The Metric System

[whybother]

I was at the office in Bangkok the other day discussing a web ordering system with an American woman (aged about 40-45). We were talking about units of measure and quantities, specifically about a 5kg tub of yogurt, a 1kg tub and 250g tub. It came to my attention that she didn't know how many 250g tubs there are in a 1kg tub.

So I asked her, "how many metres in a kilometre?" To my astonishment, she didn't know!!

OK, I understand that the metric system isn't really used in the US, but I would have thought that the basic meanings of "kilo-", "centi-" etc would have been taught in schools, since it really is a basic concept.

I know it's taught in Thai schools, and I learnt the basics of inches, yards, miles at school (although I can't remember the conversions now).

Is the metric system taught in US schools?

[MrRichard2009]

Yes

[BillR]

Im american and it sounds like the woman you were speaking to was a moron.

[mrdeedee]

whtas moronic about not knowing the metric system, its not used widely in america,

its prolly taught in skools but if you dont use it you wont remember it.

Edited September 5, 2010 by mrdeedee

[MrBrad]

I am an American and have studied the metric system in college, but still barely have a clue what it's all about. And no, neither I nor anybody else who knows me thinks I'm a moron. At least they've not let on that this is their opinion of me.

It's not so much a matter of knowing or ever learning the system, but rather having to deal with it day to day as had been the case with the imperial system. And even now, it rarely presents a problem with my everyday life here in Thailand. Just don't ask me how tall I am.

[BillR]

anyone who has taken a 3rd grade science class knows the basic metric system and knows that 1 kilometer = 1000 meters and 1 kilo = 1000 grams.

[Jingthing]

At one point, there was a strong push to convert the USA to the metric system. I was in school then and we were taught about it for one year with the message that the change was happening. After that, nothing, as the change didn't happen. When I first moved to Thailand I had to do a little research to figure out the basics again. I think the US should have converted. Oh well.

The U.S. Metric Study recommended that the United States implement a carefully planned transition to the principal use of the metric system over a decade. Congress passed the Metric Conversion Act of 1975 "to coordinate and plan the increasing use of the metric system in the United States". The Act did not stipulate the conversion happen over a decade. Voluntary conversion was initiated, and the U.S. Metric Board (USMB) was established for planning, coordination, and public education. The public education component led to public awareness of the metric system, but the public response included resistance, apathy, and sometimes ridicule.[6] In 1981, the USMB reported to Congress that it lacked the clear Congressional mandate necessary to bring about national conversion. Because of this ineffectiveness and an effort of the Reagan administration to reduce federal spending, the USMB was disbanded in autumn of 1982.

wiki

[MrRichard2009]

I am an American and have studied the metric system in college, but still barely have a clue what it's all about. And no, neither I nor anybody else who knows me thinks I'm a moron. At least they've not let on that this is their opinion of me.

It's not so much a matter of knowing or ever learning the system, but rather having to deal with it day to day as had been the case with the imperial system. And even now, it rarely presents a problem with my everyday life here in Thailand. Just don't ask me how tall I am.

ROFL ........ You are to funny ! Or college just ain't what it used to be !

[Groongthep]

ROFL ........ You are to funny ! Or college just ain't what it used to be !

Your misspelling and sentence fragment add to the irony.

[PoorSucker]

The International System of Units is the official system of measurement for all nations in the world except for Burma, Liberia, and the United States.

In the United States, metric units are widely used in science, military, and industry, but customary units predominate in household use. At retail stores, the litre is a commonly used unit for volume, especially on bottles of beverages, and milligrams are used to denominate the amounts of medications, rather than grains. Also, other standardised measuring systems other than metric are still in universal international use, such as nautical miles and knots in international aviation.

Edited September 5, 2010 by PoorSucker

[way2muchcoffee]

Those Americans most conversant in the Metric system ( Weights and measure at any rate) are/were in the drug-trafficking trade.

What a ridiculous thing to say. Perhaps you are forgetting about the scientists, doctors, engineers, technicians, mechanics, etc.

[IanForbes]

As a Canadian I was raised with the pounds, miles and gallons system. Then, in the mid 1970s we were changed over to the metric system. Prior to that we only had a semi working knowledge of the metric system, but didn't have to use it. My job as a log scaler meant I had to measure logs individually, and very often estimate (guess) lengths and diameters in feet and inches. Business counted on me being accurate, and millions of dollars changed hands using my calculations. When we changed from feet and inches to centimetres and meters our job changed dramatically. Even a new calibration called a "RAD" (short for radius) was introduced just so we could make a new formula to calculate the volume of a log. A RAD is two centimetres. The result was I became fluent in both systems.

However, I still bounce back and forth between feet and inches, and centimetres and kilometres. Unfortunately, the RAD has not become a common measurement. There is nothing between a centimetre and a meter in the metric system. Inches are still a practical measurement. Because the speedometers in all our vehicles in Canada are set up in Kilometres that is how I think most of the time.

