When will the US officially adopt the metric system?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the adoption of the metric system in the United States, exploring historical context, current practices, and potential future changes. Participants express various opinions on the feasibility and implications of transitioning from customary units to metric units in everyday life, commerce, and engineering.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Historical
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that the US legally adopted metric units in 1866 but has not effectively implemented a transition away from customary units.
  • Concerns are raised about the potential confusion and costs associated with a complete switch to metric, particularly regarding road signage and tools.
  • Some argue that gradual phasing out of non-metric units may occur naturally over time as older items and tools become obsolete.
  • There is mention of past initiatives to adopt metric that have not succeeded, with participants questioning the likelihood of future changes.
  • Some participants express frustration with the imperial system, suggesting that a complete conversion to metric would be preferable.
  • Others highlight that many people, particularly in scientific fields, are already comfortable with metric units, indicating a potential for future acceptance.
  • Discussions include comparisons to other countries that have successfully transitioned to metric, with some participants expressing skepticism about the US ever fully adopting the system.
  • One participant points out the historical context of unit changes, suggesting that such transitions often require government enforcement.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally express a mix of skepticism and hope regarding the adoption of the metric system in the US. There is no consensus on whether a complete transition will occur, with multiple competing views on the feasibility and desirability of such a change.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention the significant costs associated with changing road signage and the potential for confusion during a phased transition. There are also references to the persistence of non-metric units in various sectors, including civil engineering in Canada.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to individuals involved in engineering, education, policy-making, or those curious about the cultural and practical implications of measurement systems.

  • #31
SW VandeCarr said:
You mean like a metric dozen?



I'm curious as to whether the UK still uses acres for land measure. Ads for UK real estate give interior areas in square meters, but I'm guessing you're still using acres if you're still using miles.

I think most land is sold by the acre, though sometimes the size is quoted in hectares.
 
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  • #32
SW VandeCarr said:
I'm curious as to whether the UK still uses acres for land measure.

yup! :biggrin:

see for example the royal institute of chartered surveyors report "rural market survey" at http://www.rics.org/ruralmarketsurvey :wink:
 
  • #33
Do you expect me to mow the grass on my meter? Or drink my coffee from a quarter-liter?
 
  • #34
Containment said:
Real reason is nobody wants to live through the nightmare of trying to retrain the parents of the kids who grow up using metric. You thought getting grandma to email was hard? Just you wait till she has to learn metric omg.
Grandma will be just fine. Since 10 years ago 23 countries have changed their currency to the Euro, people adjusted to the new money and change in value just fine.

If the system changed to metric and instead of a gallon of water they would be getting 4 liters, do you really think it would take long for people to realize the quantity they'd get for a certain value?
 
  • #35
It's interesting that the word "mile" comes from the Latin "mille" for one thousand. A Roman mile was 1000 full paces (about 5 feet). So the metric idea is actually ancient. The problem arose when William the Conqueror introduced his French foot to England.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mile

After a lot of confusion over several centuries, England, by Royal order, settled on a mile of 5280 (French) feet. The acre was redefined in terms of this mile with one square mile being exactly 640 acres. This subdivides nicely into successive quarters of 160, 40 and 10 acres. The last step is a rectangular subdivision of ten acres into one acre strips (for plowing) of 660 by 66 feet, or 1/8 by 1/80 of a mile. So the acre makes some sense in terms of English units. Much of the US is surveyed according to square mile sections subdivided this way. I think it will be virtually impossible to superimpose a metric configuration on this huge area at this point in time. So the 43,560 square foot acre is probably here to stay.
 
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  • #36
Feodalherren said:
Not really... There's nothing to understand, it's just about having to deal with fractions vs moving the decimal point. Metric is superior in every way.

Just not true. Consider entering measurements into a computer. The metic base of .1 when converted to binary is infintly repeteing and MUST be rounded off. While all of our inch subdivisions are powers of 2 and can be expressed exactly in binary. Further our base 12 foot has more prime divisors then then the base 10 system. I personally want to see everyone move to hexadecimal for our offical number system.:devil:
 
  • #37
Integral said:
Just not true. Consider entering measurements into a computer. The metic base of .1 when converted to binary is infintly repeteing and MUST be rounded off. While all of our inch subdivisions are powers of 2 and can be expressed exactly in binary. Further our base 12 foot has more prime divisors then then the base 10 system. I personally want to see everyone move to hexadecimal for our offical number system.:devil:

I once read a book about someone's idea of a base 12 system. The eccentric author liked to quote "A pint's a pound the world around". Hexadecimal is interesting but converting to either base 12 or 16 measures effectively requires converting our number system as well. The hexadecimal mile consists of 4096 hexadecimal feet (16 inches) which is written as 1000 in hex.

The real reason for converting to metric is not so much the fact that it's decimal. It's because it has worldwide use and any nation that exports or imports must use it to a certain extent. It's very inefficient to do business in two systems.'
 
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