As an easy to use system for measuring distance, weight or volume the metric system is far superior.
But it's still hard to visualize how "much" something is since we're used to doing that in English and need to convert to more comfortable units. 15 Km - is that a long way? 100 kph - that's really fast, isn't it? Temp is 12 C - hmm, is that hot or cold? If something is 30 cm, that must be pretty long, right? (No, it's just about one foot) About the only equivalent I'm comfortable with is a liter since it's just about one quart.
It's mostly a matter of unfamiliarity and is a lot like speaking a foreign language. If you have to think of what you want to say in English and then translate it, that's difficult. Once you learn to think of what you want to say in the other language right off it becomes a lot easier.
Gunnery, gunnery, gunnery. Hit the target, all else is twaddle!
It has been discussed on machine forums where it is much more pertinent.. In machining, a thou is easier to use, but out side of that, you just have to learn to think in metric terms. Cars and machinery is metric. Construction it's still 16" OC.
Years ago, driving up Ontario 502, I'm taking the kilometers to Dryden signs. Multiply by six, round off for miles. !00 kilometers= sixty miles. 80 kilos to Dryden, I'm driving 80 kilometers an hour, duh, a hour.
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I'm an engineer in the transportation field and do a lot of DOT work and went through the conversion from english to metric. I know the DOT's spent considerable money to convert, I believe mandated by the Feds, only to convert back to english after a few years. I'm comfortable with either system, but my understanding for going back to english (whether true or not) was based on contractor issues related to metric units and construction materials produced in english dimensions and having to convert back and forth.
Highway Engineer here also.
The Federal Highway Administration mandeted that we use the metric system back in the 80's. We produced one set (in 1988) of Standard Specifications in SI (metric) units.
We'd put out projects and Contractors would hire someone to convert them back to US customary units (english) so they could understand the plans and actually build them.
Had pay units for dirt work in megagrams! (fuggin unreal) [one megagram = 1 metric ton = about 2,200 #]
I'm an engineer in the transportation field and do a lot of DOT work and went through the conversion from english to metric. I know the DOT's spent considerable money to convert, I believe mandated by the Feds, only to convert back to english after a few years. I'm comfortable with either system, but my understanding for going back to english (whether true or not) was based on contractor issues related to metric units and construction materials produced in english dimensions and having to convert back and forth.
Highway Engineer here also.
The Federal Highway Administration mandeted that we use the metric system back in the 80's. We produced one set (in 1988) of Standard Specifications in SI (metric) units.
We'd put out projects and Contractors would hire someone to convert them back to US customary units (english) so they could understand the plans and actually build them.
Had pay units for dirt work in megagrams! (fuggin unreal)
In Montana, the metric projects I was involved with were designed in the 2000 - 2005 time frame. I still get involved with metric plans on current projects when having to work with as-built plans from older projects..
Fractions have real use and the metric system has nothing to compare.
What does this mean?
It means you are missing the point. Tell me what metric dimension equals a gallon? then divide it into 4 equal parts. What does that look like to you? Tell me what metric dimension equals an inch, put it on a steel tape on a metric scale, divide it into 4 parts and tell me just how easy this would be to follow on a ladder 20 feet up calling out numbers to the saw man.
I've been the cut man, when you holler at me "77 & 5/8 minus" I know what to do, but 'gimme a "1.97167 minus" or is that the same as a 1.97009?????? And who ever heard of 6.096 Ladder!?!?!?!
"...A man's rights rest in three boxes: the ballot box, the jury box and the cartridge box..." Frederick Douglass, 1867
I'm an engineer in the transportation field and do a lot of DOT work and went through the conversion from english to metric. I know the DOT's spent considerable money to convert, I believe mandated by the Feds, only to convert back to english after a few years. I'm comfortable with either system, but my understanding for going back to english (whether true or not) was based on contractor issues related to metric units and construction materials produced in english dimensions and having to convert back and forth.
Highway Engineer here also.
The Federal Highway Administration mandeted that we use the metric system back in the 80's. We produced one set (in 1988) of Standard Specifications in SI (metric) units.
We'd put out projects and Contractors would hire someone to convert them back to US customary units (english) so they could understand the plans and actually build them.
Had pay units for dirt work in megagrams! (fuggin unreal) [one megagram = 1 metric ton = about 2,200 #]
Thanks to you guys I learned that 1 Megapascale = 145.0377 psi. In the concrete business supplying freeway projects there for a while you had to learn the all the spec conversions. Major PITA.