US divers using metric?

[DuboisP]

When it comes to dates (as we here in northern europe write as dd/mm/yyyy) my personal opinion is that it should be yyyy/mm/dd. Why? Because it sorts properly

Its easier to browse my stuff by year and month than day..

i use ISO 8601 ISO 8601 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
YYYY-MM-DD

---------- Post added July 3rd, 2014 at 07:22 AM ----------

So, where time's concerned, even the metric people do it 'imperial style.'

nope
lunar and solar style
and divisions of second are metric

 

[Storker]

Time, though, is 60 sec/min, 60 min/hour, 24 hour/ day, 7 day/week, roughly 4 week/month (but 52 weeks & 12 months/year, and there's the leap year thing). Nothing 'metric' about that, except the metric people seem disinclined to try to 'reinvent the wheel' and push a new time system on us.

The French tried, back in the 18th century. It wasn't very successful.

French Republican Calendar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Decimal time - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

---------- Post added July 3rd, 2014 at 08:00 AM ----------

standard time unit is 24h a day

<nitpick>
No, the standard time unit is the second: Second - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
</nitpick>

 

[Pullmyfinger]

I think GUE should do the first step and switch to metric. They love standardizing things and this is the huge thing still missing.

I'm happy the Americans at least use standard time units though. Imagine if they had an imperial calendar with 73 seconds per minute and 49 minutes per hour.

I have wondered why GUE never standardized imperial or metric. Everything else is standardized; why not this?

It's likely to allow regional preferences......but I can only guess.

Personally, I dive metric. I didn't find it that difficult to switch.

I think it's an easier system to use, except for temperature.

-Mitch

 

[Kevrumbo]

Here's one example where you can use an SPG in bar units to indicate volume in cubic feet:

An SPG gauge in bar units used in conjunction with a set of double manifolded LP95's (and now HP119's) will also show your remaining volume in cubic feet to a good approximation --same reading, same numbers, same scale and same one-to-one correspondence of bar transforming to cubic feet measurement-- how is this so??? Well for starters, just look at the metric tank rating for a set of double manifolded LP95's:

30 litres/bar.

And there are 28.3 litres in one cubic foot;

So 30 litres/bar divided-by 28.3 litres/cubic foot equals:

1.1 cubic foot/bar.

Therefore, an SPG in bar units used with a set of double LP95's will also indicate remaining volume in cubic feet, to a reasonable approximation. . . !

How's that for some "tailored numerology"?

 

[kwinter]

Getting systems changed here is hard, it requires almost a full generation of people to have dual measurements to make the transition like speed limit signs in both kph and mph and gas pumps in liters.

Not necessarily true. People do adapt when you really hold their feet to the fire. Go out and buy a half gallon of Coke, or a 2-liter bottle of milk. You won't find either one. The soft drink industry converted to metric years ago amid a ton of complaints from typical "ugly Americans," but they quickly got used to it and now people don't even notice. My students complain vigorously when I try to introduce metric measurements, and are universally shocked when I point out that liters are metric. They have completely accepted liters as a "normal" unit of measurement, thereby disassociating it from metric.

Force people to use it and it will become second nature in no time. And even if it does take a full generation, wouldn't it be worth it to join the rest of the world in the 21st century?


iPhone. iTypo. iApologize.

 

[DuboisP]

Personally, I dive metric. I didn't find it that difficult to switch.

I think it's an easier system to use, except for temperature.

-Mitch

disagree
100°C, boiling water
0°C, ice

-10°C + -30°C = -40°C, always negative
why +10°F is, in fact, negative ?

 

[drrich2]

Force people to use it and it will become second nature in no time. And even if it does take a full generation, wouldn't it be worth it to join the rest of the world in the 21st century?

Culturally, in the U.S. people are not fond of the government forcing things on them. The country got started in part related to concerns about that sort of thing; opposition to perceived dictatorial centralized power (e.g.: taxation without representation).

As for worth it, that would vary. Just conforming to what the rest of the world isn't high on the priority list for a lot of people; I don't go about my day wondering how the French or Germans are doing this, that or the other. A shared system would simplify some industrial applications, of course.

Back in college I took a lot of science classes, including Biology and Chemistry labs, and of course we had metric out the whazoo. Formulaic conversions are much simpler with it. But in day to day life, I rarely need to do conversions, and as for ounces to pounds or measuring in tea spoons, it's not that common or big a deal to make me shift my measuring system.

Richard.

 

[dfx]

Culturally, in the U.S. people are not fond of the government forcing things on them. The country got started in part related to concerns about that sort of thing; opposition to perceived dictatorial centralized power (e.g.: taxation without representation).

Start with the most obvious, like publish signage. Changing road signs to metric isn't forcing metric upon people any more than leaving them in miles and yards and feet is forcing the imperial units on them. They gotta be one way or another.

As for worth it, that would vary. Just conforming to what the rest of the world isn't high on the priority list for a lot of people; I don't go about my day wondering how the French or Germans are doing this, that or the other. A shared system would simplify some industrial applications, of course.

There's an educational benefit. Metric is much easier to learn for kids and takes much less time, giving you more time to teach them about other stuff. Plus, once you get into scientific education, you once again don't have to waste time teaching about unit conversions back and forth.

 

[Stoo]

As a card-carrying Canuck, in theory, I should be a metric guy. In reality, I dive in Imperial, as do all of my buddies. But then we're old.

Younger folks seem to be split.

Even though we "live metric" here, I still find myself doing conversions. Driving, my speedo is metric, the speed signs are metric, but half the time, I convert the sign speed into mph, then back again. Ya, it's dumb.

Really I'd like to simplify things more for diving. Perhaps an spg that is colour-coded, green ("lots"), yellow ("some"), red ("not much") and a 'pooter that has an arrow that either points up, down or sideways.

Math was never really a strong point for me...

 

[boulderjohn]

Start with the most obvious, like publish signage. Changing road signs to metric isn't forcing metric upon people any more than leaving them in miles and yards and feet is forcing the imperial units on them. They gotta be one way or another.

I think that works--if you do it correctly.

I am an old codger, and I remember that the state in which I lived and nearby Canada decided to switch from miles to kilometers at about the same time. Canada immediately switched all their signs to kilometers. Our state posted signs with both kilometers and miles. As a result, the Canadians got used to kilometers and began to think in those terms, while we all looked at the miles, ignored the kilometers, and stayed the same as always. Eventually the kilometers were dropped from the signs.

In contrast, we went to liters for soft drinks and liquors many years ago, with no other options, and no one minds.

Either change or don't change.