# What is the purpose of the US customary system of measurement? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 31, 2013, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784 "2013-05-31T13:57:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784/101 "2013-05-31T20:26:19Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > In other words, to make it logical?😉 > > It also make dates easier to sort in correct order. Unless you’re trying to sort a range of dates that spans two or more calendar months, in which case it fails completely. As has been noted previously, the format YYYY/MM/DD is superior to both ‘standard’ forms in that dates are automatically sorted ‘alphabetically’. ---
**Author:** ![RedSwinglineOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784/102 "2013-05-31T20:33:56Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > For those who don’t think conversions actually come up that often, I can give a few examples: > > … > Can anyone in this thread who’s a fan of the American system answer all of these questions? Better yet, can you answer them without a calculator? . But that’s not the point. I don’t think anybody is saying that the American system is better. They are saying that converting to metric (from an individual’s standpoint) is more trouble than it is worth. Even with your examples I would say maybe once a year I need to do inch measurement calculations that I can’t do in my head. If we converted to metric I would be making similar conversions 20 times a day. Is 4 kilometers too far to walk? Is 1.8 meters tall? Is 90kg fat? It’s going to be 27degree C today, should I wear shorts or a jacket? I would be constantly converting metric to inch just to make the numbers mean something to me. Even if I live another 50 years, converting to metric won’t simplify my life enough to make up for the hassle of learning metric. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784/103 "2013-05-31T20:36:53Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > YYYY/MM/DD is the way to write dates to sort in chronological order, > [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > As has been noted previously, the format YYYY/MM/DD is superior to both ‘standard’ forms in that dates are automatically sorted ‘alphabetically’. Sorry, that’s what I meant. (I know it’s not what I said.) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784/104 "2013-05-31T20:41:52Z")
> [@RedSwinglineOne](#): > > I would be constantly converting metric to inch just to make the numbers mean something to me. No you wouldn’t. If you use a new system all the time you’ll get a feel for what the numbers mean pretty quickly. There won’t be any need for you to do conversions at all. I’ve “switched” from living in the US to places that use metric (New Zealand and Panama) a couple of times. Drive 50 kilometers a few times when all the road signs are all in km and you’ll know how far it is. If everything is sold in kilos, you’ll know how much a kilo is. > [@](#): > > Even if I live another 50 years, converting to metric won’t simplify my life enough to make up for the hassle of learning metric. If everything is in metric, there’s no need for you to convert back to English units. You’ll learn what the units mean _in their own terms_, without having to think of what they mean in other units. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784/105 "2013-05-31T20:47:16Z")
Incidentally, the U.S. isn’t the only country whose citizens have resisted metrification. The road signs in Great Britain still show distances to the next town in miles, and people there still weigh themselves in stone. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784/106 "2013-05-31T20:50:10Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > If everything is in metric, there’s no need for you to convert back to English units. You’ll learn what the units mean _in their own terms_, without having to think of what they mean in other units. Perhaps; perhaps not. I imagine it depends on the person. One of my best friends grew up in Ireland, using the metric system. She’s lived in the US for 20 years now (she’s 47), and, despite being a very bright person, she still stumbles over how to interpret Fahrenheit temperatures (i.e., is 80 comfortable or not? Do I want a sweater if it’s 55 degrees?) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784/107 "2013-05-31T20:58:00Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > She’s lived in the US for 20 years now (she’s 47), and, despite being a very bright person, she still stumbles over how to interpret Fahrenheit temperatures (i.e., is 80 comfortable or not? Do I want a sweater if it’s 55 degrees?) I’ll admit, temperature is still the least instinctive one for me. I have a general sense of what 10s, 20s, and 30s mean in C but am less precise on intermediate numbers. However, that’s partly because in Panama I don’t see temperatures outside a narrow range. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784/108 "2013-05-31T20:59:40Z")
The metric system has been the defining standard for measures in the U.S. since 1893 (Mendenhall Order) and legal since 1866 (metric act of 1866). I believe the reason most people don’t like it here in the U.S. is because they don’t have a “feel” for it. They lack estimating skills in the system, though this is getting better slowly with all the 2 L bottles of drinks sold these days. I taught SI units for 26 years and it finally dawned on me that the examples used for the SI units didn’t give the students much of a feel for the sizes since they rarely used the examples. The one for a gram is a paperclip. Few people really handle paperclips every day unless they’re teachers. A dollar bill is a much better example of a gram due to its attraction and familiarity. Ask a bunch of ninth graders what a kilo is and they’ll giggle and say it’s what cocaine and weed come in, but they’ll have no clue of its size unless they know the drug trade intimately. They seemed genuinely surprised when I told them a kilo is the mass of a liter of water. Telling them that since the speedometer on the car shows 50 mph is nearly 80 Km/h means a km is about 5/8 of a mile helps, too. When the regular retail market changes to SI units like the soda sellers did, the U.S. population will finally become comfortable with the system. