Why does the US still use the imperial system?

[.Detective.]

So I was looking at the OP in that Texas ERA thread regarding the cold snap they will be experiencing. And saw a screenshot in the opening post regarding it being 28 degrees.... Fahrenheit.

It's still weird to look at temperature in such an outdated way, when everyone else uses Celsius.

And then you notice the measurement systems such as weight, distance, etc.

I looked it up, and basically the US, Liberia and Myanmar are the last 3 countries to fully use the imperial system. The UK, the birthplace of said system, still apparently uses decent portions of it as well.

Why not switch to the metric system?

 

[Dyle]

Because we still use it and no one's mandated for it to be changed

Fahrenheit is better for layperson weather though and no one will ever convince me otherwise

 

[DarthWalden]

Old dog, new tricks.

 

[Fright Zone]

We use a weird mix here in the UK but generally understand both.

 

[Nepenthe]

Probably because it's more money and trouble than it's worth to change over every highway sign, label, product, vehicle, etc. made in/for America to reflect the metric system.

 

[Deleted member 31333]

Hubris

 

[Chaosblade]

Because it's completely ingrained and would require a massive commitment to make the change that nobody really cares to make.

Decades ago speed limit signs started being posted in MPH/KPH but it didn't really do anything to push the US toward metric and was abandoned.

 

[papertowel]

We are taught it in school, and use for it somethings, but imperial units are just too engrained. Not enough political effort to really pull the bandaid off.

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

They made a good effort to switch in the 1970s but many thought it was a communist plot and I think Reagan put an end to it.

 

[data west]

Why shouldn't we?

 

[TyrantII]

Whats amusing is the official weights and measurements in the US do use the Metric system. We're so loony, that we calibrate pounds from those universal standard kilogram weights and then use that as the common system!

 

[.Detective.]

Probably because it's more money and trouble than it's worth to change over every highway sign, label, product, vehicle, etc. made in/for America to reflect the metric system.

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But other countries have adapted to the metric system? Including signs, products, labels, etc.

And it's commonplace.

 

[djplaeskool]

Old dog, new tricks.

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Basically this. By the time major industrialization hit the US, companies adhered to IS and there was no wider mandate to change. Every effort to introduce measures to increase metric standardization were scuttled by various business interests.

Edit: See below

 

[GraphicViolets]

Reagan

Metric Conversion Act - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The metrification board was abolished in 1982 by President Ronald Reagan, largely on the suggestion of Frank Mankiewicz and Lyn Nofziger.

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[Marvie]

 

[FusedAtoms]

The shit is way too integrated into society to change at this point. But they taught us both systems in school so I never have a problem regardless of what system people use

 

[molnizzle]

I thought this was gonna be about distance measurements, which are indeed ludicrous.

Temperature though? Fahrenheit is actually superior imo.

 

[Nobleman Swerve]

When you use the devil's measurements, you always come up short.

Think I read that in the constitution.

 

[Nostremitus]

We still have folks flying the flags of a failed secession... why do you think?

 

[Wyndstryker]

Thanks to the US, we Canadians get both metric and imperial with people using both or a hybrid combination even though we're officially under metric.

 

[mbpm]

Bc they are Imperialist

/s

 

[WestEgg]

The people who benefit from metric, like the military or scientists, are already on metric. The average Joe just doesn't need it or care.

 

[krae_man]

Because Glock 0.354" sounds so much cooler.

 

[Deleted member 1086]

to drive the rest of the world crazy

 

[tadaima]

The street sign argument will become less compelling over the next decade as cars move closer towards more automation and in-vehicle display of speed limits, distance, and so forth. You may even be able to toggle between kmh and mph display as a system setting. The same applies to temperature which becomes an app/device preference/setting.

The biggest challenge will be weight/length measurement, but length could slowly integrate as a result of technology rather than a forced pivot. The UK is slowly crawling towards metric and the US will get there too.

 

[.Detective.]

I thought this was gonna be about distance measurements, which are indeed ludicrous.

Temperature though? Fahrenheit is actually superior imo.

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Sorry, I usually type out my opening posts in a note document, before pasting over(to catch typos beforehand), but didn't notice I did not capture the full post until now.