It is sort of like knowing two separate languages where you have to bounce back and forth all the time. It takes a bit of thinking to get it right.

[slapout]

All chemistry courses, high school thru college use the metric system. The liberal art graduates (BA) may have missed chemistry at university level and forgotten what was offered in high school.

[bonobo]

As a Canadian I was raised with the pounds, miles and gallons system. Then, in the mid 1970s we were changed over to the metric system. Prior to that we only had a semi working knowledge of the metric system, but didn't have to use it. My job as a log scaler meant I had to measure logs individually, and very often estimate (guess) lengths and diameters in feet and inches. Business counted on me being accurate, and millions of dollars changed hands using my calculations. When we changed from feet and inches to centimetres and meters our job changed dramatically. Even a new calibration called a "RAD" (short for radius) was introduced just so we could make a new formula to calculate the volume of a log. A RAD is two centimetres.  The result was I became fluent in both systems.

However, I still bounce back and forth between feet and inches, and centimetres and kilometres. Unfortunately, the RAD has not become a common measurement. There is nothing between a centimetre and a meter in the metric system. Inches are still a practical measurement. Because the speedometers in all our vehicles in Canada are set up in Kilometres that is how I think most of the time.

It is sort of like knowing two separate languages where you have to bounce back and forth all the time. It takes a bit of thinking to get it right.

The switch over caused at least one fatal crash of a commercial airliner (I think in Newfoundland.)

[longstebe]

I'm still having difficuties using imperial after 6 years living and working in the States.

What a moron.

[dumball]

MrRichard2009' timestamp='1283673185' post='3862841']

rBrad' timestamp='1283672564' post='3862812']

I am an American and have studied the metric system in college, but still barely have a clue what it's all about. And no, neither I nor anybody else who knows me thinks I'm a moron. At least they've not let on that this is their opinion of me.

It's not so much a matter of knowing or ever learning the system, but rather having to deal with it day to day as had been the case with the imperial system. And even now, it rarely presents a problem with my everyday life here in Thailand. Just don't ask me how tall I am.

ROFL ........ You are to funny ! Or college just ain't what it used to be !

Good comment , but , you are like some other posters who read a comment how they wish to read it and not as it was intended , that is called misinterpretation or did they not teach you that in college .

You to(O) are correct in what you post , college just ain't (?) what it used to be .

I have know people who have lost much of thier mother tongue through LACK OF USAGE .

[bonobo]

All Americans are taught the metric system.  And while many Americans don't have a "feel" for a kg or km, how heavy or how long, I can't see how anyone who graduated high school could not know how many meters there are in a km.

But particularly in Thailand.  How can any American living and working here not know?  Every single thing here is measured in the metric system.  How can a person carry on day-to-day living without a working knowledge of the metric system?

[Jimi007]

Yes the metric system is and was taught in the USA. Some people never use it so they don't remember it or maybe they were home sick from school that week. How many Europeans know the US system of measurements? And how many can remember how to convert from one system to the other. I remember some; like 3.78 liters to a US gallon, 39 inches to a meter, 1.6 kilometers to a mile... For others I have a converter program on my phone and my computer...

[Groongthep]

As a Canadian I was raised with the pounds, miles and gallons system. Then, in the mid 1970s we were changed over to the metric system. Prior to that we only had a semi working knowledge of the metric system, but didn't have to use it. My job as a log scaler meant I had to measure logs individually, and very often estimate (guess) lengths and diameters in feet and inches. Business counted on me being accurate, and millions of dollars changed hands using my calculations. When we changed from feet and inches to centimetres and meters our job changed dramatically. Even a new calibration called a "RAD" (short for radius) was introduced just so we could make a new formula to calculate the volume of a log. A RAD is two centimetres. The result was I became fluent in both systems.

However, I still bounce back and forth between feet and inches, and centimetres and kilometres. Unfortunately, the RAD has not become a common measurement. There is nothing between a centimetre and a meter in the metric system. Inches are still a practical measurement. Because the speedometers in all our vehicles in Canada are set up in Kilometres that is how I think most of the time.

It is sort of like knowing two separate languages where you have to bounce back and forth all the time. It takes a bit of thinking to get it right.

I'm an American who works in the marine petroleum transportation industry. For cargo, we use mostly imperial measurements in the US, metric measurements most everywhere else and at sea we still use archaic marine measurements such as cables, fathoms, shots and nautical miles among others. Luckily, nowadays the simple push of a button on a computer will convert any measurement system value into the value of any other system in less than a second.

[dumball]

Sorry to those who got posted prior to mine with similar comment as my own , I was working away at the best speed my two fingers would allow and my wife passing comment on something entirely different in the background .

[Jingthing]

Most Americans except those in certain professions don't use the metric system on a daily basis, so it is not ingrained. Use it or lose it. Where's the mystery about that?

[jazzbo]

Whenever possible I do my best to forget about scientists, doctors, engineers, technicians, (and) mechanics ... maybe you should cut back on the caffeine.

