<Ben Kenobi> No. Should I have? </Ben Kenobi>
Since the old Imperial system was based on the convention of everyday observation, we throw it out. Everyone says metric is easier because it’s based on the decimal system, but the decimal system is itself a convention, so we throw that out too. The only reason we use decimals at all is that some caveman decided that it was a pretty convenient number, mostly when he ran out of fingers. Pfft. Cavemen? We can do better.
I give you: dodectrics! The base 12 metric system!
All we have to is completely change the numerical system of the past fifty thousand years and base it on something that makes logical sense and isn’t dependent upon habit. Think of it! Everybody will be equally discombobulated! Numbers can be easily converted into sixths, fourths, thirds, halves! (But not fifths. Damn.) We don’t even have to change the clocks!
Eggs will still come in convenient containers! Hot dogs and buns will finally come in matching packages! Geometry can remain largely unchanged! The calendar can still have 12 months!
Not all is perfect, though. Cricket teams will need another player. Tennis will be played to 36. Whiskey will have to come in smaller containers. You’ll still run out of cream cheese before you get to the end of the bag of bagels. And no matter what happens, NASA will still find a way to crash its landers into the side of Mars.
Still, I think we’re onto something here. 
FISH
tracer: An Engineer’s Scale or Engineer’s Rule is a niftly little thing I got to use back in Drafting class in the 1970s. The rule has a scale with the foot divided into tenths of a foot and a scale with inches divided into tenths of an inch.
Tenths of an inch I could kinda-sorta-barely understand (since 1/10 inch equals 100 mils), but tenths of a foot? Why?!
Oh, and Fish: If we’re going to do that, I’d suggest we switch to base 2 or some other base (like base 16) that’s easily convertible to binary. Binary seems to be more logical than other numeric bases – plus, it’s a hell of a lot more convenient for representing fractional quantities like 1/4 inch, 5/8 inch, 9/32 inch, etc…
tracer: But then you’d only get 1 egg in each package.
Seriously, the arguments for base 12 were that it easily divides by 2, 3, 4 and 6. I might suggest base 60 if it weren’t so unwieldy, because it’s divisible into many more useful… uh, divisions.
Regarding inches in tenths, I used them as an engraver, working on a computer-controlled engraving table. Why was it done that way? No idea. It would have been smarter to base the letter height from point sizes: 12 point, etc.
No matter what number base we use, though, there’s going to be a point where it’s easier to express stuff in fractions than in decimals. So I say screw it, let’s have a base 17 system. It’ll keep the Grand Masters of the Illuminati off our backs.
FISH
tracer: tenths of a foot so that you could make something on the 1:10 scale, I’d imagine.
IMO, the main irritation is when there are competing systems in one area of measurement. A good example is automotive tools – every kit you buy, if you want it to be comprehensive, has to have both metric and English wrenches. Thus, you’ve got two almost identical sets of wrenches that you’re forced to buy, but not so identical that you’d want to use English on a metric bolt, or vice-versa.
Competing standards = lame.
I knew I would be taken to task for this again when I saw the two metric threads in GD. Time to delurk, I s’pose.
It is not willingly ignoring any point but taking a simple observation:
the world goes on much as it has. There are many possible explanations for this, but none of them are likely to be “most people use the metric system.”
The questions:
If you had to lay out markers along a highway every 4 inches for 600 miles, how many markers is that?
If I had to do something like this, I would calculate it on paper or on a calculator.
Conversely if you had to lay out marjers along a highway every 10 centimeters for 1000 kilometers, how many markers is that?
If I had to do something like this, I would calculate it on paper or on a calculator.
I don’t know if everyone paid attention in school or not. When I went to school we basically used the metric system for everything. For our physics, chemistry, hell even our calculus class stuck mainly to metric story problems (mainly). What I noticed was that it is possible more people might be able to convert between centimeters and kilometers in their head, given enough practice. What I didn’t notice, and have yet to, are the myriad daily tasks that involve such things. What I also noticed was that, even at that, many people had a hard time understanding conversions. True, it is just as simple as moving decimal places (in single-dimesion measurements). False, this is “easy” to do. I never had a problem, but I was dumbfounded by the number of people who did have a problem with it.
When I later studied electronics, again I was dumbfounded by the number of people who couldn’t switch between milliamperes and nanoamperes, or quickly determine resistor values from the color-coding.
Is this merely a function of not being “used” to the metric system? I think my answer to this question, and the significance I place on it, has already been mentioned.
tracer
I do not see what sort of advantage the metric system will give me here. If the question is, “Can you calculate this in your head, erl?” the answer is “yes”. If the question is, “Don’t you see why we should all move to metric so we can all address these issues in a more efficient manner?” the answer is “not really”.
I know. I’m a pain.
Wait, you mean a megameter? Isn’t that the “easier” way to say it?
Most posts so far seem obsessed with length measurements and intuition.
However, you can’t really appreciate the beauty of the SI system until you start working some physics problems.
The traditional system of units used by U.S. engineers is known as the U.S. Customary System (USCS). Unfortunately, in the USCS system of units, both force units and mass units are referred to as pounds.
As the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), puts it in this handbook (PDF format):
Needless to say, I loathe working complex problems in the USCS system.
BTW, looking at the following excerpt below from her essay, I’d say that Ms. Pontius has more problems with reality than the metric system:
:rolleyes: What complete and utter ignorance of science and history. :wally
That is exactly the point!!!
For the first problem you really need a calculator. For the second problem, the you don’t. 1000/10 = 100, easy. But you can’t just divide the 600 by 4, you do have to convert first.
Ouch, flonks, you really would have made that point much better if you’d checked the units…
:smack: mea culpa :smack:
OK, we can actually exploit that: we have different units of the SI system but let’s see how easy the conversation is: 1,000km/10cm =1,000,000m/0.1m= 10000000. The beauty of the decimal coma.
Try that with miles and inches
That I would not rely on mental feats to make important calculations is the point?
OK. It is so simple I see people mess it up every day. Yep.
I waited for that …
But you still did not respond to the original question and as long as you don’t you lack an argument.
So please tell me:
and show me that it is as easy as for km and cm!
What countries use the metric system in porn magazines? I dont know why but slipping 8 inches of throbbing love meat into her aching honeypot sounds a lot more erotic than easing 20.32cm of pulsing schlong into her bearded clam…
Errrr … in the metric countries we measure the “Schlong”, as call it, in centimeters. And it sounds BIGGER
As about your definition of what is erotic, well, that is debatable 
Computer screens are measured in inches in metric countries, so I do not know how many cms a 15" TFT panel is… On the other hand, TV screens are in centimeters.
Water pipes are measured in inches and half-inches, for a reason I don’t know.
Aviation is, of course, all feet and nautical miles, but only if the plane has an engine. The altimeters in sail planes are in meters. Don’t ask me why.
I never saw pounds, yards, ounces and the other more “exotic” units in a purely metric country.
Btw, in german a tape measure is called “Rollmeter”, which seems to be reasonable since it measures meters. That’s only the rollable version, however. If it comes in the form of a foldable bar, then it is called “Zollstab” = “inch bar”, even though it measures centimeters, not inches.
Yes, because I won’t do a simple math problem I lack an argument.