# How do you feel about converting to the Metric system? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 23, 2023, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666 "2023-01-23T15:52:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666/261 "2023-01-28T22:29:43Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > That seems to only uphold his point. How often do you need to know that “quick” and can’t just pull out a calculator? Filling a quarter acre swimming pool feels like a rare enough event that you can take a moment to figure it out instead of lamenting why you’re not using metric. > > Also, it’s trivial to convert yards into feet anyway and calculate the cubic footage so it’s not the best example. Do you even know the conversion between cubic feet and gallons, to have something to type into your calculator? Here’s a hint: A cubic foot is not a gallon, so converting the yards to feet won’t actually help you. I will say, though, that there is some (approximate) meteorological relevance to 0 F. It’s (about) the temperature at which the roads will ice up even when salted, and it’s also (about) the temperature at which snow falling on the surface of an appropriately-dressed person’s clothes won’t melt. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666/262 "2023-01-28T22:33:59Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Do you even know the conversion between cubic feet and gallons, to have something to type into your calculator? Here’s a hint: A cubic foot is not a gallon, so converting the yards to feet won’t actually help you. I do. I assume many people don’t but, so what? By the time you’ve typed “cubic feet in…” into Google, it’s already autocompleted “…a gallon” for you. We live in an era of smart phones. But, like I said, I already knew. Because I work in a field where that information is useful. People for whom it’s not regularly useful aren’t rush-calculating how much water they need to fill a pool anyway. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666/263 "2023-01-28T22:49:41Z")
> [@Guapo](#): > > the outfield fence would say 327 feet and underneath would be “99.67 meters” The other way, tonnes of people recite “98.6” as body temperature in Fahrenheit, when the really mean “37°C, except converted with pointless extra precision” (rightly “99-ish”). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666/264 "2023-01-28T22:50:50Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > it’s trivial to convert yards into feet anyway and calculate the cubic footage so it’s not the best example. So without getting a calculator, I have a pallet with a water tank 1x1x1 yard. How much does the water weigh? (the nearest 100 pound will do) (I did 100s of such calculations when I was working as a scaffolding builder-- this is a real example: I need to know this quick: Order more ballast or know this will be fine. If I fuck up tonight’s event will cancelled and 1000’s will go home disappointed.) ---
**Author:** ![Guapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@Guapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guapo)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666/265 "2023-01-28T22:51:10Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Also, it’s trivial to convert yards into feet anyway and calculate the cubic footage so it’s not the best example As the other poster said, that doesn’t help as gallons isn’t related to cubic feet/yards. And then if you want to know weight you need to remember that a gallon of water weighs 8 pounds. Much easier to remember a liter of water is 1000 cc and weighs 1 kilo. I just had to buy enough paint to cover all sides of a board 150cm x 18cm x 3cm. A much easier calculation than it would be for 4’ x 7"x 1.5"; ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666/266 "2023-01-28T23:01:58Z")
> [@The\_Librarian](#): > > So without getting a calculator, I have a pallet with a water tank 1x1x1 yard. > > How much does the water weigh? (the nearest 100 pound will do) A cubic yard is 27cf, water is ~63lbs a cf so right around 1,700lbs You have no way of knowing if I looked all that up but I’m an estimator by trade so I knew it. You say you had to do hundreds of similar calculations so I assume it was largely second nature to you too. Which is the point: If you’re trying to convince a nation to switch over their system of measurements based on things like “You could calculate the weight of filling a swimming pool easier”, it’s never gonna happen. Because 99.x% of people will never give a shit and hire people like us to know that for them. Which they probably do in every metric-using nation as well as opposed to Frank & Mary Canada doing their own swimming pool weight calcs. And even AS an estimator who regularly needs to use cubic yards and coverage per acre and lbs/cf of limestone and other such stuff, I STILL don’t care because I already know how to do it quickly. So those who would supposedly benefit the most already don’t need it and the rest won’t be using it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666/267 "2023-01-28T23:23:54Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > tonnes of people ISWYDT 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666/268 "2023-01-28T23:45:07Z")
I don’t care if people use any unit. Talk about your remaining distance as miles, km; temperature, pressure, whatever. I get cranky if people describe memorizing 100’s of conversions as “trivial”. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666/269 "2023-01-28T23:48:43Z")
