US measurement system

[Thalas]

I use metric system for normal life
But imperialistic system is much better for writing.

[Sevs]

Oh god ft-lb's are a pain.

But i actually like the whole Month Day Year Thing

In actuality a month is longer than a day, but numerically, days > months. ie the month<day<year  so Feb 29th 2000 is 2/29/2000 with the number getting bigger. rather than 29/2/2000

[TheManuz]

About date, i write them from bigger unit to smaller units (in computer, of course), so i get them sorted from older to newer.
For example i write 2011-10-23. That's a little fixation of mine!

[Scaredgirl]

*stops reading after title*

Apparently Burma, Liberia, and people in other countries who still use the imperial system don't exist

Measurement systems used in the US cannot be called "US measurement system"? Everyone knows the real name is Imperial system, but the only big-player country that uses it is US. I didn't direct this topic to people from Burma because I doubt we have any here.

As an engineer, I use both systems interchangeably.  As a user of both, while the metric system makes for nice conversions and is generally great for scientific work, the imperial system is not without its own merits.  The imperial system has some wierd conversions, but its individual units were generally chosen due to the practicality of their size.  Pint, quart, gallon; each is a usable size in every day use.  Much more useful IMO than 0.55 liter, 1.1 liter, and 4.4 liter.  Since everything is based on factors of 10, 1000, etc. the metric system leads to some wierd numbers from time to time.

That makes absolutely no sense. What does "practicality of their size" mean? Are you saying that gallon is somehow the perfect amount of liquid humans prefer to use in every day life? If I used the same method you did, I could say that I prefer the metric system because it's easier for me to buy 1 liter of milk than it is to buy 0.26 gallons of milk. No, it's just an amount that was decided back in the day and people in the US still use. One gallon of Pepsi is not the "best" amount of Pepsi that a person needs, just like 1 liter is not. We cannot really say which amount is better, but because of the silly conversion in Imperial system, metric system is clearly superior, more logical and easier to learn.

IMO, it really does make more sense to list the month before they day.  Mentally, it narrows things down much more having the month listed first.  It really does not make that much of a difference not like other unit's difference.

Only reason it makes more sense to you is because you have been using it all your life. Listing day before month makes more sense to me because of the same reason. We both have a highly subjective view on the subject, but I win because when we compare the two objectively, the system I'm using is clearly better because it goes from smaller things to larger things.

Day
Month = 30 Days
Year = 12 Months =365 Days

Day/Month/Year makes sense. Year/Month/Day makes also sense because it's the same, only backwards. What does not make sense is Month/Day/Year. It's not based on logic, it's based on some guy starting to use that system at some point and others going with it. Problem is that when a bad system is adopted by millions, it's difficult to get rid of it.

It's the same thing with Chinese characters. They are highly complex and plain bad writing system that comes from the stone-ages, yet with long tradition and a billion people using it, I don't see them replaced any time soon.

What the world needs is a "reset" every 100 years so that we could get rid of all the old and outdated systems that have no place in today's scientific world. Not only would it be easier to learn, but it would also have the benefit of everyone using the same system.

[darkrobe]

As an engineer, I use both systems interchangeably.  As a user of both, while the metric system makes for nice conversions and is generally great for scientific work, the imperial system is not without its own merits.  The imperial system has some wierd conversions, but its individual units were generally chosen due to the practicality of their size.  Pint, quart, gallon; each is a usable size in every day use.  Much more useful IMO than 0.55 liter, 1.1 liter, and 4.4 liter.  Since everything is based on factors of 10, 1000, etc. the metric system leads to some wierd numbers from time to time.

That makes absolutely no sense. What does "practicality of their size" mean? Are you saying that gallon is somehow the perfect amount of liquid humans prefer to use in every day life? If I used the same method you did, I could say that I prefer the metric system because it's easier for me to buy 1 liter of milk than it is to buy 0.26 gallons of milk. No, it's just an amount that was decided back in the day and people in the US still use. One gallon of Pepsi is not the "best" amount of Pepsi that a person needs, just like 1 liter is not. We cannot really say which amount is better, but because of the silly conversion in Imperial system, metric system is clearly superior, more logical and easier to learn.

I think I explained what he meant better in my previous statement. "practicality of their size" means, what is the thing you are going to use to measure it on a daily basis. Whatever measuring stick or cup or whatever you use. if you use it enough, it becomes easier to just call that the unit. and base everything on that. it doesnt mean its the perfect size. it means it the size most used, thus most understandable by people who are trying to measure the same thing.

