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Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
By:Paul G. Jacobson
Date: 2/2/2011, 4:34 pm
In Response To: Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric (Mike Savage)

: . . . What gets me is that a US gallon is so small! Only 4 litres, not a
: real 4.5 litres. :D

Not even a real 4 liters. A quart is smaller than a liter, and just 4 of those to a US gallon, which is smaller than the Imperial gallon. Note that we can't even spell the same term in OUR version of the metric system!

At least liters or litres are the same size from country to country.

Actually, the US is officially on the metric system and has been for wuite a while. Our common measures are officially based on metric measures. For example, our inch is defined as being 25.4 mm. And labeling laws have required metric equivalents on many products for years. I used a 35mm camera, and buy 2 liter bottles of soda, which I occasionally mix with an American liquor sold in a 750ml bottle. (Say goodby to the old fifth of booze)

My personal campaign for many years has been to get the federal and state highway signage to go to using both systems on any new signs they erect. One of the reasons cited for NOT transforming this country to the metric system is the cost of making infrastructure changes. The cost of erecting a sign is far greater than the cost of paintint that sign, so the cost difference would be trivial. But, over time, as new signs are erected in new construction areas, or old signs are replaced due to aging or accidents, there would be more and more signs with information in both miles and kilometers alongside the highways. Eventually a transition to only metric would be easier and cheaper.

But there are many items which simply would not need to change. A 2x4 hasn't actually measured 2" by 4" for quite some time. (The idea that they cut them that big at lumbermills and that they shrink or are planed down is not accurate. Shrinkage is not that great, and it can be accurately calculated. They cut them smaller to get more from a tree.)
Staying with 2x4s, I can get that in an 8 foot length, or I can get it precut to a standard wall stud height which allows for footers, headers, and the common width of drywall sheeting. If common wall heights were to change they'd cut the boards to a different length, but the width and thickness are already plugged into structural calculations.

For my purposes it wouldn't matter if the plywood is 4x8 feet, or a metric equivalent. It would still be too short and I'd still need to scarf two or more sheets together to get usable lengths for a S&G kayak.

We measure nails and screws by pennyweight and gauge. The actual dimensions aren't going to change, just the way we talk about them. A horse race will be so many furlongs, oil prices will be quoted by the barrel, and the ladies dress sizes will stay as flattering as they are now.

Anyone who wants to support getting a progressive change to road signs as an aid to tourism should write their local politicians, or persuade me to run for president 4 years from now.

OK, I'm off my soap box. Thanks for bringing up this hot button.