It started regarding temperature, and then got me thinking about common units of measurement too.

If everyone else utilizes a universal way of measuring or reading various quantitative parts of society, wouldn't it technically make things more efficient?

 

[Nostremitus]

I thought this was gonna be about distance measurements, which are indeed ludicrous.

Temperature though? Fahrenheit is actually superior imo.

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Most people will think the thing they know better is superior, regardless of reality...

 

[Ecotic]

Everything about the U.S. government is designed to fight change and there's two dozen important things that need to be addressed before we could even entertain a lower-priority change like switching to the metric system. If I remember right, President Carter tried and failed and Reagan stopped the change.

 

[HardRojo]

Reagan

Metric Conversion Act - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

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What a damn shame, 40 years later maybe most of the US population would have been able to understand both, easily, but just like with languages, it seems like for some knowing more than one is a plot to some nefarious end.

 

[Prinz Eugn]

As the economic powerhouse of the 20th century, we never had enough external pressure to make it happen, industries don't like the idea of switching because it means changing a bunch of stuff, and most people are content sticking with what they're used to.

Temperature is the hardest to get used to, I don't think it's ever going to be natural to think in celsius for me.

 

[Xterrian]

Thanks Ronald Reagan.

We do learn it in school though. And we use it for science class.

Also I think a lot of foods and drinks have metric units as well as imperial. My water right here says 1.05 pints (500 mL) lol

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

I thought this was gonna be about distance measurements, which are indeed ludicrous.

Temperature though? Fahrenheit is actually superior imo.

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How so? In the OP's example, how would people know "28 degrees" is when it will snow and become icy, and "38 degrees" is when it will rain instead and the snow will start to melt? In celsius -2c vs. +3c it's way more obvious. The Farenheit numbers are random and don't have any intrinsic meaning.

 

[molnizzle]

How so? In the OP's example, how would people know "28 degrees" is when it will snow and become icy, and "38 degrees" is when it will rain instead and the snow will start to melt? In celsius -2c vs. +3c it's way more obvious.

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More precision. There's a noticeable difference between setting the thermostat to 70 degrees vs 71, but under Celsius both would just be 21.

 

[Steel]

Change is hard. Also, totally agree that Fahrenheit is better for granularity.

 

[Deleted member 19533]

How so? In the OP's example, how would people know "28 degrees" is when it will snow and become icy, and "38 degrees" is when it will rain instead and the snow will start to melt? In celsius -2c vs. +3c it's way more obvious. The Farenheit numbers are random and don't have any intrinsic meaning.

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This is true. Freezing being 0 and boiling 100 makes a lot more sense.

 

[Slayven]

I thought this was gonna be about distance measurements, which are indeed ludicrous.

Temperature though? Fahrenheit is actually superior imo.

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I agree, 0 is cold as hell, 100 is hot is hell

 

[Heynongman!]

Most people will think the thing they know better is superior, regardless of reality...

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Fahrenheit is more precise than Celsius, so it does have that going for it at the very least.

 

[WestEgg]

How so? In the OP's example, how would people know "28 degrees" is when it will snow and become icy, and "38 degrees" is when it will rain instead and the snow will start to melt? In celsius -2c vs. +3c it's way more obvious. The Farenheit numbers are random and don't have any intrinsic meaning.

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Temperature feels more like it relates to what you may experience personally rather than based on other factors. 32 F is when water freezes, but it's not that cold. You can expect to experience temperatures from 0 to 100 throughout the year, like a rating of how hot it is from 0 to 100. Anything outside of that range is too extreme and to be avoided if possible.

Edit: In other words basically the difference between this thinking:

This is true. Freezing being 0 and boiling 100 makes a lot more sense.

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And this thinking:

I agree, 0 is cold as hell, 100 is hot is hell

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[Nostremitus]

Fahrenheit is more precise than Celsius, so it does have that going for it at the very least.

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Only if you don't understand decimals...

 

[Steel]

This is true. Freezing being 0 and boiling 100 makes a lot more sense.

