That state of metric conversion in the US

Think "Freedom Fries"

I think I discussed this recently in one of the groups. I remember distinctly (or as well as I am capable of remembering) that in the 70's we agreed to move to metric coordinated with Canada. It was a multi-step program with information and education being the first two steps. We even required the US auto makers to add metric to the speedometers. But when it came to actually changing something (I think speed limits was the first thing to change) we told Canada to go on without us and we'd catch up... which we *never* did.

I expect there was too much push back from the average Joe. Heck, I worked at a company just a few years ago that made push to talk radios for the US military. I was surprised that the mechanical engineers were still using inches and converting all the metric stuff rather than doing it all in metric!

Converting is inevitable, but perhaps not until it starts to make an economic impact. By then China will be running things and we will just be the tail on the dog.

--

Rick

I use metric frequently in my work, but apparently metric fasteners are still a few cents more expensive than standard over here, so there's still economic pressure, however slight, to continue using them.

Metric is kind of nice because you can "make your own" when it comes to magic sizes and stuff. Sometimes you want, say, a plate that's 1/4 or

3/8" thick, but it just doesn't look quite right -- visually appealing. Instead, you could specify 5, 7.5, 10, etc. mm thickness, or other odd values, assuming it's in stock of course -- and potentially get more elegant proportions and whatnot. This is analogous to working in conventional vs. Exx series R/L/C component values: some ratios are easy to get (factor of 2 = 1k:2k vs. 1k:2.2k off by 10%), others not so much. On further analysis, one would probably find it's a wash, in the end.

Insert usual blurb about the inch technically being metric (i.e., so effing what, specify 6.35mm bolts instead).

Tim

--
Deep Friar: a very philosophical monk. 
Website: http://seventransistorlabs.com 

"cameo"  wrote in message  
news:kfn0hs$hg1$1@dont-email.me... 
>I seem to remember that a few dacades ago (maybe in the '70s) there was  
>some kind of federal push to convert the country to the metric system by  
>a certain date that is already in the past. As it's painfully obvious by  
>now, not much came out of that initial excitement. 
> 
> Why do you think it is that the US public so resistant to such a change  
> when the metric system is so much simpler? Much of the rest of the  
> industrialized world is already on the metric system and not following  
> their lead just impedes international commerce.

What most in the U.S. don't realize is that we've already gone mostly metric. 500ml bottles, a lot of dry measure in grams now, and bolts on cars are all metric, right down the the lug nuts.

The only thing we haven't made the jump for is distance and temperature. The old English measures still hold.

It seems that this is just a way to circumvent any WTO free trade agreements :-(

You have to make US specific brochures using some strange units.

In the worst case, any mechanical specifications _must_ be specified as some fraction of an inch (0.025400000000... m).

The Americans are just a bit slow to apply the decisions of the Congress: in 1866, the metric system was officially mandated.

--

Tauno Voipio

The FCC uses the metric system. I have a km/h scale on my speedometer.

Surprised? Some of my work is in aerospace. There it's all inches, pounds, PSI, slugs, knots, feet and so on. To some extent that is even so in the medical device industry. The topper:

Many catheter datasheet have the length in Centimeters, most of the rest in imperial units, and the diameter in French (!).

If the current administration keeps doing what it is doing, then there is a high chance of that happening :-(

--
Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

The US public rarely does any math that involves unit conversions. Two cups of flour is easily doubled to four cups for a double batch. Feet and square feet is about the most math that most people do. Imperial units work fine in daily life.

We do all our engineering calculations in SI units, except packaging and PCB layout, which is still decimal inches. What's shocking is that any engineering would still be done in imperial units, but apparently a lot is.

--

John Larkin                  Highland Technology Inc 
www.highlandtechnology.com   jlarkin at highlandtechnology dot com    

Precision electronic instrumentation 
Picosecond-resolution Digital Delay and Pulse generators 
Custom timing and laser controllers 
Photonics and fiberoptic TTL data links 
VME  analog, thermocouple, LVDT, synchro, tachometer 
Multichannel arbitrary waveform generators

[snip] [snip]

You forgot "Jerk"... the derivative of acceleration... used in elevator specifications >:-} ...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson                                 |    mens     | 
| Analog Innovations                               |     et      | 
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    | 
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             | 
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  | 
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     | 
              
I love to cook with wine.     Sometimes I even put it in the food.

Because it's not necessary.

It does nothing of the kind. NC tools made that argument moot.

No, it just shows that American's contempt for Congress isn't a recent phenomenon. ;-)

I had one car that had the scales reversed. It really screwed with my time estimation, though not speed (never got a ticket).

is

life.

Like the imperial gallon?

--

Tauno Voipio

Imperial gallons make much more sense than US gallons--one gallon of water weighs exactly 10 pounds.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs 
Principal Consultant 
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC 
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics 

160 North State Road #203 
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510 USA 
+1 845 480 2058 

hobbs at electrooptical dot net 
http://electrooptical.net

When gas hit $1.00 per gallon in Hawaii, they converted to liters. This is the days of mechanical displays. Hawaii stuck to liters for quite awhile (perhaps in to the 90s) until the Federal gov stepped in and forced them to back to gallons. So much for the transition to metric.

A wine barrel is 32 gallons (probably US), an oil barrel is 42 gallons (probably Imperial?).

What the heck is the 55 gallon drum (barrel) (probably US) for?

Too many complaining vacationers pissed off at being too stupid to perform the conversion(s)?

Of course they didn't know that the reason they were pissed off is because they were too stupid to perform even a relatively simple 'guesstimated' conversion. Pissed at themselves subconsciously, they complain about it, and eventually some asshole in government who gets paid way too much for way too little, comes along and makes it appear as if he is putting things in order.

I think all the station owners should boycott the forced return, and go back to their metric, liter displayed dispensing pumps.

Some stations had to switch to half gallon prices, till the old pumps could be replaced. Some could have new gearboxes installed, others were too old. It was kind of sad to see a well maintained classic old gas station with brand new chrome pumps.