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jarednjames said:How many countries still use imperial? Seems a bit of a silly decision to stick to them.
The USA and Burma.jarednjames said:How many countries still use imperial?
mgb_phys said:The USA and Burma.
Just to add to the confusion the American call feet/inches 'English' units but they are sometimes different from the English 'Imperial' units. A US pint is smaller, because you wouldn't want to have to drink 562ml of Budeweiser.
This also annoys the Scots and Welsh - so can't be all bad!
Mostly not - it doesn't matter if a a CNC machine is reading out to 0.001" or 0.01mmFredGarvin said:It doesn't matter either way.
mgb_phys said:Mostly not - it doesn't matter if a a CNC machine is reading out to 0.001" or 0.01mm
But there are problems eg. does a pound mean mass or force, is a BTU energy or power?
junglebeast said:I'm glad that NASA decided not to waste the estimated $370 million that it would cost to convert units.
I wish I could say that I hope the money they saved is well spent towards space exploration, but NASA has long ago abandoned that dream...it's no wonder the government has repeatedly slashed their budget.
Somewhere between the space race and now, the higher ups over there decided that accountability is more important than space exploration. If you ask me, there is no more honorable calling than exploring the nature of the universe we live in. This does not mean sending repeated shuttle missions to the same space station for god-knows-what.
I want to see a colony on Mars in the time it takes to travel to the moon + the time it takes to develop the technology - the date we started thinking about it. That means we should have been there years ago. More likely, none of us will live to see the day. Pathetic!
They seem a little confused about that:Cyrus said:A lbf is force and a slug is mass.
Cyrus said:It should read, errrrrr edit: Newtons.
So actually, its you people around the world calling everything 'kilograms' that's the problem. Start calling it what it is, 'Newtons'.
Unless you're talking about a lbm which is the mass and a poundal is the force.Cyrus said:A lbf is force and a slug is mass.
On saying that being in the UK I was brought up with metric, so for engineering work that's what I use.Moonbear said:At least by the time my generation was going through school, we learned both the English and metric systems. Most people who know how to use any reasonable amount of math could work with either system. If the US switched over to the metric system, most people would probably need a fairly short adjustment period just to get a general feeling of, for example, how many grams of lunch meat to order to make their sandwiches for the week, or learn to gauge how hot or cold it is outside when temperature is reported in celsius. There's no really good reason to stick with a system of measures that's so much more complicated.
Cyrus said:A lbf is force and a slug is mass.
Chi Meson said:Unless you're talking about a lbm which is the mass and a poundal is the force.
Blenton said:Anyway $370 million to convert units? What the hell are they doing there? I would assume everything now is in digitized format, so conversion would be as simple (or simpler) than pushing a button.
I suspect you might be misreading NASA's decision. NASA is not saying they will use the imperial system only. That would require a lot of rework on a lot of things that are already in SI units. NASA is just saying that specs, processes, parts, machining, etc. that currently are imperial-based can stay that way.mgb_phys said:I suspect that this might be some of the politics behind the Nasa decision, spending $300M to allow foreign suppliers to bid on projects might not suit everyone.
NASA uses pounds and inches as their standard units of measurement because these units were traditionally used in the aerospace industry. Additionally, many of NASA's facilities and equipment were built to accommodate these units, making it more practical and cost-effective to continue using them.
NASA uses conversion factors to convert between metric and imperial units when necessary. These conversion factors are based on the International System of Units (SI) and are standardized across the agency.
One advantage of using pounds and inches is that it allows for easier communication and collaboration with other countries, especially the United States' international partners who also use these units. Additionally, since many of NASA's missions and projects have been successful using these units, there is an argument for sticking to what has worked in the past.
NASA has considered switching to the metric system in the past, but ultimately decided to stick with pounds and inches. However, NASA does use metric units for certain missions and projects, such as the Mars rovers, where metric units are more commonly used.
NASA has a rigorous system of checks and balances in place to ensure accuracy when using pounds and inches. This includes using calibrated and standardized equipment, as well as conducting multiple calculations and measurements to verify accuracy. Additionally, NASA regularly reviews and updates their measurement standards to ensure they are up-to-date and accurate.