How Can We Convert the US to the Metric System?

thesolo asks: "Despite past efforts of the 1970s and 1980s, the United States remains one of only three countries (others are Liberia and Myanmar) that does not use the metric system. Staying with imperial measurements has only served to handicap American industry and economy. Attempts to get Americans using the Celsius scale, or putting up speed limits in kilometers per hour have been squashed dead. Not only that, but some Americans actually see metrication efforts as an assault on 'our way' of measuring. I personally deal with European scientists on a daily basis, and find our lack of common measurement to be extremely frustrating. Are we so entrenched with imperial units that we cannot get our fellow citizens to simply learn something new? What are those of us who wish to finally see America catch up to the rest of the world supposed to do? Are there any organizations that we may back, or any pro-metric legislators who we can support?"

Comments

Re:I'll let you into a secret about Britain

[YttriumOxide]

...minced beef and jam, for instance, are sold in 454g packets...or 1lb...

I have always HATED this argument. A switch to metric will not mean you have to deal with obscure numbers like 454g all the time. The manufacturers will just hike the price a little and make it a standard 500g packet (or maybe 450g).

As a note on the topic in general - every time this comes up, people always point at the UK and say "well, they haven't really fully switched to metric". That's true, but quite irrelevant. The UK isn't exactly "the rest of the world" from the US. ALL of mainland Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Middle East, Africa, South America and anywhere else you care to name OTHER than the US, Liberia, Myanmar and a couple of "halfies" like the UK and Canada (although to a lesser extent than the UK) use metric and solely metric.

I wouldn't have a clue how many pounds I weigh, nor how many inches tall I am, nor how many miles from here to the city centre. But I know it and can picture it clearly in kg, cm and km.

What's stopping me? Metric sucks!

[egarland]

The metric system is better for people doing calculations.

The imperial system is better for people who cook, fix, build and actually do things.

I'm tired of scientists whining about how everybody doesn't make their math easier, especially when computers do 99% of their math for them anyway.

The English units are intuitive. 1 cup, 1 pint, 1 teaspoon are designed around quantities that are easy to visualize. 350 milliliters is designed for easy math but it's hard to visualize 350 1 milliliter things.

Also, in the English measurement system you find systems divisible by 3 and 4 which are very handy for building things. Metric is divisible by 2, 5 and 10 which is useful for doing math.

The metric system was designed before computers to make certain math in science easier. That goal is outdated. Metric units are inferior now.