[teffy]

It's the same thing with Chinese characters. They are highly complex and plain bad writing system that comes from the stone-ages, yet with long tradition and a billion people using it, I don't see them replaced any time soon.

Chinese don´t use a phonetic script. People can speak different languages, but they can read the same writing system. This is a big advantage.
Also a big disadvantage. phonetic scripts are easier to learn.

Haven´t you been in China (business trips)?

What does not make sense is Month/Day/Year.

It makes a bit sense to sort the numbers by size (whyever you should do that)

Germans like me have a similar sorting problem.
If you read the number 647, you read sixhundred fourty-seven and think 647 = 600+40+7.
We would say "six hundred and seven and fourty" or "Sechshundertsiebenundvierzig" and think 647= 600+7+40. That´s totally impractical.
 Or even worse:
145275 = (100+5+40)*1000+ (200+5+70).

French don´t have this problem but say 97 =4*20 + 10 + 7 (quatre-vingt- dix- sept). Not in all French speaking countries(e.g. Belgium).

[Scaredgirl]

It's the same thing with Chinese characters. They are highly complex and plain bad writing system that comes from the stone-ages, yet with long tradition and a billion people using it, I don't see them replaced any time soon.

Chinese don´t use a phonetic script. People can speak different languages, but they can read the same writing system. This is a big advantage.
Also a big disadvantage. phonetic scripts are easier to learn.

Haven´t you been in China (business trips)?

Yes, I know. I've studied Chinese at a University in Shanghai. I can both speak and write it.

As for advantages that Chinese characters have, they are nothing when looking at the countless disadvantages. Having to memorize thousands and thousands of characters is just crazy. It's an outdated system that is both difficult to learn and use. I like the characters because of the stories behind them and how they can be used in art etc., but in terms of usability, they are just horrible. But that's another topic.

What does not make sense is Month/Day/Year.

It makes a bit sense to sort the numbers by size (whyever you should do that)

Germans like me have a similar sorting problem.
If you read the number 347, you read threehundred fourty-seven and think 347 = 300+40+7.
We would say "three hundred and seven and fourty" or "Dreihundertsiebenundvierzig" and think 300+7+40. That´s totally impractical.
 Or even worse:
145275 = 100000+5000+40000+200+5+70.

French don´t have this problem but say 97 =4*20 + 10 + 7 (quatre-vingt- dix- sept). Not in all French countries.

I speak a bit of German too, and I remember really well the number thing you use. Although it was a bit weird, it was pretty easy to learn, something that I cannot say about some other grammar rules in German language. It's a cool language though. But that's off-topic too.

[willng3]

I think our measurement system is absolutely moronic.  Why should I have to memorize 400000000000000000000 different conversions when none of them have any correlation to each other that makes logical sense to a 3rd grader?  I mean I still don't have any idea how many freaking teaspoons are in a tablespoon and I get reminded of this very important fact every single time I help out in the kitchen here at home (the excuse that the Imperial System is too mainstream is beginning to lose its effect >_>).  How hard would it be to just use milliliters, honestly?

Unfortunately, as a teacher from high school informed my class, it's near impossible to make the switch now since so many people depend on the current system to live their daily lives.  Hopefully with enough brainwashing education future generations can use the metric system to better effect.

[Scaredgirl]

I think our measurement system is absolutely moronic.  Why should I have to memorize 400000000000000000000 different conversions when none of them have any correlation to each other that makes logical sense to a 3rd grader?  I mean I still don't have any idea how many freaking teaspoons are in a tablespoon and I get reminded of this very important fact every single time I help out in the kitchen here at home (the excuse that the Imperial System is too mainstream is beginning to lose its effect >_>).  How hard would it be to just use milliliters, honestly?

Unfortunately, as a teacher from high school informed my class, it's near impossible to make the switch now since so many people depend on the current system to live their daily lives.  Hopefully with enough brainwashing education future generations can use the metric system to better effect.

Yea, the problem is that changing a system like that is no small task because of the following reasons:

1. People are idiots.
2. People are afraid of chance. Not afraid of the new system, but the concept of change itself.
3. People do not like to admit they are wrong and that their system is inferior.
4. Tradition. The good old excuse to why progress should be hindered.
5. Money. It would cost a lot of money to change school books and stuff like that.

As for learning that system, that would ridiculously easy. All you need to do is educate the next generation to use the metric system and maybe run both systems parallel for a while (20-30 years) so that the dumb ones survive in their every day life. In 60-70 years nobody would even remember Imperial system existed.

