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US going metric?



 
 
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  #52  
Old January 6th, 2004, 07:08 AM
sammacel
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Default US going metric?

"Don Howe" wrote in message news:HqmKb.969728$9l5.470462@pd7tw2no...

snip
If we start to teach Metric to kids in school next year as the only system
and follow thru with it in Grocery Stores, Building Supply stores thru to
Furniture etc. The kids will take great pleasure in 'Teaching their Parents'
who will quickly adapt once they are subjected to the relentless pressure of
their offspring to learn the new system. And the kids will love it!!


Teaching kids won't do it. You need laws to force manufacturers to
change their products to metric or really to produce separate product
lines to support all the old stuff for years. Tremendous expense
(think hundreds of billions) for no great benefit and certainly a
significant amount of chaos and shortages. Not politically feasible
and why mess with a system that works since all will slowly go metric
as needed?

There is no great advantage to metric once you get past mundane
because the universe is not metric or even linear.
  #53  
Old January 6th, 2004, 07:18 AM
DMW
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Default US going metric?

alohacyberian wrote:

"DMW" wrote in message
...

The degree F however is a smaller increment than celcius and
in most of the applications I need the scales for, I prefer that
finer division.


22.1°C, 22.2°C, 22.3°C... works for me.
DMW

But, it's doubtful that meteoroligists or weather reporters will begin to
report beyond round numbers. KM


I have yet to make any changes in plans because the weather reporter told
me the temperature was going to be 1 degree off from what I was expecting.
Other than 1°C to 0°C (hard to clean out the eavestroughs when they're
frozen solid, and time to cover up any plants overnight if I want to extend
their summer/autumn lives).

DMW
  #54  
Old January 6th, 2004, 07:28 AM
DMW
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Default US going metric?

alohacyberian wrote:

"Mark Hewitt" wrote in message
...
"Bill" wrote in message
...

Each to their own, I guess it's what you are used to. But I find the
fahrenheit scale makes no sense at all! Zero for freezing, one hundred for
boiling point. Makes much more sense than 32 for the freezing point!


But, in places like Hawaii where at sea level the temperatures range from 65
(which is unusually low) to 90 degrees the narrow width of Celsius 20-30
degrees seems too narrow. But on my weather webpages I have them displayed
both ways for visitors who are used to both:
http://home.att.net/~alohacyberian/weather.html - KM


Actually it's a couple extra degrees (18-32), but that's getting picky.

Temperatures range through the year from -40°C (or -60°C with a windchill,
it was -30°C, feeling like -42°C with the windchill outside tonight last I
heard) to over 40°C here. The 100 degree Celcius variation is plenty for
me. Maybe that's why I don't need more degrees. I hear any degree within
a 5 or so degree range and I associate it with a generality for the
pleasantness/unpleasantness of the weather outside. Until it gets to the
extremes. To me, below -30°C is just "too bloody freezing," and over 40°C
is "too damn hot."


DMW
  #55  
Old January 6th, 2004, 09:14 AM
MMcC
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Default US going metric?


"me" wrote in message
m...
"Mark Hewitt" wrote in

message ...
[snip][
Each to their own, I guess it's what you are used to. But I find the
fahrenheit scale makes no sense at all! Zero for freezing, one hundred

for
boiling point. Makes much more sense than 32 for the freezing point!


I do understand the desire to have the freezing point of water to
be zero, but in practicaly reality it is fairly meaningless number.
40F is considered the "danger point" around here for opening up emergency
shelters for the homeless (higher if it's raining). We get frost
warnings for anything below about 36F. Most freezers are around 20F
(I heard the poultry industry considers "fresh" meat to be anything
never stored below 20F as well).

Alternately, 100C/212F isn't fairly useful either. Once you
start to get over 95F, it's potentially dangerous to many folks.
Water much below 80F will be considered "cool" to a bather, and
it has to get below about 60 before most drinkers will consider it
"cool". The typical fridge is about 40F. Truth is, boiling point
of water, or anything else really, is a strong function of absolute
content and atmosphere.

