Do Americans use metric system?

[swampyankee]

I've used both inches and metric for computations; the latter are easier.

As for metric vs Imperial: do note even Germany and Russia adopted the metric system even as they defeated the French.

 

[pbehn]

The only problem some get into with the SI vs Ye Olde Englisher system is the British penchant to take the easy route when doing multiples of a measurement. Grab a piece of string/rope, its length matters not. Without doing any kind/type of measurement there is one point on the string/rope that you can find with perfect exactitude, i.e.: The Middle and the middle of that middle followed by the middle of that middle of that middle of that middle and so on.
That leaves you with the only way to express those halfs of halfs of halfs EVIL FRACTIONS!!!
While dividing something up into 1/10th (not easy to do) to give decimal fractions wherein it is at a glance obvious that 0.375 is less than 0.3906 it is not as obvious that 3/8 and 25/64 are related in the same way. If your 7/16 wrench is a bit too big what size do you try next? Obviously 5/16 is smaller but what about 3/8?
On the other hand if my 9mm wrench does not work it is obvious without thought to try 8mm or 10mm and I know without thought which is larger and smaller
The Non-Relationship of other measuring units like Volume units and Weight/Mass measurement is a separate issue.
Example: Without thought how big a box will hold exactly one gallon of liquid and if that liquid is pure water how much does it weigh?

The goal on a football (soccer) pitch is 8 yards by 8 feet. What would a metric goal be? Same for most sports.

 

[mikewint]

9.75 meters

 

[wuzak]

I've used both inches and metric for computations; the latter are easier.

As for metric vs Imperial: do note even Germany and Russia adopted the metric system even as they defeated the French.

When did they do that?

As far as I can tell, the Germans were using metric prior to WW2.

 

[tyrodtom]

When did they do that?

As far as I can tell, the Germans were using metric prior to WW2.

Germany went metric in the 1870s, he's probably referring to the Franco-Prussian war.

Speaking on our own education system and measurements, I've had a new mechanic trainee that had to ask which was bigger, 7/8 or 15/16 ?

He didn't appear to have a problem with metric sizes.

 

[gumbyk]

While I admit that the SI system has some nice features, to me it also has some drawbacks in that its hard for me to visualize some units (specifically pressure/pascals). As such I tend to prefer Imperial units for some calculations but will use SI for some others, and/or a mix for the rest.

That's not a drawback of the metric system, but just your perception of it.

 

[N4521U]

My calipers don't care, just a push of a button.
My wife talks CM, I talk mm....... conflict!!!!!!!
Now, spanners, WhatThe, it's and END wrench!!!!!
Not a jig saw, Sabre Saw!!!!!!!

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

V vandee

If you are going to disagree with so many people, then why don't you counter with something as to why?

 

[wuzak]

While I admit that the SI system has some nice features, to me it also has some drawbacks in that its hard for me to visualize some units (specifically pressure/pascals). As such I tend to prefer Imperial units for some calculations but will use SI for some others, and/or a mix for the rest.

I'd suggest that is from experience and familiarity.

 

[The Basket]

Imperial Russia kept there own measures which is why early Mosin sights are in arshins. It was the ussr which converted to metric.

The issue is not individual use of measures but international or even workshop use. Getting the two mixed up can create havoc and some projects have failed when the two have mixed up.

 

[swampyankee]

For the Germans, during unification, before which every nanostate had its own units.

The French left a lot in their wake, even after the defeat of the Napoleonic wars.

Imperial Russia kept there own measures which is why early Mosin sights are in arshins. It was the ussr which converted to metric.

The issue is not individual use of measures but international or even workshop use. Getting the two mixed up can create havoc and some projects have failed when the two have mixed up.

That last is very true. See, for example Mars Climate Orbiter Failure Board Releases Report

 

[GrauGeist]

As a mechanic, I've found that metric hardware is a pain in the ass unlike USS/SAE sizes.

