ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Metric or English?

english most of the metric stuff i see is junk

See what I mean. So, give me 166 meters of 3/4" emt....???...!!!

wv66, amen to the tangled.

,
Doc

Yeah. it would sure make for some confusion.

Almost forgot....I vote for good ole' feet and inches.

Converting the entire US over to the metric system completely is an enormous undertaking, that would likely cost tens of billions of $ that the general public and the gov't doesn't need to spend right now.

[This message has been edited by CTwireman (edited 12-11-2002).]

english........

Metric is by far an easier system to use, IF:
1. you do not do any conversions
2. you are used to it.

Years ago, I did carpentry work in France. I had never done construction work in the US. It was immensely easier to use mm than inches and fractions. Layouts are much smoother in mm as you don't have to divide fractions. When I returned to the states and started working as an electrician, I was constantly frustrated by the archaic system, we use. Now its 25 years later, and I am accustomed to our system. I think the change will be for the next generation. Those who are used to American Standard will fight and struggle with the change. Those who never learn the old system, and only learn metric will do just fine.
"The only constant in life is change."

Her in england we still measure some of our kit in feet n inches and in metric.

our fluorescent fittings (standard battens) come in 2ft 3 ft 4ft 5ft 6ft and 8ft?

cable comes in mm and on 50 or 100 m drums

i still work out some of my measurements in imperial and sometimes in metric, depends how i am feeling !!

Just ask Paul what we are all like over here!

I think its living on an island with nothing but water around you !!!

John H

Although I won't argue that the metric system is probably better than feet and inches, as long as a football field is 100 YARDS long, the US will never go metric.

Metric, it's much easier for measurement.
I don't think you can halt the tide, most of the world uses metric, we have to accept this, like it or not!

I was an engineer for a German company for 14 years and got the hang of the metric system. In my mind a mm was about a 1/16 of an inch and 100 mm was 4 inches. Could never think metric.
I read an article about a test that had questions lik “How many feet in a mile?”, “How many ounces in a cubic inch”, ”How many meters in a kilometer?”, etc.
Something like 2% got the imperial questions all correct and 40% got all the metric questions correct.
The metric system is much better! Conversion between unit to unit is easier, all measurement is in units of ten, etc. but as Electricmanscott said “Old dog...new tricks?”