The degree F however is a smaller increment than celcius and
in most of the applications I need the scales for, I prefer that
finer division.


How often does the normal person need to be precise beyond a couple of
degrees? Can you really tell the diference between 74 and 75 F?


That is generally my complaint about many metric units, they're
just a darn inconvienent size. The centimeter is too small, but
the meter is too large. Feet is nice for alot of what I use
those dimensions for.


There is the Decimetre, 10 centimetres or 1/10 of a metre.

When you go below the inch (which regular people often have to do for
woodworking or handy work around the house), then the Metric system wins
hands down. 1/8s and 1/16s of inches are unruly numbers.

The metric system makes so much more sense when it comes to figuring out
square area and cubic volume. In my line of work I often need to figure out
the cubic volume of a particular material, which is usually sold in Cubic
yards. But it will often be applied to an area at a thickness of so many
inches.
So first you figure out the square area in square ft, then you do some
mental gymnastics to convert the inch height at which it will be applied
into a fraction of a foot and multiple by that to get cubic feet, then
convert that into cubic yards......... what a royal put in the arse. With
the metres and centimetres you could more often than not figure it out in
your head.

I will admit that the kilometer is probably a more convienent
unit than the mile for a whole variety of reasons. The pound is a
nicer size than the kilogram but even that one is messed up which
is why I find myself buying a quarter pound of stuff all the time.
Probably a good defense of the gram.


And another point not related to your post. I usually see Americans

calling
the system of measurment English, as opposed to Metric. Well we mostly

don't
use that system so much so it's not 'English' any more, the correct term

is
Imperial.


Actually, since there is no singular system, there really is no

singular
correct name. I see various references to "US Standard", which is kind of
a misnomer since there isn't much of one. I'm sure the commerce

department
has rules on all these things though. I'm pretty sure though that no
one is using the imperial system. So they probably aren't referring to
what "you" used.



  #56  
Old January 6th, 2004, 09:23 AM
alohacyberian
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Default US going metric?

"Bob Myers" wrote in message
...
"alohacyberian" wrote in message
...

But, in places like Hawaii where at sea level the temperatures range from

65
(which is unusually low) to 90 degrees the narrow width of Celsius 20-30
degrees seems too narrow.


Why? Does anyone really care if the temp is exactly 75 degrees, vs. 74
or 76? A change of 1-2 degrees Celsius is a lot closer to the minimum
change that most people can perceive or will care about than a change
of 1 deg. F.
Bob M.


As I said, people in Hawaii may complain when it's 70 degrees, but, won't if
it's 72. Some people who live in climates where there is very little
variation can certainly tell the difference. When it's 70 degrees, most
Hawaiians will wear jackets or sweaters. KM
--
(-:alohacyberian:-) At my website there are 3000 live cameras or
visit NASA, play games, read jokes, send greeting cards & connect
to CNN news, NBA, the White House, Academy Awards or learn all
about Hawaii, Israel and mo http://keith.martin.home.att.net/


  #57  
Old January 6th, 2004, 09:23 AM
alohacyberian
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Posts: n/a
Default US going metric?

"Hatunen" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 05 Jan 2004 21:01:55 GMT, "alohacyberian"
wrote:
Yes, and as far as distances and speeds, most automobile computers now

allow
the dirvers to view the readings in metric and speedometers have the

speeds
in both miles per hour and kilometers per hour. I'm still waiting for

someone
to say it's long overdue to revamp the 360 degrees of circles into metric!

KM

Already done. A right angle is divided into 100 grads. See
http://www.mentorsoftwareinc.com/CC/...s/TIPS0999.HTM

My calculator does grads.


I was talking about common everyday use, not scientific applications. I
recall buying a calculator (electronic slide rule) in 1975 that had grads,
but, that's not what most people use and it's still hours, minutes and
seconds, which is again not metric. KM
--
(-:alohacyberian:-) At my website there are 3000 live cameras or
visit NASA, play games, read jokes, send greeting cards & connect
to CNN news, NBA, the White House, Academy Awards or learn all
about Hawaii, Israel and mo http://keith.martin.home.att.net/


  #58  
Old January 6th, 2004, 09:23 AM
alohacyberian
external usenet poster
 
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Default US going metric?