... all the street crowd knows a key and a gram and how many grams are in a lid (oz)

Edited September 5, 2010 by jazzbo

[sbk]

moving to pub

[BillR]

the mystery is how this lady did not know how many meters in a kilometer or how many 250g tubs would = 1 kilogram. Maybe he should of asked the genius if she earns $250k a year how many years it would take to make a million.

[barsie]

Yes the metric system is and was taught in the USA. Some people never use it so they don't remember it or maybe they were home sick from school that week. How many Europeans know the US system of measurements? And how many can remember how to convert from one system to the other. I remember some; like 3.78 liters to a US gallon, 39 inches to a meter, 1.6 kilometers to a mile... For others I have a converter program on my phone and my computer...

You actually prove the point I was going to make. America is merely 1 country yet you compare it to a continent- the other 6 billion people don't care what 1 country uses.

I think it shows how insular America is. Understanding imperial and metric is not an issue of education it's basic general knowledge. I'm guessing you'd find the same talking to some americans about currency exchanges

[wolf5370]

<BR>The International System of Units is the official system of measurement for all nations in the world except for Burma, Liberia, and the United States.<BR><BR>In the United States, metric units are widely used in science, military, and industry, but customary units predominate in household use. At retail stores, the litre is a commonly used unit for volume, especially on bottles of beverages, and milligrams are used to denominate the amounts of medications, rather than grains. Also, other standardised measuring systems other than metric are still in universal international use, such as nautical miles and knots in international aviation.<BR>

The UK is still a bit confused. Metric is still quite new there. Distances are pretty much still measures in miles and MPH/ MPG is stated for cars (and the larger set of numbers on the dials).

I get confused when mention of gallons here, because the USA has its own US Gallon which is a tad over 0.8 imperial gallons.

I was taught only the metric system in school in the UK (70/80's) - but everyone still taked inches, feet, miles, gallons. Now petrol is sold by the litre (I think as much to hide how expensive it has become as much as any other reason!) and supermarkets put mg/litres rather than Oz/Fl.Oz (though many things have both) on their packaging.

I have to look up things like yards/feet in a mile or pounds in a ton or square yards in an acre, but with metric its so easy.

There was an attempt to force shop keepers to move from pounds to Kilograms with the EU, but it failed - market stalls still sell by the pound in general, and supermarkets in Kilos.

Edited September 5, 2010 by wolf5370

[gregb]

As a Canadian I was raised with the pounds, miles and gallons system. Then, in the mid 1970s we were changed over to the metric system. Prior to that we only had a semi working knowledge of the metric system, but didn't have to use it. My job as a log scaler meant I had to measure logs individually, and very often estimate (guess) lengths and diameters in feet and inches. Business counted on me being accurate, and millions of dollars changed hands using my calculations. When we changed from feet and inches to centimetres and meters our job changed dramatically. Even a new calibration called a "RAD" (short for radius) was introduced just so we could make a new formula to calculate the volume of a log. A RAD is two centimetres.  The result was I became fluent in both systems.

However, I still bounce back and forth between feet and inches, and centimetres and kilometres. Unfortunately, the RAD has not become a common measurement. There is nothing between a centimetre and a meter in the metric system. Inches are still a practical measurement. Because the speedometers in all our vehicles in Canada are set up in Kilometres that is how I think most of the time.

It is sort of like knowing two separate languages where you have to bounce back and forth all the time. It takes a bit of thinking to get it right.

The switch over caused at least one fatal crash of a commercial airliner (I think in Newfoundland.)

As I remember a several hundred million dollar spacecraft plowed into Mars a few years ago because people couldn't convert also.

It always amazes me how people can't seem to grasp that there is nothing particularly better about either system. I don't go around disparaging Thais because they buy land in rai and wah instead of hectares or even acres. It is quite easy to convert when I need to. Is everyone really that incapable of basic math? Just use any convenient unit.

Who cares what system is used. If you don't know the unit, look it up and then you do. Finished.

By the way, I drive people crazy using BTUs in one place and degrees C in another. It is fun to watch 'em squirm. My brain always thinks of speed in terms of either miles per hour or meters per second depending on the time domain I'm considering. And then as a pilot I had to learn to think in knots.

It would be interesting to see what units will be common 1000 years from now. I'm sure these infantile arguments of "my system of measurements can beat up your system of measurements" will still be going on.

[PoorSucker]

---snip

You actually prove the point I was going to make. America is merely 1 country yet you compare it to a continent- the other 6 billion people don't care what 1 country uses.

---snip

Burma and Liberia cares.

[Sophon]

There is nothing between a centimetre and a meter in the metric system.

Actually, there is; the decimetre.

Sophon

[Groongthep]

America is merely 1 country yet you compare it to a continent- the other 6 billion people don't care what 1 country uses.

Oh how very wrong you are. The businessmen among those 6 billion other people care very much about using the correct measurements when buying or selling products to or from the world's largest economy and largest importer of goods.