Why does the U.S still use imperial system measurements ?

Question

Why do they still use the imperial system and are there plans to phase in metric?

Answer 1

US still uses imperial system because it is still used until now.Even the experts use it.I think no one discovered the newest or latest system of measurement,but if there's new one it would be published to the society.

Answer 2

They use the Imperial system because America's way is the "right way."

I do not believe that they have plans to change to the Metric system.

Answer 3

One reason few probably think off deals with integer based math in microcontrollers (uC):  Especially in uC's where floating point math is not available or dramatically reduced performance of processing speed of the firmware.

Because in binary math you cannot divide by 10 easily and you end up with rounding errors and repeating decimal places. In Binary you can easily divide by common fractions like  1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32  etc by simply shifting the digits of the binary number. (like moving the decimal point)  

In a microcontroller shifting digits is fast faster then running a division routine and can be more accurate (no remainder or rounding errors to deal with.

32 ((feet / second) / second) = 9.7536 m / s2

Try representing these constants in binary!!!

So by playing tricks with formulas and conversions its possible to quickly solve a problem in a uC using integer based math using imperial units and then do a single conversion to a metric value if required.

Answer 4

No plans for phase in metric. They discussed it during the Regan era, but there was too much opposition. I don't get it (except for temperature- who cares what water boils and freezes at when you're trying to figure out what to wear?) but my father's argument- and probably most of the Republican Party's argument is that the metric system lessens math skills. You have to memorize and understand multiple mathematical relationships in "Imperial" whereas you only have to use your fingers to count in metric. I personally like the sense of that, but dad's argument is pro-education, so it holds merit with me.

Why do people have to be insulting? So unnecessary.

Answer 5

I rather hate that we still use standard, coming from the point of view as a student, they teach us both in school, and metric makes much more sense in its how it works. With its increments in multiples of 10, but standard just seems random to me.

But after schooling, I noticed that older adults either have forgotten the metric system or don't know it.

But here I sit know both and how to convert as well, I do hope we eventually switch but, I haven't heard or seen any plans to change that. I just hope I don't for get the metric system after school as well.

Answer 6

They do use a form of metrication. DOLLAR.

Even their measurements are not truly imperial. Their gallon may have 8 pints, but their pint is only 16 fluid ounces, not the real imperial 20!!

This is why their "Barrel" is 55 gallons whereas an imperial barrel is 45 gallons.

They seem to have the attitude that their way is the best, regardless of the majority of the population of the World!!!

They have only about 17% of the population but about 75% of the wealth (often at the expense of others)!

Answer 7

I really wish we used metric, it's so much easier to work with.

Of course I know both now, but I don't have the sense of 'doing it off the top of my head' with metric like I do imperial.  For example, if you tell me that something is 8 meters away, that's sort of meaningless to me until I think about it.  If you say it's 8 feet away I know right away how far that is.  If I was raised on metric and taught metric from the beginning in school, then it wouldn't be like that.

It's too late for me, sigh, but we can still save future generations of school children from being taught to think in an archaic system of measurement.

I suspect the reason there is opposition to it is because most adults (who are the ones who vote on stuff like this) don't know the metric system, and would rather stick in their ways like old codgers than have to learn something new.  And then they say 'well if it's good enough for me, it's good enough for my kids.'

Answer 8

Maybe because that's their culture.