# U.S. Intention to Convert To Metric **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 25, 2004, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-intention-to-convert-to-metric/241954 "2004-04-25T20:25:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-intention-to-convert-to-metric/241954/101 "2004-04-30T16:12:31Z")
> [@kellner](#): > > What do you mean by that? The _Newton_ is a wonderful SI unit. (N = kg_m_s^-2) or does the fact that the factor isn’t a power of ten bother you? I meant the “kilograms force” > [@David Simmons](#): > > I think you are just playing devil’s advocate here, you rascal. 🙂 I’m just hoping that we can maintain the integrity of the old system long enough to convince people [to convert to base 60 arithmetic](http://mentock.home.mindspring.com/metric.htm). Look what happened one time we tried a base 10 system–a mile was a thousand paces. Nobody thinks of a mile as a base 10 unit anymore. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-intention-to-convert-to-metric/241954/102 "2004-04-30T18:17:07Z")
Back in the 80s, a college friend and I decided that the reason the metric system never caught on was that the time system was still base 60. Late one night, we came up with the “metric time system”, based on the “klobbit” (origin of word: we were freshman, what the hell more do you want?) 1 kiloklobbit = 1 day 1 hectoklobbit = 2 hours, 24 minutes (a full-length movie!) 1 dekaklobbit = .24 hours = 14 minutes, 24 seconds 1 klobbit = 1 minute, 26.4 seconds (your average short 60s pop song is about 2 klobbits) 1 deciklobbit = 8.64 seconds 1 centiklobbit = .864 seconds (close enough to a regular second that no one will notice the switch intuitively) 1 milliklobbit = .0864 seconds (imagine an Olympics competition decided by one milliklobbit) AHHHHHHHHH! That’s been floating around in my head for over 18 years waiting for a practical outlet of any sort whatsoever. I can put it to rest now. Thanks, SDMB! ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-intention-to-convert-to-metric/241954/103 "2004-04-30T19:27:06Z")
> [@scotandrsn](#): > > Back in the 80s, a college friend and I decided that the reason the metric system never caught on was that the time system was still base 60. > > Late one night, we came up with the “metric time system”, based on the “klobbit” (origin of word: we were freshman, what the hell more do you want?) > > 1 kiloklobbit = 1 day > 1 hectoklobbit = 2 hours, 24 minutes (a full-length movie!) > 1 dekaklobbit = .24 hours = 14 minutes, 24 seconds > > 1 klobbit = 1 minute, 26.4 seconds (your average short 60s pop song is about 2 klobbits) > > 1 deciklobbit = 8.64 seconds > 1 centiklobbit = .864 seconds (close enough to a regular second that no one will notice the switch intuitively) > 1 milliklobbit = .0864 seconds (imagine an Olympics competition decided by one milliklobbit) > > AHHHHHHHHH! That’s been floating around in my head for over 18 years waiting for a practical outlet of any sort whatsoever. I can put it to rest now. > > Thanks, SDMB! Scot, that’s not terribly different from the day measurement I posted, as written by Don Knuth and published in _Mad._ 😛 ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2004, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-intention-to-convert-to-metric/241954/104 "2004-05-01T15:14:49Z")
> [@scotandrsn](#): > > Back in the 80s, a college friend and I decided that the reason the metric system never caught on was that the time system was still base 60. And nobody complains about it either. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2004, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-intention-to-convert-to-metric/241954/105 "2004-05-01T15:27:32Z")
I suppose my post may have come out sounding more serious than I intended. IIRC, the development of the klobbit came on the same long night as the two-hour discusson of the Sleestak in “Land of the Lost”. So I think you can grasp the mindset going on there… ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2004, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-intention-to-convert-to-metric/241954/106 "2004-05-01T20:59:32Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > a barrel of oil is 42 gallons. Before I retired three years ago, I used to buy oil and other chemicals in 55 gallon barrels. When my wife and I took the train from London to Paris, the English side had not been ungraded to allow full speed. Once we were through the Chunnel the speed was increased. All announcements were made in both French and English. An announcement was made in French followed by an English announcement that we’d reached full speed of **186 _miles_ per hour.** :eek: ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2004, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-intention-to-convert-to-metric/241954/107 "2004-05-01T21:06:05Z")
> [@kniz](#): > > Before I retired three years ago, I used to buy oil and other chemicals in 55 gallon barrels. The Merriam-Webster _Collegiate_ defines a barrel as a cylindrical container having flat ends and various capacities, such as 31 gallons for fermented beverages and 42 gallons for petroleum. When you look up “drum” you find approximately the same definition and an example of use: _… a 55 gallon \_\_\_._ ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-intention-to-convert-to-metric/241954/108 "2004-05-02T04:28:08Z")
> [@kniz](#): > > Before I retired three years ago, I used to buy oil and other chemicals in 55 gallon barrels. I’m sure you did. But when you hear a report on how many barrels of oil the US is importing or OPEC is setting as a production quota, the unit they are using is a 42 gallon barrel. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-intention-to-convert-to-metric/241954/109 "2004-05-02T05:29:42Z")
**dtilque** Good point. Why the heck should we change from the ‘Merican system to some ferrin’ system? By gosh, when we say barrels we know _exactly_ what it means. (sort of, kind of, more or less and you didn’t mean drums right ? barrels ?) ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-intention-to-convert-to-metric/241954/110 "2004-05-02T15:07:08Z")
> [@kniz](#): > > Before I retired three years ago, I used to buy oil and other chemicals in 55 gallon barrels. > > When my wife and I took the train from London to Paris, the English side had not been ungraded to allow full speed. Once we were through the Chunnel the speed was increased. All announcements were made in both French and English. An announcement was made in French followed by an English announcement that we’d reached full speed of **186 _miles_ per hour.** :eek: Kniz, did the announcement in French say (approximately) “Nous avons atteindu la vitesse de trois cents kilos par heure”? ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-intention-to-convert-to-metric/241954/111 "2004-05-02T15:43:11Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Kniz, did the announcement in French say (approximately) “Nous avons atteindu la vitesse de trois cents kilos par heure”? Actually, people say “300 kilometres heures” , omitting the “par” (it should be there but it isn’t). ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-intention-to-convert-to-metric/241954/112 "2004-05-02T15:55:08Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Kniz, did the announcement in French say (approximately) “Nous avons atteindu la vitesse de trois cents kilos par heure”? Isn’t the English side of the tunnel also metric? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-intention-to-convert-to-metric/241954.md?page=5)