Really though, the most ardent defence of USC units is fuelled by great amounts of Copium. The US Customary set of measurements is several independent systems of measurements which often radically different origins and sometimes irrational conversions, all stacked upon each other and dressed in a trench coat. For instance, the mile has Roman origins while the inch and foot were defined separately, much later, and with a lot of regional variation. The French foot was longer than the English foot, which is why Napoleon was listed as 5'2" tall while he was actually closer to 5'9", or 1.71 m, which was pretty average for the time.

Which one of these is more straightforward to calculate:

You are tasked with installing a rail along a 1 mile long bridge. You know you can use two half inch bolts to affix it every three feet. How many bolts do you need?
You are tasked with installing a rail along a 1,5 km long bridge. You know you can use two M12 bolts to affix it every metre. How many bolts do you need?

Conversions within dimensions in USC require you to memorise arbitrary conversion numbers. Conversions within dimensions in SI require you to move the comma a few spots.

Besides, if the US Customary system of units is so great, why did most of the world voluntarily switch to SI units?

[–] Zerush@lemmy.ml 6 points 6 months ago

Good example with the Bridge, it's exact the point with the USC units, source of fatal errors.

[–] s_s@lemm.ee 17 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

Everything in America except building trades has transitioned to metric already.

Even our imperial units are defined in metric.

But... PLEASE don't tell our citizens. It will all be fine as long as we don't tell them!

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[–] sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz 7 points 6 months ago (2 children)

I have to agree 100%. The slavish devotion of small brained regressive idiots to base 12 time keeping has bugged me for fucking ever. Swatch solved this decades ago, but people are too stuck in their "But this is what we've always used" bullshit mindset.

[–] exocrinous@startrek.website 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Fuck your decimal system. Dozenal is the most intuitive number system. Arithmetic is so much easier to learn in dozenal and you can even count higher on your hands if you use phalanges instead of fingers. Base 10 is a crap number system. It's barely composite, it only has two prime factors.

[–] greyw0lv@lemmy.ml 9 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Use binary. You can count super high on your fingers, arithmetic is as easy as it gets. Binary is the best number system.

[–] exocrinous@startrek.website 5 points 6 months ago

Nah, readability is low and you can't divide by three OR five easily. Binary has even fewer prime factors than decimal.

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[–] Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 6 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I'm basically forced to know the good way, and the American way.

[–] frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.ml 2 points 6 months ago

Yanks stop trying to claim things as your own.

[–] MossyHabitat@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago (3 children)

For anything construction-scale, all supplies sold in the US are based on 4x8' sheet goods and 16-24" on-center framing. I also concede that king George the 74th's foot length is more human-scale when dealing with large measurements: 20 feet vs 6096 mm. I still use metric when possible, however - I find it easier and more accurate.

For EVERYTHING else I've switched to using metric.

Context: I grew up in the US using imperial units and only pivoted to the metric system in 2020. If I grew up thinking in metric and building supplies/standards used it, it'd be superior in every way.

TL;DR I like my imperial/metric combo tape measure.

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[–] bloodfart@lemmy.ml 3 points 6 months ago

Metroids itt btfo, malding, fractionally mogged upon.

[–] combo@mastodon.ml 2 points 6 months ago (2 children)

@Zerush Too much hassle to change to metric

[–] Impromptu2599@lemmy.world 8 points 6 months ago (2 children)

But if isn't.

start by putting metric units next to the SAE units in the labels
Eventually people get used to the units and then you phase out the use of them.

All science and most of the mechanical engineering is done in metric already. If you have a car made in the last 20 years ask the fasteners are already metric. So it really isn't that hard..

[–] Jyek@sh.itjust.works 7 points 6 months ago

We already do that. Looking at a bottle of tea I drank earlier today and it says 16FL OZ (473mL) both units are labeled on most things.

[–] Marcumas@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago

Ford still uses SAE bolts/screws for door panels, but not always.I only keep metric sockets and wrenches in my box, but have to keep a 1/4" socket just for the random Ford I have to work on.

[–] Iron_Lynx@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago

With that attitude it will be. Just because it's a hassle does not mean it's not worth doing.

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