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In a scientific sense. In a layperson sense, nobody is gonna care about boiling being 100, they're just turning a knob on a stove to high and putting the pot on and remembering 32 degrees is freezing is no harder then remembering 0 Celsius is freezing. The positive number granularity makes Fahrenheit better.

 

[RisingStar]

Money and political priorities. Embedded into American culture and identity at this point too.

 

[danm999]

Fahrenheit is more precise than Celsius, so it does have that going for it at the very least.

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?

 

[ThLunarian]

How so? In the OP's example, how would people know "28 degrees" is when it will snow and become icy, and "38 degrees" is when it will rain instead and the snow will start to melt? In celsius -2c vs. +3c it's way more obvious. The Farenheit numbers are random and don't have any intrinsic meaning.

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Fahrenheit temperatures are on a scale based on human comfort levels. A scale of 0 to 100 is easier for the human brain to grok. And in fahrenheit, 0 is really freaking cold and 100 is really freaking hot, and most places never encounter temperatures beyond those extremes.

In celsius that scale ranges from -18 to 38. Not hard to learn, obviously, but less intuitive than 0 to 100.

If you told me it was 15 degrees celsius, I have no idea how comfortable that is, even knowing the -18 to 38 range. But on a 0 to 100 scale, you can guess approximately how cool or hot any given temperature would be

 

[Nostremitus]

In a scientific sense. In a layperson sense, nobody is gonna care about boiling being 100, they're just turning a knob on a stove to high and putting the pot on and remembering 32 degrees is freezing is no harder then remembering 0 Celsius is freezing. The positive number granularity makes Fahrenheit better.

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You realize there are tons of laypeople who understand and use Celsius, right?

 

[Perkin_Warbeck]

Yeah it's mostly inertia as people have said. If you try to change it, you'll face a lost of hassle and bad faith arguments. Why spend your time on that battle when there's so much more important things.

The best thing though is when we crashed something on Mars because someone mixed up metric and imperial units, rofl. In Depth | Mars Climate Orbiter – NASA Solar System Exploration

 

[Hollywood Duo]

Honestly who cares. As long as scientists use international standards (which they do) then this is all cosmetic at best. You might as well say everyone should speak one language across the world. It would make things marginally easier for me while being incredibly difficult on a huge amount of people.

 

[Carbon]

We had our chance to change it in the 1970s. They squandered that chance, now we're stuck like this....until we crumble from the inside while we fight amongst ourselves.

 

[HockeyBird]

The short answer is that it would cost a lot of time and money to switch over. Consider that the entire infrastructure uses the imperial system. You would need decades to retrain people and slowly transition from one set of sizes to another.

How so? In the OP's example, how would people know "28 degrees" is when it will snow and become icy, and "38 degrees" is when it will rain instead and the snow will start to melt? In celsius -2c vs. +3c it's way more obvious. The Farenheit numbers are random and don't have any intrinsic meaning.

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Also measurements of temperature are just in relative terms. 0 degrees is the freezing point of pure water and 100 degrees is its boiling point. Do you walk outside and determine how close to boiling or freezing the water in your body is to changing phases? No of course not. You just know from experience that 0 degrees C is cold, lower than that is even colder, 20 degrees is comfortable, etc. Works the same way with standard using in the empirical system. People know that 32 degrees is cold and that 100 degrees is really hot.

And if you want intrinsic meaning, why aren't you using Kelvin? −273.15 K is absolute zero. Why do you use pure water as your base of measurement instead of that?

 

[Razgriz-Specter]

But other countries have adapted to the metric system? Including signs, products, labels, etc.

And it's commonplace.

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Any country remotely the size of the US or its population?

 

[Dalek]

Sorry, I usually type out my opening posts in a note document, before pasting over(to catch typos beforehand), but didn't notice I did not capture the full post until now.

It started regarding temperature, and then got me thinking about common units of measurement too.

If everyone else utilizes a universal way of measuring or reading various quantitative parts of society, wouldn't it technically make things more efficient?

Click to shrink...

We do it to annoy you.

Hoenstly the reasons have already been covered. The US is massive and any mandated change would be expensive end met with opposition.

It's never ever never ever never ever never going to change. So talking about it once a month is pointless. We get that but annoys other countries. But we don't care.