PGJ

Messages In This Thread

Off Topic: Goin' Metric
John Caldeira -- 2/2/2011, 12:19 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
JohnK -- 2/2/2011, 4:38 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Doug S -- 2/2/2011, 8:26 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Damian wentzel -- 2/2/2011, 9:19 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bill Hamm -- 2/3/2011, 1:51 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Richard Hayes -- 2/2/2011, 10:05 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Al Edie -- 2/2/2011, 11:49 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Mike Savage -- 2/2/2011, 1:03 pm
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Paul G. Jacobson -- 2/2/2011, 4:34 pm
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
John Caldeira -- 2/2/2011, 9:10 pm
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Niven Paine -- 2/3/2011, 2:07 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bill Hamm -- 2/3/2011, 2:16 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Niven Paine -- 2/3/2011, 4:29 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bill Hamm -- 2/3/2011, 8:46 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
John Caldeira -- 2/3/2011, 2:21 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Chris Richer -- 2/3/2011, 9:29 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
John Caldeira -- 2/3/2011, 9:54 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bill Hamm -- 2/3/2011, 2:09 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
John Caldeira -- 2/3/2011, 2:26 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Robert N Pruden -- 2/7/2011, 12:44 pm
Off Topic: Goin' with Yost measurements
Paul G. Jacobson -- 2/3/2011, 3:25 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' with Yost measurements
Bill Hamm -- 2/3/2011, 8:48 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' with Yost measurements *PIC*
Tom Yost -- 2/3/2011, 9:21 am
R/C pushrod
Doug S -- 2/3/2011, 1:29 pm
Re: R/C pushrod
Bill Hamm -- 2/3/2011, 3:29 pm
Re: R/C pushrod
Doug S -- 2/3/2011, 3:44 pm
Re: R/C pushrod
Les Cheeseman -- 2/3/2011, 3:47 pm
Re: R/C pushrod
Doug S -- 2/3/2011, 4:29 pm
Re: R/C pushrod
Bill Hamm -- 2/3/2011, 5:43 pm
Re: R/C pushrod *PIC*
Tom Yost -- 2/3/2011, 6:06 pm
Re: R/C pushrod
Clayton Plunkett -- 2/3/2011, 6:12 pm
Re: R/C pushrod
Bill Hamm -- 2/3/2011, 7:00 pm
Re: R/C pushrod
Bill Hamm -- 2/3/2011, 7:03 pm
Re: R/C pushrod
Clayton Plunkett -- 2/3/2011, 7:23 pm
Re: R/C pushrod *PIC*
Tom Yost -- 2/3/2011, 7:35 pm
Re: R/C pushrod
Randy Echtinaw -- 2/3/2011, 7:45 pm
Re: R/C pushrod
Bill Hamm -- 2/3/2011, 7:48 pm
Re: R/C pushrod
Bill Hamm -- 2/3/2011, 7:50 pm
Re: Off Topic: Goin' with Yost measurements
Robert N Pruden -- 2/7/2011, 12:34 pm
Re: Off Topic: Goin' with Yost measurements
Bill Hamm -- 2/8/2011, 12:39 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bill Hamm -- 2/3/2011, 2:04 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Paul G. Jacobson -- 2/3/2011, 3:18 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bill Hamm -- 2/3/2011, 1:53 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Richard Hayes -- 2/3/2011, 7:30 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bill Hamm -- 2/3/2011, 8:51 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Richard Hayes -- 2/3/2011, 1:33 pm
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bill Hamm -- 2/3/2011, 3:32 pm
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Robert N Pruden -- 2/7/2011, 12:39 pm
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bill Hamm -- 2/8/2011, 12:39 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
dave -- 2/2/2011, 12:46 pm
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Paul G. Jacobson -- 2/2/2011, 4:37 pm
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
ancient kayaker -- 2/3/2011, 12:04 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bill Hamm -- 2/3/2011, 2:23 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Phil Nelson -- 2/3/2011, 2:34 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bill Hamm -- 2/3/2011, 8:54 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Phil Nelson -- 2/3/2011, 8:39 pm
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bill Hamm -- 2/4/2011, 6:59 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Phil Nelson -- 2/4/2011, 7:17 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bill Hamm -- 2/4/2011, 7:23 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bill Hamm -- 2/4/2011, 7:31 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bushwacker -- 2/4/2011, 10:48 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Todd O -- 2/4/2011, 11:29 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bill Hamm -- 2/4/2011, 12:28 pm
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bill Hamm -- 2/4/2011, 7:17 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Phil Nelson -- 2/4/2011, 6:54 pm
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
John Caldeira -- 2/3/2011, 3:13 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Alex Ferguson -- 2/3/2011, 4:31 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bill Hamm -- 2/3/2011, 8:56 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
John Caldeira -- 2/3/2011, 10:05 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
dhwdaniels -- 2/3/2011, 5:37 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
dhwdaniels -- 2/3/2011, 5:29 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Mike Savage -- 2/3/2011, 6:28 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Les Cheeseman -- 2/3/2011, 8:48 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bill Hamm -- 2/3/2011, 9:00 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Les Cheeseman -- 2/3/2011, 9:06 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
ancient kayaker -- 2/3/2011, 11:28 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Mike Savage -- 2/3/2011, 1:28 pm
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
ancient kayaker -- 2/3/2011, 3:07 pm
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
John Caldeira -- 2/3/2011, 5:56 pm
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Ian Johnson -- 2/4/2011, 12:48 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bill Hamm -- 2/4/2011, 7:12 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Mike Savage -- 2/4/2011, 1:15 pm
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bill Hamm -- 2/4/2011, 1:38 pm
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
ancient kayaker -- 2/4/2011, 11:51 pm
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bill Hamm -- 2/5/2011, 5:35 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
ancient kayaker -- 2/5/2011, 12:58 pm
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Charles Leach -- 2/5/2011, 1:53 pm
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Les Cheeseman -- 2/4/2011, 11:07 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Roy Martin (fadedred) -- 2/4/2011, 6:56 pm
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Will Clarke -- 2/5/2011, 12:07 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Roy Martin (fadedred) -- 2/5/2011, 9:25 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Bill Hamm -- 2/5/2011, 10:32 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Roy Martin (fadedred) -- 2/5/2011, 11:59 am
Re: Off Topic: Goin' Metric
Robert N Pruden -- 2/7/2011, 12:30 pm
I can't read any more metric conv. posts...
Robert N Pruden -- 2/7/2011, 12:50 pm
Re: I can't read any more metric conv. posts...
Kirk Fredericks - Farback Carpentry and Automation -- 2/7/2011, 1:25 pm
Re: I can't read any more metric conv. posts...
Bill Hamm -- 2/7/2011, 2:07 pm
Just one more
Ian Johnson -- 2/8/2011, 4:34 am
Re: I can't read any more metric conv. posts...
Palle Dam -- 2/8/2011, 5:28 pm
Re: I can't read any more metric conv. posts...
Bill Hamm -- 2/9/2011, 12:43 am
Re: I can't read any more metric conv. posts... *PIC*
Tom Yost -- 2/14/2011, 12:39 pm