Question regarding System of Units

[junior_J]

Im following a British curriculum for high schools ( known as A levels ) . I am reading stuff from this forum and i come across differences in notation used by the British and the Americans ... plus differences in units ... why is this so ? why couldn't u guys settle on one universal system of units , notations etc ... wouldn't it have been much better if u could follow one system ? some follow the American way and some the English ... plus I don't know if americans follow SI or not , but the british certainly don't follow it all the time .

 

[siddharth]

I really really really dislike anything other than SI. It's very frustating when remembering all those conversion factors.

That said, you've got to learn to use both, so live with it.

 

[junior_J]

are there any specific reasons why they would prefer using their own units and notations than use a universal one ?

 

[Meir Achuz]

Gaussian units are much easier to use in calculations.
That is why most physicists use them for their own work, but teach SI units for a living.

 

[brewnog]

The Yanks call their antequated units system "English" to try and persuade themselves that it's somehow not their fault that they don't use SI.

At university, the main difference between mechanical and aerospace engineering in the first year was that the wingies used imperial units (due to the aerospace industry being predominately US based) and the clankies used SI, because it's sensible.

I find it pretty easy to be conversant in both, although I'll only ever use imperial units in conversational contexts.