Ask Lemmy

For F and C, C is better for things like cooking, where what water is doing is useful. F is better for what we feel. Low numbers feel cold, hot temperatures (approaching 100) feel hot. I know people get used to C, if you're using it every day, but I still think F is the better system for it. That doesn't mean we should use it though. I think we should just switch to C and deal with it.

Metric

I would prefer that we had continued on the path of converting to metric until Reagan killed it.

Metric - so much easier to understand and work with. I personally hate the imperial system, but I know it because of where I grew up. I would shed no tears if the U.S. switched to metric tomorrow.

Metric 100% when I'm working with mechanical stuff my mind works in metric but my brain has been poisoned to use imperial in other things and I actually really dislike it.

Excluding a few examples like frequently used gym weights, common fastener sizes, and short distances, I still have to do rough conversions in my head to have an idea of what a metric measurement is, so I guess I'd say imperial.

But I wouldn't be upset if the US converted to metric.

Raised in imperial land but studied science in college, so I prefer metric for almost everything other than talking about large distances.

I use metric when working on personal projects and cad, I would vote yes if a miracle happened and switching all of the us to metric was on the ballot.

Imperial system (or whatever the US system is called ) should go away. Let's all just one standard.

Unfortunately, since I'm from the US, I only really know this one, and it's hard to switch when nothing else has switched. I'd put up with the pain of switching though.

I normally don't talk about this in public. 

But I'm Bimeasurable. I go both ways. Sometimes at the same time. That 7 inch 5mm I got packing is exciting.

I hop back and forth.

For temperature, Fahrenheit just makes more sense because a human useful range is basically 0 to 100 instead of 0 to ~30.

For measurements I use a mix. Feet and inches are useful for medium size things, but below a quarter inch I use millimeters because fractions of an inch is just a fucking mess.

I use both all the time, prefer metric

Either is fine.

I have to admit I can picture American units more intuitively, but that’s just what you’re used to and use all the time. I have no idea what my height in metric is but it’s easy enough to look up and I’d remember it if I had reason to use it.

I also like afflicting measurement puns on my British colleagues. They groan in pain and may not appreciate the humor, but I’m amused at carrying on weather smalltalk about 30° vs 30°

Whatever is the most appropriate for the task at hand. Sometimes it makes sense to make your own.

Then I whipped it out and said, yeah baby, it's 200 long...

Metric ARE standard measurments, the others are wierd.

metric, since i was in the stems. people would freak out if you use kelvin.

Metric in logic, but standard measurements are ingrained into my brain so it's more practical. I think that sucks.

I just measure everything in burgers, the way God intended.

Metric. All day, every day.

I always preferred metric and Celsius. When I lived in South Korea, I was able to adapt immediately. Now I live in Europe and it makes all of the conversions easier.

Americans resistant to metric, in my opinion, are not very smart.

Metric. I've had my phone set up to display the temperature in Celsius so that I can get a sense of it without doing math all the time.

Be thankful you at least stick to one system.

I'm British so we use some weird mash up of everything.

Weight - imperial when weighing people, metric when weighing everything else.

Height - imperial when measuring people, metric with everything else.

Distance - imperial when walking or driving. Metric when running.

Fluids - imperial for milk and beer. Metric for wine and soft drinks. We fill our cars with litres of petrol but calculate fuel economy in miles per gallon.

The A system is superior to any american shenanigans!

A4 paper size FTW!

The system is completely irrelevant for me. I just want one system so everyone can fuck off about it.

Fahrenheit is nice for talking about the weather, but metric is just better for everything else.

As of today, I am completely unable to estimate or visualize metric values with the exception of the meter (because it is roughly the same as a yard). That said, I would prefer to switch to metric and get used to it rather than continue using our current measurements. It would be vastly preferable to me to use mm and cm over fractions of an inch (I hate fractions, I much prefer decimals).

For temperature, I still prefer F over C. As you said, F is much more metric-like with a 100 degree range that roughly spans the typical weather environments we live in. And considering that the boiling point of water is only 100 C at sea level, that fact is no more valuable than remember that water boils at 212 F at sea level. The reality is, I don't actually care what specific temperature water boils or freezes at (at any particular elevation). I happen to know what the values are in both C and F, but it doesn't matter in my life (except for when I was trying to bake when living in Colorado).

I prefer metric, it just makes more sense. Also having to add fractions in order to measure something is maddening. 10 1/4" + 4 17/32" vs. 260mm + 115mm

The only reason I prefer Freedom Units is because that's what I've grown up with and know. If I had grown up using metric, I would choose that all day. It just makes more sense, there's no random "12 inches to a foot" or "16 tablespoons to a cup" (I had to look this one up).

Metric is easy. A decameter is 10 meters. There are 10 decimeters in a meter. Each step up or down is 10 of the previous.

the range of average surface temperatures seen throughout the year in the contiguous US.

So give it a few more years of global warming and you won't want to use that anymore either.