What system of measurment is used in US Universities?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the measurement systems used in US universities, specifically comparing the Imperial Measurement System and the Metric System in various fields of study. Participants explore how these systems are applied in academic settings, particularly in physics and engineering courses.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes that the US officially uses the Imperial Measurement System but questions what is most commonly used in universities.
  • Another participant suggests that physics courses primarily use the Metric System, while engineering courses may utilize both systems.
  • A participant expresses surprise at the prevalence of the Metric System in their education, contrasting it with their experience of hearing about Imperial units.
  • Another participant mentions that their experience in AP calculus and AP physics involved exclusively using the Metric System.
  • A later reply critiques the general population's understanding of the Metric System, suggesting that attempts to implement it faced challenges in comprehension.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the measurement systems used in US universities, as multiple competing views are presented regarding the prevalence of the Metric and Imperial Systems across different fields of study.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the lack of specific data on measurement system usage across all universities and fields, as well as varying personal experiences that may not represent broader trends.

Astro
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Hello.

I know that the United States officially uses the Imperial Measurement System (eg. feet, inches) instead of the Metric System (eg. centimeters, kilometers). What system is most commonly used at universities in the US? Are courses in the US taught primarily in the Imperial System? I'm asking incase I ever decide to study south of the 49th parallel (ie. in the US).


Thank you.
 
Last edited:
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It depends on what your studying.

If your studying physics, they use the metric system most of the time.

If your studying engineering, then you probably use both.
 
I never knew this, this sucks. In my country you hear of feet and inches (from time to time) but in school all you year about is meters. I honestly thought that SI (Systeme Internationale) units were used all over the world by now, after all it should be international.
 
Standard may be used in common life, but metric is all we ever used when I took AP calc and AP physics this year.
 
SI is used, the US population is too dumb/lazy to learn the metric system. They started implementing it in the northern states by Canada and the people couldn't understand it so they stopped trying.
 

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