[jmdt]

I think our measurement system is absolutely moronic.  Why should I have to memorize 400000000000000000000 different conversions when none of them have any correlation to each other that makes logical sense to a 3rd grader?  I mean I still don't have any idea how many freaking teaspoons are in a tablespoon and I get reminded of this very important fact every single time I help out in the kitchen here at home (the excuse that the Imperial System is too mainstream is beginning to lose its effect >_>).  How hard would it be to just use milliliters, honestly?

Unfortunately, as a teacher from high school informed my class, it's near impossible to make the switch now since so many people depend on the current system to live their daily lives.  Hopefully with enough brainwashing education future generations can use the metric system to better effect.

3 teaspoons in a tablespoon.  How hard is it to use teaspoons and tablespoons, honestly?  Hopefully with enough brainwashing education future generations can use the Imperial system to better effect. 

[willng3]

I think our measurement system is absolutely moronic.  Why should I have to memorize 400000000000000000000 different conversions when none of them have any correlation to each other that makes logical sense to a 3rd grader?  I mean I still don't have any idea how many freaking teaspoons are in a tablespoon and I get reminded of this very important fact every single time I help out in the kitchen here at home (the excuse that the Imperial System is too mainstream is beginning to lose its effect >_>).  How hard would it be to just use milliliters, honestly?

Unfortunately, as a teacher from high school informed my class, it's near impossible to make the switch now since so many people depend on the current system to live their daily lives.  Hopefully with enough brainwashing education future generations can use the metric system to better effect.

3 teaspoons in a tablespoon.  How hard is it to use teaspoons and tablespoons, honestly?  Hopefully with enough brainwashing education future generations can use the Imperial system to better effect. 

Clever.  Aside from the obvious trolling and insulting my intelligence (or I suppose my ability to memorize information unimportant to myself), what, if anything, were you trying to contribute to this discussion exactly?
We had a very nice list of units and conversions to memorize in elementary school, none of which I have forgotten despite not having to rely on them in my academic career for several years.  So then what would be the logical explanation for me not understanding one simple conversion?  Oh of course:  Because apparently someone decided that information was obsolete and not necessary for us to memorize and comprehend at a stage in life when it would have been most useful to master.  So if anything your comment strikes me as humorous because you seem to believe that the information is simple to understand and that it should be common knowledge because of the way the Imperial System works when in reality it is because of how obsolete and unimportant the Imperial System is becoming that I do not have this information ready for daily use in my brain.

Had a conversation with a friend of mine today over failing a college-level course mainly due to the fact that she still doesn't have the hang of metric system conversions.  This is far from the only case of this problem that I have seen.  This thread came to mind in the middle of that conversation.  It makes me wonder:  If this system (SI) is emphasized so greatly and used on such a frequent basis then why is it not being taught so that the information will actually become common knowledge for use at this stage in someone's academic career?  And then on the opposite end, I just had an exam last week where our professor had to write the conversions for centimeters to inches to FEET because he was concerned that this information might have been forgotten somehow.  Keeping in mind that I'm about 2 years ahead of peers my own age, this is just depressing.

On a side note, I would much rather see the metric system taught earlier because at least then there would be some hope of more college students not needing a calculator to divide a number by 1000 or even 100.  Expecting everyone to be able to divide/multiply by 3...or 2 appears to be futile, but I would hope that moving a decimal 2 or 3 places is easier than that.

The real thing that bothers me is that it seems that the education system seems to be focused on providing information that children can expect to see in their every day lives, reinforcing that arbitrary knowledge so that they can use it to great effect.  Which is all good and well if you want them to go to the grocery store and take care of everything themselves, but how many 10 year olds do you know who do this?  No, the vibe that I get is to the effect of, "Of course we believe in you as an individual and we believe that you'll be able to excel in life, but just in case you don't we're making sure that you can make your less successful life easier by not tearing your hair out every time you go to buy yourself food."  Then you can go to high school and wonder why the hell you're learning yet another measurement system that you'll likely never need to use frequently unless you go to college.  Oh and don't think about traveling outside of the country because you'll have no idea what anything means.

I honestly hope that the way each of these systems is taught to Americans is an attempt at transitioning from one system to another because otherwise we're causing countless people to struggle and wasting time teaching concepts which would be common knowledge if only this weren't America.

EDIT:  Note that I'm basing my argument from the perspective of a demographic where there is an indisputable lack of knowledge; I am well aware that this information is dependent on the location that it is introduced.

[Bloodshadow]

It's the same thing with Chinese characters. They are highly complex and plain bad writing system that comes from the stone-ages, yet with long tradition and a billion people using it, I don't see them replaced any time soon.

Just to point out, Chinese grammar is actually simpler than English. It doesn't have all those singular, plural, past/present/future tenses and such. No language is perfect.