imperial versus Metric

[Fonzdude]

which is beter and why imperial(inches etc) /Metric?

i would say metric becuase it what i know and have used my entire life it all makes sense and is mathematicaly simpler.
our number system is based on the number 10 (1 2 3 .....9 10 11)
why should the measurment system be different?

1mm
.1cm
.01 dm
.001m etc.



and who still uses imperial system besides the usa?

[Starman]

Why does my beer come in 440ml cans?

It's neither metric or imperial, sort of a metric equivalent of 3/4 pint.

A 3 metre piece of sheet material measures exactly 10 ft (slightly bigger than 3m), other sizes are just rough metric equivalents 8 ft or 6 ft. - you can measure it with what you like but it still has to fit the same size hole.


When I was at school we learnt times tables up to 12 (inches in a foot, pennies in a shilling), several divisions of 20(shillings in a pound). My children only learn up to their 10 times table so a bit of everyday useful knowledge has been missed out.

We also had to get used to converting between several strange divisions of different numbers: If 4 lbs of potatoes costs 3 shillings how much would 12 ounces cost?.

This type of conversion becomes useful when calculating hours and minutes, angles and how many items neatly fit into a box.

The metrication of time has been suggested in several ways but none of them seem very easy.

You can't get exactly a third of a metre.

It's far easier to see inch divisions than cms on a ruler when measuring something.

I've used it all my life, it all makes sense and is mathematically more interesting.

[JPicasso]

I don't have a preference of one over the other,
I've used imperial all my life and describing myself
with lbs and feet seems more natural, but I just wish
this country would pick one and stick to it.
Nothing more frustrating than trying to buy a tools and
have to buy twice the number of sockets.
or better yet, use metric to fix your brakes and
imperial to loosen the engine bolts on your car. Lovely.

then you get to lug them around.

[Guv]

There are some people who would not touch metric measurement with a 3.048 meter pole, but I think it is a good system, once you get used to it.

Unfortunately, I am not used to it.

I remember a European who immediately knew how far light would travel in a microsecond, because approximately 300,000 km/sec is so easy to convert, while I struggled with converting 186,000 miles/second to inches per microsecond. Obviously metric has huge advantages once you get used to it.

I can deal with metric distances due to being on a track team a long time ago, but do not have an immediate understanding of volume or weight when expressed in metric.

Metric distances are apparent to me, but when somebody mentions 3 liters or 50 grams, my mind draws a blank until I get out my calculator and do a conversion to gallon or pounds.

If I had to deal with it every day, i suppose i would get used to metric, and it does seem much more logical.

[Ambivalentiowa]

I don't care either way but i think the world should just choose a method and stick with it everywhere.

[da_silvy]

metric