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#11
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US going metric?
"Bill" wrote in message
... "jj" wrote in message ... I'm curious, has there ever been an attempt at going metric in the US? e.g. using Celsius? How do people feel about it? jj Back in the 70's they took some early steps with some highway signs in KM's. That didn't last. Basically Americans like what's familiar. To me it would make sense for weights and distances. But, sorry, but for air temperature, Fahrenheit makes so much more sense, with zero to 100 being about the range of temps we see in a the northern US. Yeah, some places go below zero, and some go above 100. But it is so much more informative than the much more limited range on the Celsius scale. Celsius makes more sense for scientific work though. The ease and convenience with the metric system is far superior to the hodgepodge used in the United States, though I agree that the use of Fahrenheit and feet instead of celsius temperatures and meters offers much more exact measurements and I think for that reason most Americans will prefer the current sytem over metric for a long, long time. And I think Americans by and large prefer miles to kilometers for distance, though personally, I think kilometers are probably a better way to measure distance, but don't expect most Americans to agree with me. 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/ |
#12
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US going metric?
On Mon, 05 Jan 2004 01:39:25 +0000, iaink
wrote: Changing all the signs at once would cost a lot of $$$, and requires a lot of political will, not to mention the logistical issues, so on a practical level, road signs would be a big issue. Not that there is a hope in hell of the US adopting the metric system anyway. I believe I-19 from 'Tucson to Mexico is the only metric interstate in the country. All distances and "mileposts" are metric, so that even the interchange numbers (based on the "milepost") are the kilometers from the southern end instead of miles. On the streets and roads that interchange with I-19 the approach sings are metric, e.g., "I-19 500 meters." But the speed limit signs are in miles per hour, and I would expect this to be because the statutory speed limits are in miles per hour. ************* DAVE HATUNEN ) ************* * Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow * * My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps * |
#13
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US going metric?
On Sun, 04 Jan 2004 21:37:34 -0500, Me wrote:
In article , "jj" wrote: I'm curious, has there ever been an attempt at going metric in the US? e.g. using Celsius? How do people feel about it? I believe there was a half-hearted attempt to go metric in the '70's. Other than for scientific purposes, I don't ever expect the United States to officially adopt the metric system, although it would definitely benefit from doing so. The United States officially adopted the metric system in the late 19th century, and ever since then our units have been defined in terms of the metric units. What the United States didn't do was mandate its usage by the public. As a de facto matter, though, almost any industry or business that operates internationally has converted to metric; I believe even cars made by the American manufacturers are actully metric these days. For the most part only everyday things retain the English system, such as speedometers, milk jugs and such. I can't say liquor and wine bottles, since they are metric anyway. But even those items which are nominally English/American units, such as the 12 ounce soda cans also carry the content in ml as well. Even potato chip (crisps) bags have the metric conversion from the content in ounces. ************* DAVE HATUNEN ) ************* * Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow * * My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps * |
#14
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US going metric?
"jj" wrote in message ...
I'm curious, has there ever been an attempt at going metric in the US? e.g. using Celsius? How do people feel about it? jj Hi! I was born in "Celsius" European country, now living in San Francisco Bay area. I like western USA, but in my opinion half population (Asians, south and central Americans) + thousands tourists and international busisnessmen in San Francisco area don`t know the fahrenhait scale. Weather in local TV news and in newspapers is in fahrenhait only. Where is problem in TV or newspapers to write 90F/32C or 82F/28C or 54F/12C ? I don`t know. I even complained to local TV station and had nice answer, but they don`t plan to change. |
#15
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US going metric?
florian wrote: Hi! I was born in "Celsius" European country, now living in San Francisco Bay area. I like western USA, but in my opinion half population (Asians, south and central Americans) + thousands tourists and international busisnessmen in San Francisco area don`t know the fahrenhait scale. Weather in local TV news and in newspapers is in fahrenhait only. Where is problem in TV or newspapers to write 90F/32C or 82F/28C or 54F/12C ? I don`t know. I even complained to local TV station and had nice answer, but they don`t plan to change. Probably the same reason I rarely see Fahrenheit mentioned on weather news when traveling to much of Europe. |
#16
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US going metric?
Me wrote:
In article , "jj" wrote: I'm curious, has there ever been an attempt at going metric in the US? e.g. using Celsius? How do people feel about it? I believe there was a half-hearted attempt to go metric in the '70's. Other than for scientific purposes, I don't ever expect the United States to officially adopt the metric system, although it would definitely benefit from doing so. About the only effect of the 1970s effort is the two-liter soda bottle. -- Evelyn C. Leeper http://www.geocities.com/evelynleeper Loyalty to petrified opinion never broke a chain or freed a human soul. --Mark Twain |
#17
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US going metric?
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#18
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US going metric?
On Sun, 4 Jan 2004 23:07:46 -0500, "Bill" wrote:
"jj" wrote in message ... I'm curious, has there ever been an attempt at going metric in the US? e.g. using Celsius? How do people feel about it? jj Back in the 70's they took some early steps with some highway signs in KM's. That didn't last. Basically Americans like what's familiar. To me it would make sense for weights and distances. But, sorry, but for air temperature, Fahrenheit makes so much more sense, with zero to 100 being about the range of temps we see in a the northern US. Yeah, some places go below zero, and some go above 100. But it is so much more informative than the much more limited range on the Celsius scale. Celsius makes more sense for scientific work though. Scientists in the US do use only metric. I grew up in U.K. during the time that they switched from fahrenheit to Celsius (via centigrade). Having used both systems I find the Celsius much better. I think that this will depend upon the temperature range where you live. In more temperate climates, the nice round 0 when it is going to be freezing has a nice ring to it, but when it is below freezing for 3 months in a row that doesn't help much. In practice I think that people would fairly quick get use to whichever system is used, not that it will change any time soon. Of course the U.K. is even more mixed up when it comes to the use of imperial / metric. All large distances are miles, but many younger (and not so young) people use metres for shorter distances. Pounds (and stones) are common for your own weight, but kilograms for most other weights |
#19
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US going metric?
"iaink" wrote in message
... Why would anybody lobby on either side of the issue of road signs? Road signs would have to be the least important aspect of using metric measurement in any case. Erm, not if you are driving along and you see a sign for "60", but dont see the small print at the bottom as you whizz by. In this hypothetical example, some of the signs across the nation have been changed to kmh, some are still mph, how fast should you be going? Changing all the signs at once would cost a lot of $$$, and requires a lot of political will, not to mention the logistical issues, so on a practical level, road signs would be a big issue. Not that there is a hope in hell of the US adopting the metric system anyway. Iain Good points. 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/ |
#20
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US going metric?
"Evelyn C. Leeper" wrote in message
t... Me wrote: In article , I believe there was a half-hearted attempt to go metric in the '70's. Other than for scientific purposes, I don't ever expect the United States to officially adopt the metric system, although it would definitely benefit from doing so. About the only effect of the 1970s effort is the two-liter soda bottle. Also the displacement of automobile engines changed from cubic inches to liters. 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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