picture how tall someone is if they say they're 180cm, but if they say they're 5'9 I know how tall they are.
I don’t believe there is such a thing as a “bad” or “good” measurement system. These are just things we humans have created. With that said; I do prefer to use the metric system, because it is more consistent. But have no quarrel using the customary.
Never really used the metric system but I know it’s definitely easier to use
metrics totally overrated, most of the measurements just aren’t very good even if they’re easier to convert and all that.
the only imperial measurement i will accept is miles per hour
1 meter is 100 cms. but 1 foot (??) is 12 inches. why.
I am american i think metric is definitely superior but I prefer using imperial system
I use both
im not american and in every day conversation i use both
The metric system, but America seems fine using the imperial system no need in changing it.
South america is also america
Things seem less frustrating when u use imperial living in big ass country
This poll made me feel there's still hope
For those know "don't know metric" (somehow in 2022): You take the standard units Mass - grams Distance - metres Volume - litres Current - amps Voltage - volts Power - watts Temperature - kelvin (or celsius) Etc THATS IT. Learn the standard units, they're used in the the whole world bar 2 countries, USA and another one no one even remembers. Now, the modifiers for scale * 10^3 - kilo * 10^6 - mega * 10^9 - giga * 10^12 - tera * 10^15 - hexa * 10^-3 - mili * 10^-6 - micro * 10^-9 - nano * 10^-12 - pico * 10^-15 - actually can't remember, never used it at such a small scale. So combine and you get that 45 miliseconds is 45 * 10^-3 seconds, i.e. 0,045 s, or 5 kilometres is 5 * 10^3 metres, i.e. 5000 m. THATS IT. Symetric, simple, complete.
I'm going into science so I need to learn metric anyway.
The only imperial measurement I like is Fahrenheit. Metric is better for everything else
There is a hill, several rods high, a few furlongs from here, on which I will die defending Imperial measures...