Fardaza wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 2:10 pm
When I was in school during the 60s and 70s, we were being told that America would switch over to the metric system in the future.
I asked a teenager a few weeks ago if they were still being told that in school and he said no. Looks like standard measurement is here to stay!
We now have a two-tiered system. Every engineer and scientist in the US uses metric, while standard measurement is just for non-precision work, hobbyists, and amateurs. Oh, and sports.
I think construction might be the only serious field where people still care about fractions of inches. Any field where measurements matter as part of a global discussion uses metric.
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Fardaza wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 2:10 pm
When I was in school during the 60s and 70s, we were being told that America would switch over to the metric system in the future.
I asked a teenager a few weeks ago if they were still being told that in school and he said no. Looks like standard measurement is here to stay!
We now have a two-tiered system. Every engineer and scientist in the US uses metric, while standard measurement is just for non-precision work, hobbyists, and amateurs. Oh, and sports.
I think construction might be the only serious field where people still care about fractions of inches. Any field where measurements matter as part of a global discussion uses metric.
Hate to burst your bubble, but I work in manufacturing where all the American equipment is in imperial units and anything from outside the country is in metric. The precision is high and the same for both pieces of equipment. Having to deal with both is extremely annoying.
stessier wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 6:25 pm
Hate to burst your bubble, but I work in manufacturing where all the American equipment is in imperial units and anything from outside the country is in metric. The precision is high and the same for both pieces of equipment. Having to deal with both is extremely annoying.
stessier wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 7:01 pm
No, he says engineers use metric exclusively. We use whatever units our machines are in and imperial can be just as precise as metric.
stessier wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 7:01 pm
No, he says engineers use metric exclusively. We use whatever units our machines are in and imperial can be just as precise as metric.
But, most importantly (apparently), which would you say is the most granular?
Side note: IIRC, Imperial refers to the British system of weights and measures, which is similar but not identical to the US system.
"What? What?What?" -- The 14th Doctor
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
Standard is just as precise as metric. It's just harder to work with. Quick - how many 16ths of an inch in one mile? How many millimeters in one kilometer?
stessier wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 7:01 pm
No, he says engineers use metric exclusively. We use whatever units our machines are in and imperial can be just as precise as metric.
My apologies. Somehow I read "manufacturing" as "construction". Whoopsie.
Max Peck wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 8:02 pm
Side note: IIRC, Imperial refers to the British system of weights and measures, which is similar but not identical to the US system.
I did not know there was a difference. Units of freedom, then?
Max Peck wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 8:02 pm
Side note: IIRC, Imperial refers to the British system of weights and measures, which is similar but not identical to the US system.
I did not know there was a difference. Units of freedom, then?
In general they use the same names for equivalent units, but some of the units are defined differently between the Imperial and US systems. For one example, one Imperial fluid ounce is not quite equal to one US fluid ounce, which means that one Imperial cup is not quite equal to one US cup. Stuff like that is good to know if you're trying to figure out recipes, for example, since you need to know which type of "cup" you're talking about (Imperial vs US vs metric) when you're trying to adapt the measurements to whatever actual utensils you have in your kitchen.
"What? What?What?" -- The 14th Doctor
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
Yeah, sometimes it's just cover for shrinkflation.
An Imperial pint would actually be about 568 mL, so I don't think I've ever seen that. The equivalent would be something like a 500 mL container of milk or cream. However, a US pint would be just 473 mL, and 473 mL containers of cream are definitely a thing you'll see in the dairy aisle nowadays.
Last edited by Max Peck on Fri Mar 14, 2025 11:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
"What? What?What?" -- The 14th Doctor
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
Like I mentioned in the edit above, I noticed it when a "pint" of cream went from 500 mL to 473 mL (although I didn't notice it until some time after the fact, so I don't know for sure just when they changed).
"What? What?What?" -- The 14th Doctor
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
Kraken wrote: Fri Mar 14, 2025 9:28 pm
Beware the cheater pint -- an ordinary-looking pint glass with a thicker or dimpled bottom to hold 14 oz instead of 16.
I don't drink any more, so it really is a thing of the past for me. I thought it was a scam at the time though. Grrr. 