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784/109 "2013-05-31T20:59:57Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I’ll admit, temperature is still the least instinctive one for me. I have a general sense of what 10s, 20s, and 30s mean in C but am less precise on intermediate numbers. However, that’s partly because in Panama I don’t see temperatures outside a narrow range. I’d guess that in Panama, that narrow range would be from “hot” to “unbearably hot”… ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784/110 "2013-05-31T21:05:30Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > No you wouldn’t. If you use a new system all the time you’ll get a feel for what the numbers mean pretty quickly. There won’t be any need for you to do conversions at all. I’ve “switched” from living in the US to places that use metric (New Zealand and Panama) a couple of times. Drive 50 kilometers a few times when all the road signs are all in km and you’ll know how far it is. If everything is sold in kilos, you’ll know how much a kilo is. > > If everything is in metric, there’s no need for you to convert back to English units. You’ll learn what the units mean _in their own terms_, without having to think of what they mean in other units. I completely agree. I am not someone who is intuitively good at distances & speeds and such. But you know what it took for me to grasp what 30mph is, or 70mph? Driving just _once_. You drive, your brain says “oh, 30mph is town speed, ok”. Done. It’s about actually having to use it, not the hypothetical. That’s why I don’t grasp Fahrenheit: I’ve never really had to. From doing plenty of both I can absolutely say that in miles or pounds I would just not calculate stuff. In anything expressed metrically I would. So now I’m thinking: people who say you would never do those calculations don’t do them much \*because it’s a hassle. \* I do it all the time. I think it must make a difference. I read a book (really can’t remember the name, maybe someone can help me?) with a chapter about how one possible reason the Chinese are good at maths is that their words for numbers are simpler and more intuitive, so they use them from a younger age. Also IIRC their words for division are more intuitive, making it easier for children. If weight, distances and volumes are easier to calculate, I think you are more likely to calculate them frequently. Just a theory I came up with right now, totally unsuited to GQ 😛 ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784/111 "2013-05-31T21:06:40Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > Incidentally, the U.S. isn’t the only country whose citizens have resisted metrification. > > The road signs in Great Britain still show distances to the next town in miles, and people there still weigh themselves in stone. While you’re quite right with the two examples you quote, I think “resistance” may be overstating the case. Perhaps “ambivalent” and “pragmatic” or even “muddled” would be more descriptive of our approach. Take your example of road distances. Yes, distances on road signs are shown in miles, but petrol is sold at the pump in litres and paid for in a decimalised currency. Yes, we weigh ourselves in stones and pounds, but food and drink is sold in kilos and litres (visit any online UK supermarket to see for yourself.) A personal example of this; I do a lot of hiking, I feel very comfortable estimating distances in miles, but heights in meters. I think actually you could say we are transitioning rather than resisting. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784/112 "2013-05-31T21:14:44Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > I think actually you could say we are transitioning rather than resisting. Very, very, very slowly. And grumpily. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784/113 "2013-05-31T21:16:16Z")
Oh, and P.S. There has been a tendency (especially in the British press) to measure extremely cold weather in Celcius and hot weather in Fahrenheit. Yeah, I can’t figure the Brits out sometimes, and I am one. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784/114 "2013-05-31T21:17:43Z")
> [@gracer](#): > > Very, very, very slowly. And grumpily. 😉 We’re getting there, inch by centimeter 😃 ---
**Author:** ![R3d\_Anonymous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aeb1de/32.png) [@R3d\_Anonymous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R3d_Anonymous)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784/115 "2013-05-31T21:19:50Z")
Hey, at least in America we measure sound intensity/loudness in metric: in **decibels**. Now imagine if America was to come up with a US customary form of measuring _that_… ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784/116 "2013-05-31T21:23:23Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > I’d guess that in Panama, that narrow range would be from “hot” to “unbearably hot”… No, it’s actually doesn’t get nearly as hot here as it does in the summer in most of the US. Maybe 32 C (90 F) at midday, often around 25 C (77 F) in the evenings. Because of it’s long history with the US, Panama has traditionally sold gas in gallons. A couple of months ago they switched to liters. I don’t think it will take long for me to get a feel for how far I can go on 40 liters, or whether $1.20 per liter is expensive or cheap. Some things are even still sold by the pound in supermarkets, but even though nearly all packaged goods are from the US they have both US and metric weights on them. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784/117 "2013-05-31T21:26:21Z")
> [@Anonymous User](#): > > Hey, at least in America we measure sound intensity/loudness in metric: in **decibels**. > > Now imagine if America was to come up with a US customary form of measuring _that_… It may not be a metric unit, but there **IS** an alternative to the deciBel. It’s called the **Neper:** [Neper - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neper) ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784/118 "2013-05-31T21:28:26Z")
> [@Anonymous User](#): > > Hey, at least in America we measure sound intensity/loudness in metric: in **decibels**. > > Now imagine if America was to come up with a US customary form of measuring _that_… Actually, the imperial unit of sound is the Blessed. Sorry, you’d have to be a UK Doper to get that one 😛 ---
**Author:** ![R3d\_Anonymous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aeb1de/32.png) [@R3d\_Anonymous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R3d_Anonymous)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784/119 "2013-05-31T21:30:03Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > It may not be a metric unit, but there **IS** an alternative to the deciBel. > > It’s called the **Neper:** [Neper - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neper) You have _got_ to be kidding me. What was the need for that? But the deciBel truly is metric. The actual unit is “Bel” and the “deci” in front of it makes it one tenth of a Bel. So 10 dB is basically 1 B. Not trying to be condescending by implying that you don’t know this. That’s not my intent for anything I am posting; it’s just for confirmation. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784/120 "2013-05-31T21:31:23Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Because of it’s long history with the US, Panama has traditionally sold gas in gallons. A couple of months ago they switched to liters. I don’t think it will take long for me to get a feel for how far I can go on 40 liters, or whether $1.20 per liter is expensive or cheap. Fun fact: For a brief time, many U.S. gas stations switched to dispensing gasoline in liters. Not because of any legal requirements to do so. No, because when the price of gasoline first went over $1 per gallon, most of the older U.S. gas pumps only had 2 digit wheels (and an extra wheel for tenths) to display the price. They couldn’t display a price-per-dispensed-volume-unit higher than 99.9 cents! But they **could** have their volume unit switched from gallons to liters. So, that’s what many gas stations did. Instead of $1.09-and-9-tenths per gallon, they’d display $0.29-and-zero-tenths per liter. As soon as newer digital gas pumps started going into production, with a digit or two to the left of the decimal point for the price, they switched back to gallons. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-us-customary-system-of-measurement/659784.md?page=7)