They use a hybrid I think. I had programs that needed to treat the UK as a mix of English and metric measurements
WHY doesnt USA use Kilometer and other measurements?
- Thread starter Spiritual Stratocaster
- Start date
They do. I'm just mostly letting folks know/remember that our system is from England and they use both
The U.S. does use the metric system. If you look at almost any consumer product it will be co-labelled in U.S. customary units (which is based on British imperial units) and in metric. Almost every public school teaches the metric system (mainly in science class).
Furthermore, most industries in America that benefit from using the metric system have been using it for a while now (science, medicine, electronics, military, cars, foriegn affairs, etc). For almost every car sold in America, the speedometer is in both mph and kmh (metric). Electric speedometers can switch back and forth between them.
Bush 41 mandated in 1991 that all U.S. federal agencies and departments use the metric system and that is still in effect.
It's just that on a day to day basis, most Americans use more familiar US customary units (inches, feet, pounds, miles, Fahrenheit, etc).
Also, TBH, inches and feet is better to describe height with than centimeters or meters (metric). Also, Fahrenheit is better for describing temperature than Celsius. Celsius should only be used scientifically (especially dealing with water).
The U.S. is just a semi-metric country not fully like most other countries. However, the U.S. is still transitioning but it will take some time. Also even countries like Canada and the UK still use imperial units in some capacity.
Furthermore, most industries in America that benefit from using the metric system have been using it for a while now (science, medicine, electronics, military, cars, foriegn affairs, etc). For almost every car sold in America, the speedometer is in both mph and kmh (metric). Electric speedometers can switch back and forth between them.
Bush 41 mandated in 1991 that all U.S. federal agencies and departments use the metric system and that is still in effect.
It's just that on a day to day basis, most Americans use more familiar US customary units (inches, feet, pounds, miles, Fahrenheit, etc).
Also, TBH, inches and feet is better to describe height with than centimeters or meters (metric). Also, Fahrenheit is better for describing temperature than Celsius. Celsius should only be used scientifically (especially dealing with water).
The U.S. is just a semi-metric country not fully like most other countries. However, the U.S. is still transitioning but it will take some time. Also even countries like Canada and the UK still use imperial units in some capacity.
levitate
I love you, you know.
Lol, why?
They are just simpler.
For height, saying 5'10" is simpler and easier to understand than 178 cm (or 1.8 m).
For temperature, Fahrenheit is better because it's based on human body temperature and 0° F (extremely cold) and 100° F (extremely hot). Celsius is based on the freezing & boiling point of water. Also, 0° C (cold) but 100 ° C (death)
The U.S. military already uses the metric system
They are just simpler.
For height, saying 5'10" is simpler and easier to understand than 178 cm (or 1.8 m).
For temperature, Fahrenheit is better because it's based on human body temperature and 0° F (extremely cold) and 100° F (extremely hot). Celsius is based on the freezing & boiling point of water. Also, 0° C (cold) but 100 ° C (death)
The U.S. military already uses the metric system
yupThey are just simpler.
For height, saying 5'10" is simpler and easier to understand than 178 cm (or 1.8 m).
For temperature, Fahrenheit is better because it's based on human body temperature and 0° F (extremely cold) and 100° F (extremely hot). Celsius is based on the freezing & boiling point of water. Also, 0° C (cold) but 100 ° C (death)
The U.S. military already uses the metric system
people are forgetting the measurements used are based on the devices used to measure. English units of length were derived from average hand/arm/foot/leg size of kings actually. Not sure about weights though but the "slug" came after the pound.
so when someone gets on a scale and it says i weigh say 200lbs they are actually reading that they are putting 200lbs of force worth of tension on the springs inside the scale which are read by a digital/analogue transmitter.
Ozymandeas
Veteran
yup.
400 meters is approximately a quarter of a mile (0.249)
800 meters is approximately half a mile (0.497)
Got it. So a kilometer is always about 0.6 of a mile. 50 kilometers is 30 miles. Problem solved.
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i think force is more general than gravitational force (weight) but what do i know
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of course the metric system is better.
it's not even an argument.
the UK uses imperial measurements in everyday life in addition to using the metric system due to past membership of the EU.
we moved on from shillings and ha-pennies a long time ago innit
it's not even an argument.
the UK uses imperial measurements in everyday life in addition to using the metric system due to past membership of the EU.
we moved on from shillings and ha-pennies a long time ago innit
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Remember that Mars rover that crashed after it entered the martian atmosphere?
It crashed because it wasnt sure how far it was from the ground. Some parts had been been in the UK, and others in the US. The Americans were using the ancient Imperial System and the UK using Metric to make parts. Of course it was never going to marry quite as well.
I remember seeing an article about how dealers in the hood understood Metric better because they get product from outside the US which comes in Metric, so they understood Grams, Kilograms etc..
It crashed because it wasnt sure how far it was from the ground. Some parts had been been in the UK, and others in the US. The Americans were using the ancient Imperial System and the UK using Metric to make parts. Of course it was never going to marry quite as well.
I remember seeing an article about how dealers in the hood understood Metric better because they get product from outside the US which comes in Metric, so they understood Grams, Kilograms etc..
Well in a real system everything has “forces” acting upon them but in definition mass is only weight when gravitational acceleration is factored ini think force is more general than gravitational force (weight) but what do i know
In metric system they pretend Kg is the same as Newtons when it isn’t whereas as I showed earlier pounds mass (lbm) and pounds force(lbf) have a 1/1 relationship because of the standard acc due to gravity
So for us common folk weight is much better and more accurate with imperial units