"Dave Smith" wrote in message
...
alohacyberian wrote:

But, in places like Hawaii where at sea level the temperatures range from

65
(which is unusually low) to 90 degrees the narrow width of Celsius 20-30
degrees seems too narrow. But on my weather webpages I have them

displayed
both ways for visitors who are used to both:


Can you tell the difference between 84 and 85 F ? I have enough trouble
estimating the temperature when the humidity changes because a dry 85

degrees
doesn't seem as hot as a damp 80 degrees. It does not take long to adapt

to
metric temperatures once you start using them. I tend to think of the

outside
temperature in terms of comfort levels or type of clothing to be worn,
especially because I work outside. It can be a short sleeve day, a long

sleeve
day, long sleeves and tee shirt, light jacket, parka, parka and sweater,
whether or not I need gloves.

No, but, I can tell the difference between 70 and 72. You live in a climate
that has a wide range of temperatures and therefore you can't tell the
difference, so you assume no one else can. KM
--
(-:alohacyberian:-) At my website there are 3000 live cameras or
visit NASA, play games, read jokes, send greeting cards & connect
to CNN news, NBA, the White House, Academy Awards or learn all
about Hawaii, Israel and mo http://keith.martin.home.att.net/


  #59  
Old January 6th, 2004, 09:23 AM
alohacyberian
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default US going metric?

"DMW" wrote in message
...
alohacyberian wrote:
"DMW" wrote in message
...
22.1°C, 22.2°C, 22.3°C... works for me.
DMW

But, it's doubtful that meteoroligists or weather reporters will begin to
report beyond round numbers. KM


I have yet to make any changes in plans because the weather reporter told
me the temperature was going to be 1 degree off from what I was expecting.
Other than 1°C to 0°C (hard to clean out the eavestroughs when they're
frozen solid, and time to cover up any plants overnight if I want to extend
their summer/autumn lives).


Once again, you live in a climate with a wide range of yearly temperatures,
so I wasn't talking about your climate, I was talking about mine with a range
of 25 degrees Fahrenheit. KM
--
(-:alohacyberian:-) At my website there are 3000 live cameras or
visit NASA, play games, read jokes, send greeting cards & connect
to CNN news, NBA, the White House, Academy Awards or learn all
about Hawaii, Israel and mo http://keith.martin.home.att.net/


  #60  
Old January 6th, 2004, 09:25 AM
MMcC
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default US going metric?


"alohacyberian" wrote in message
...
"Dave Smith" wrote in message
...
alohacyberian wrote:

But, in places like Hawaii where at sea level the temperatures range

from
65
(which is unusually low) to 90 degrees the narrow width of Celsius

20-30
degrees seems too narrow. But on my weather webpages I have them

displayed
both ways for visitors who are used to both:


Can you tell the difference between 84 and 85 F ? I have enough trouble
estimating the temperature when the humidity changes because a dry 85

degrees
doesn't seem as hot as a damp 80 degrees. It does not take long to

adapt
to
metric temperatures once you start using them. I tend to think of the

outside
temperature in terms of comfort levels or type of clothing to be worn,
especially because I work outside. It can be a short sleeve day, a long

sleeve
day, long sleeves and tee shirt, light jacket, parka, parka and

sweater,
whether or not I need gloves.

No, but, I can tell the difference between 70 and 72.


But can you tell the difference between 71 and 72?

If a 2 degree F difference is as low as you can go then Celsius would work
just fine as 1C is 1.8F

You live in a climate
that has a wide range of temperatures and therefore you can't tell the
difference, so you assume no one else can. KM
--
(-:alohacyberian:-) At my website there are 3000 live cameras or
visit NASA, play games, read jokes, send greeting cards & connect
to CNN news, NBA, the White House, Academy Awards or learn all
about Hawaii, Israel and mo http://keith.martin.home.att.net/




 




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