On the otherhand, metric wrenches work on SAE hardware well enough, like when the 3/8 wrench is missing (as usual), the 10mm wrench will do - unless that bastard is missing too...

 

[XBe02Drvr]

As a mechanic, I've found that metric hardware is a pain in the ass unlike USS/SAE sizes.

I agree, but only for us "metric immigrant" dinosaurs. The "metric native" types don't seem to have that kind of problem.
The airline shop I worked in had two guys who, though Americans, had grown up overseas, and they seemed to flow smoothly between metric, SAE, Whitworth, and British Standard with nary a cuss word heard. And aging Dart engines on a Dutch airframe along with Lucas and Dowty accessories could present some dimensional challenges.
Cheers,
Wes

 

[MiTasol]

aging Dart engines on a Dutch airframe along with Lucas and Dowty accessories could present some dimensional challenges.
Cheers,
Wes

Amen to that

 

[PFVA63]

Wuzak & Gumbyk,

I hear what your saying about being an issue with familiarity, and it makes sense. But for me I guess its maybe that since a lot of Imperial units are based on being close to normal everyday, easily accessible things* it make it easier for me to grasp not only those units but also units derived from them - like pressure in terms of psi or psf.

In the SI system it's not quite so easy for me to visualize some items, especially in terms of pressure, especially when you realize that a Newton is roughly the same weight as a typical apple. As such when you start talking about pressures of typical things like oil pressure, air pressure and steel or aluminum material properties you end up having to put those values in terms of kilo- or even Mega-Newtons/square meter (or kilo- and Mega-Pascals)

Pat

* Specifically, although units like a inch, foot and yard are notionally based on the length of a hand foot and arm of some "King" in olden times, my foot arm and hand are probably close enough to those values for making quick estimates.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I agree, but only for us "metric immigrant" dinosaurs. The "metric native" types don't seem to have that kind of problem.
The airline shop I worked in had two guys who, though Americans, had grown up overseas, and they seemed to flow smoothly between metric, SAE, Whitworth, and British Standard with nary a cuss word heard. And aging Dart engines on a Dutch airframe along with Lucas and Dowty accessories could present some dimensional challenges.
Cheers,
Wes

That is because Metric is easy.

If you can count, you can do metric.

1, 2, 3...

0.1, 0.2, 0.3...

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

My wife used to teach at a college here in the US. She is from Germany, and was appalled that she had to waste the first week of class teaching kids who are supposed to be ready for college how the metric system works. It's counting numbers, and knowing how many units make up another specific unit.

There is nothing difficult about it...

 

[gumbyk]

My wife used to teach at a college here in the US. She is from Germany, and was appalled that she had to waste the first week of class teaching kids who are supposed to be ready for college how the metric system works. It's counting numbers, and knowing how many units make up another specific unit.

There is nothing difficult about it...

My 7 year-old gets it... and works in inches and feet as well as metric (much to his teacher's disgust)

 

[mikewint]

Not to mention that it is all done exactly the way we count, by 10s and rather than having separate names for every unit that really tell you nothing about the measurement, like: TUN. What is it?, How big is it?, What does it measure?
The Latin prefixes are in common language: DECI- (Decade, Dime,etc.) CENTI- (Century) and MILLI- (Millennium, Million)
The Greek ones are perhaps a bit unusual DEKA- HECTO- because of computers the larger like KILO-, MEGA-, GIGA- AND TERA- are probably familiar even if they don't know exactly what number to assign each.
In the other direction MICRO- is certainly familiar (that's why they call it a MICROscope), NANO- is also perhaps familiar from science fiction NANObots or NANites, and PICO- proibly not well known.
So when I see the word CENTI-METER I know that it is 1/100 of the base unit METER a measurement of length. KILO-LITER is 1000 of the base unit LITER a measure of volume. MICRO-GRAM is 1/1,000,000 of the base unit GRAM a measure of mass.
Beats me how it could be any simpler

 

[gumbyk]

and MILLI- (Millennium, Million)

milli is 1/1000, nothing to do with million...