Metric or US customary? Which measurement system you perfer?

[TMac3000]

Which one is better? I say it depends on what you want to do.

For aviation (atmospheric) I prefer imperial. I can convert quickly in my head, but if I use imperial to begin with, I don't have to convert. I know what 3,000 feet means. As opposed to: "Altitude 900 meters. Okay, so that's, what, about 3,000 feet? Yeah, that's right."

For space flight, I prefer metric, because that's how I first encountered orbital altitudes. "Periapsis 170 miles? Crap, I'm gonna burn up in the atmosphere! No, wait a second, that's about 270 kilometers, so I'm okay..." The only thing that bugs me is using seconds for everything. I hate having to use a calculator to figure out how long something is going to take.

For all my real life pursuits (driving, buying grocerys, measuring windows, etc.), imperial is the way to go.

For weighing trucks at weigh stations: imperial

For nursing and other more scientific professions: metric

For cooking: imperial

Quick conversions for those who don't know them:

300 m/s = about Mach 1 at sea level

3000 meters = 10,000 feet. 5,000-10,000 meters is normal cruising altitude. 20,000 meters is the edge of normal flying altitude.

160 km = about 100 miles

 

[Urwumpe]

Quick conversions for those who don't know them:

300 m/s = about Mach 1 at sea level

3000 meters = 10,000 feet. 5,000-10,000 meters is normal cruising altitude. 20,000 meters is the edge of normal flying altitude.

160 km = about 100 miles

The first two are pretty coarse. 10,000 ft are 3048 m. 20,000 m (65,000 ft) is not the edge of normal flying altitude, but already the end of the pressure altitude scale. Normal flying ends already at 42,000 ft, only very few planes can travel higher without being pitted between top speed and stall speed.

The speed of sound is in standard conditions 343 m/s - and drops to about 280 m/s quickly with increasing altitude.

But 160 km are almost exactly 100 miles, compared to the other examples: one mile are 1609.344 m.

 

[Andy44]

The only thing that bugs me is using seconds for everything. I hate having to use a calculator to figure out how long something is going to take.

Back in the 70s Saturday Night Live did a hilarious skit in which the US transitioned to the Metric Day. A minute was hundred seconds, an hour a hundred minutes, and a day a hundred hours.

The guy comes home from work and his wife "How was your day at work, dear?"

"Oh it was okay, honey. First we built a whole skyscraper and then I jetted off to Japan for a meeting and then..."

 

[T.Neo]

We are a social species like ants.

We are a social species, but not like ants- ants display a behaviour known in the animal kingdom as euosociality- i.e. a single breeding female with many "drones" that are there only to serve the queen and her offspring. Behavior like this is seen in insects including ants, wasps and bees, some spiders and even a species of mammals.

Now, humans clearly do not display this behavior- all humans can breed, and have individual initiative. Although humans often live in large settlements that could be compared to the hives of the insect world, and have leaders and heads of state, this has everything to do with politics and little to do with biology.

 

[perseus]

Two Ice Cream Cones = candy cotton + lollipop
je, je, :lol:
Preferences are for colors,.
Will be a subject that will last a long time

 

[Ark]

We are a social species, but not like ants- ants display a behaviour known in the animal kingdom as euosociality- i.e. a single breeding female with many "drones" that are there only to serve the queen and her offspring. Behavior like this is seen in insects including ants, wasps and bees, some spiders and even a species of mammals.

Now, humans clearly do not display this behavior- all humans can breed, and have individual initiative. Although humans often live in large settlements that could be compared to the hives of the insect world, and have leaders and heads of state, this has everything to do with politics and little to do with biology.

Except for North Korea. That country really is millions of worker ants serving one queen.

 

[Sky Captain]

Obviously metric, imperial measurement system freaks me out because it`s so difficult to grasp it.

 

[Star Voyager]

This is a discussion thread, and we've got people talking about socialism and getting pissed off. Why?

I was only using it as an example. For anyone I offended, I'm sorry, but for anyone who understands, thank you.

 

[Ghostrider]

Metric and imperial units are lame. Can we use a base 372 fractions of parsec?

 

[TMac3000]

20,000 m (65,000 ft) is not the edge of normal flying altitude, but already the end of the pressure altitude scale.

This is true for commercial aircraft, but most military jets (at least the ones I've read about) typically top out somewhere between 50,000 and 60,000 feet (15,244 meters and 18,293 meters).

 

[Urwumpe]

This is true for commercial aircraft, but most military jets (at least the ones I've read about) typically top out somewhere between 50,000 and 60,000 feet (15,244 meters and 18,293 meters).

The Concorde also reaches 69,000 ft during supersonic cruise, but this is rather the exception than the rule.

Most fighters also end around 50,000 ft, i think the EE Lightning still has the record for maximum service altitude for fighter aircraft (Except the YF-12, the prototype precursor for the SR-71). It reached 87,300 ft during one flight. The F-15 does 65,000 ft, the F-16 and F-4 60,000 ft.

 

[Ark]

Metric and imperial units are lame. Can we use a base 372 fractions of parsec?

I say we measure everything in percentages of light years and light speed.

"Hells yeah, the speedo says we're doing 0.00000000000000000001 percent of light speed!"

"Woohoo! We be haulin ass!"

 

[C3PO]

As long as you remember it's a unit of distance, not time. Since your name is C3PO, you know who I'm talking about!

Mr. Solo!:lol:
I thought it had to do with hyperspace and wormholes. That way you could travel a "distance" in a shorter distance.

 

[computerex]

The cost of converting US to metric would be astronomical xD

 

[Star Voyager]

Exactly why the U.S. should stay with the Customary !

 

[Ark]

The cost of converting US to metric would be astronomical xD

Losing space probes and other errors because of metric/imperial differences costs quite a bit of money too.

 

[Quick_Nick]

I say we measure everything in percentages of light years and light speed.

"Hells yeah, the speedo says we're doing 0.00000000000000000001 percent of light speed!"

"Woohoo! We be haulin ass!"

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4ADBF_enUS309US309&q=0.00000000000000000001%25+c


And:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1T4ADBF_enUS309US309&q=0.00001%+c
or
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1T4ADBF_enUS309US309&q=0.00001%25+c+to+mph

 

[Jarvitä]

I've no experience or contact with the American system (short of monitor diagonals and watch water resistance marks), so metric for me.

 

[Ark]

http://www.google.com/search?source...ADBF_enUS309US309&q=0.00000000000000000001%+c


And:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1T4ADBF_enUS309US309&q=0.00001%+c
or
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1T4ADBF_enUS309US309&q=0.00001%25+c+to+mph

It's a slow car, apparently.

 

[Urwumpe]

It's a slow car, apparently.

Well, a car that risks getting overtaken by continents and retreating glaciers.