> [@EastUmpqua](#): > > For temp we like Fahrenheit. 0 is cold, 100 is hot. In C, minus 16 is cold, 38 is hot. C seems clinical, F has a human touch. But don’t you find it odd thinking in a temperature scale that limits your senses to -16C = cold and 38C = hot? Those are some randomly chosen numbers. Nothing makes sense in F. No number means anything. Why is both -16C and 38C so important that people are proud to bookend their temperature scale to them? Those temperatures feel so random. Now check the humanistic feel of this: +40C = Hot, 30C = Warm, 20C = Room Temp, 10C = Cold, 0C = Freezing Orderly; easy; natural; inevitable. (and as a bonus: 100C = Boiling, Celsius is truly a rock star) ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666/270 "2023-01-29T00:15:49Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Which is the point: If you’re trying to convince a nation to switch over their system of measurements based on things like “You could calculate the weight of filling a swimming pool easier”, it’s never gonna happen. Because 99.x% of people will never give a shit and hire people like us to know that for them. The first thing I thought when I saw the “how many gallons to fill a swimming pool?” question was " Why would I ever need to know that?" When I finally came up with a reason ( to see if I was billed correctly for filling it ), it didn’t need to be quick. So that’s not a reason to switch to metric. Conversions are the hard part, but they will only need to happen for a relatively short time - if we switch tomorrow, I might need to know how to convert lbs to kilograms to have an idea in my head about how much a kilogram of flour is. But I won’t have to do that indefinitely - at some point , I will just think of kilograms without needing to convert from pounds. Just like people who are fluent in two languages don’t have to think in one language and translate it to the other , even if they had to when they were first learning. I want to switch to metric because the although I really never need to convert ounces to kilograms , I do sometimes need to adjust recipes. Maybe I want to double it , or make a half-batch or I have a recipe for a nine inch cheesecake but only an eight inch pan. It’s a lot easier to halve 50 grams than it is to halve a quarter cup since I don’t have ( and have never seen) a 1/8 cup measuring cup and I will have to look up the equivalent of 1/8 cup in tablespoons every time.\* That’s where metric is easier, once we’ve stared thinking in it. Not converting from lbs to kilograms or the reverse but because there would be no more converting from pounds to ounces or cups to tablespoons - It’s two. I just looked it up. I don’t need to do this conversion often enough to rely on my memory. ---
**Author:** ![EastUmpqua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eastumpqua/32/6025_2.png) [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666/271 "2023-01-29T11:25:09Z")
> [@orcenio](#): > > Those are some randomly chosen numbers. Nothing makes sense in F. The [Fahrenheit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit) scale was partially based on “average human body temperature”. Celsius seems clinical. Efficient and unemotional, coldly detached like Kelvin. Here in the US, 0º F is considered to feel pretty cold outside, 100º is considered hot. Do you live somewhere that doesn’t actually get cold? ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666/272 "2023-01-29T11:26:13Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > It’s a lot easier to halve 50 grams than it is to halve a quarter cup since I don’t have ( and have never seen) a 1/8 cup measuring cup and I will have to look up the equivalent of 1/8 cup in tablespoons every time.\* That’s where metric is easier, once we’ve stared thinking in it. **Not converting from lbs to kilograms or the reverse but because there would be no more converting from pounds to ounces or cups to tablespoons** [Bolding mine] This is a key point. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![EastUmpqua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eastumpqua/32/6025_2.png) [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666/273 "2023-01-29T11:50:27Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > It’s a lot easier to halve 50 grams than it is to halve a quarter cup since I don’t have ( and have never seen) a 1/8 cup measuring cup and I will have to look up the equivalent of 1/8 cup in tablespoons every time. I guess. I don’t have a good way to measure grams in my kitchen. If I want to half a recipe, it’s easy enough to convert one cup to 1/2 cup. I also like tablespoon as a measurement. It’s easy to measure. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666/274 "2023-01-29T11:51:31Z")
> [@EastUmpqua](#): > > Do you live somewhere that doesn’t actually get cold? Oh it gets cold up here. Not sure you’re ready to experience the depths of textual description that -10C, -20C, -30C, and -40C invoke. For your own safety, I limited the scale to a smaller, southern (more Yank relatable) range. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666/275 "2023-01-29T11:55:14Z")
I prefer my temperature in joules per bit, or, if it’s warm, electron-volts. > [@orcenio](#): > > Not sure you’re ready to experience the depths of textual description that -10C, -20C, -30C, and -40C invoke. It all depends on the humidity, right? −10 °C in Paris may feel like −35 °C in Siberia. ---
**Author:** ![EastUmpqua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eastumpqua/32/6025_2.png) [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666/276 "2023-01-29T11:57:16Z")
> [@orcenio](#): > > Oh it gets cold up here. Not sure you’re ready to experience the depths of textual description that -10C, -20C, -30C, and -40C invoke. I especially like -40º 😀 ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666/277 "2023-01-29T11:57:55Z")
Truly a temp IMPOSSIBLE for an American to understand in their native scale. (_tongue-in-cheek_ / 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![EastUmpqua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eastumpqua/32/6025_2.png) [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666/278 "2023-01-29T11:59:12Z")
Did you miss the joke 😉 ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666/279 "2023-01-29T12:01:01Z")
Got it immediately, and thanks for the morning Sunday chuckle dude. > [@DPRK](#): > > It all depends on the humidity, right? −10 °C in Paris may feel like −35 °C in Siberia. Quite true. Weather sensation and interpretations are all relative. 10C in fall (hot tea, thick sweater weather) hits VERY different then 10C in spring (beach weather). ---
**Author:** ![EastUmpqua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eastumpqua/32/6025_2.png) [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2023, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666/280 "2023-01-29T12:03:19Z")
Thanks for the chuckle too. I’m not usually up at 4:00am - I’ve been watching the Australian open. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-feel-about-converting-to-the-metric-system/978666.md?page=15)