Please use Midnight and not 12pm as a time refrence

[Mar-Evayave]

1km = 10hm = 100dm = 1,000m = 10,000cm

Although hectometer and decameter aren't used often, the way the metric system steps up/down in magnitude is a whole lot easier to remember than....

1mile = 1760 yards = 5,280 feet = 63,360 inch

And then...
1 yard is 3 feet.
1 feet is 12 inches.
Therefore 1 yard is 36 inches.

And if that wasn't bad enough, its different on water!

1 mile on land = 0.289 leagues.
1 nautical mile is not 1760 yards.... NO, if you are rowing a boat on the river, its 2,025 yards!




The BEST thing ever however is how NASA lost a many-million costing Mars Orbiter probe because someone used English measurements in 1 of the several thousands of calculations used to bring the Orbiter in orbit of Mars, causing it to crash on the surface instead. Ooops.

The English measurement system needs to go.......

Hahaha! I can't help it! The American system just is easier for me to think in terms of, compared to the metric system. The road I have grown up and lived on is almost exactly one mile. It makes it easier to measure things with when there is a great example right outside. Kilometers are harder to wrap my mind around.

[Rufkin]

The English measurement system needs to go.......

The metric system for the most part is easier. However, there is one flawed portion, temperature. Celsius has good reasoning for measuring temperature from freezing to boiling water in a lab, but as a daily tool for a normal person it is much less useful. In Fahrenheit people can see a number of degrees near 100, and tell that it will be a hot day, or a temperature near 0 , and know that it will be cold outside (oh, look 0-100, sounds like the metric system!). Celsius isn't as useful, because that same range is -17 to 37.

The normal person, I'd say 90-99% of the population of the earth, doesn't need the convenience of having freezing water temperatures be 0 and boiling be 100, as much as they need a simple measurement to know what the weather outside is like.

[Tuco]

If only Swatch's beats had taken off...

I like it! Too bad that didn't catch on like some of the rest of the French Revolution's improvements. Apparently their time setup ran into trouble with leap years and got dumped by Napoleon in 1805.

I lost track of what the second largest country is that still uses the Imperial system for measurements after Myanmar and Liberia both announced they were switching to metric.

If Pokemon GO keeps GOing with anywhere near its current energy, a large number of American gamers will gain a very visceral idea of how long a kilometer is!

[Fratonia]

in germany, we have different systems to talk about time and if you hear someone saying the actual time, you can guess, where he comes from.
for example, for 11:45, many people from eastern germany say 'dreiviertel zwölf', while most germans say 'viertel vor zwölf'.
for 10:15, eastern say 'viertel elf', while most say 'viertel nach elf'.
Some people make jokes with this system and extend the eastern system to tell you ALL times in fractions. like 09:48 would be 'fünf sechstel zehn'. nearly nobody understands it, although its totally logical.
Still, logic systems can be understood by thinking about it. Thats a nice thing.

I have never heard anyone say "halb nach 10" or "halb vor 11" when Germans want to express 10:30. They all say "halb 11" so at least there both groups have something in common. The group that says "Viertel nach 10" and "Viertel vor 11" actually uses a mixed system that counts starting from one hour towards half an hour and then from half an hour towards the next hour whereas the others use a straightforward system that counts only within the next hour.
Both systems are logical and understood by most people (or at least those willing to learn).

For those that do not understand the second system here is a simple example. Take an hour as a pie and cut it into 4 pieces then start eating:

10:15 is "Viertel 11"
10:30 is "halb 11"
10:45 is "drei Viertel 11"
11:00 is "um 11" or "the pie has been eaten up"

Still I prefer the 24 hour system because it cannot be misunderstood by anyone on this planet unless he cannot count yet.

[ertr]

The metric system for the most part is easier. However, there is one flawed portion, temperature. Celsius has good reasoning for measuring temperature from freezing to boiling water in a lab, but as a daily tool for a normal person it is much less useful. In Fahrenheit people can see a number of degrees near 100, and tell that it will be a hot day, or a temperature near 0 , and know that it will be cold outside (oh, look 0-100, sounds like the metric system!). Celsius isn't as useful, because that same range is -17 to 37.

The normal person, I'd say 90-99% of the population of the earth, doesn't need the convenience of having freezing water temperatures be 0 and boiling be 100, as much as they need a simple measurement to know what the weather outside is like.

That is just a question of how used you are to the system. If I see a temperature in Fahrenheit I will have to do a lot calculations to figure out if it is warm or cold, while if I see the temperature in Celcius I will immediately be able to tell if I need to put on a jacket or not before I head outside. And having the freezing point of water at 0 is useful since it makes a BIG difference for roadconditions etc. if the temperatue is below freezing/zero or not.

[Oelle]

That is just a question of how used you are to the system. If I see a temperature in Fahrenheit I will have to do a lot calculations to figure out if it is warm or cold, while if I see the temperature in Celcius I will immediately be able to tell if I need to put on a jacket or not before I head outside. And having the freezing point of water at 0 is useful since it makes a BIG difference for roadconditions etc. if the temperatue is below freezing/zero or not.

in addition to that, its MUCH better to reproduce.
you can tell anyone anywhere in the universe to take water at 1bar and look for when it boils and smelts and fit a linear curve and he has the same measurement.
If i remember it right, the 0 for farenheit is 'its so cold outside, that it wont get colder anytime soon' and 100 'little fever body temperature'. for both points, you have to be a man/woman and on earth. you cant just reproduce it whereever you want.


the only reason for non-metric system is, that people use them for longer time and are used to them. besides that, theres nothing good with them. same for a non-decimal clock.

[Fratonia]

the only reason for non-metric system is, that people use them for longer time and are used to them. besides that, theres nothing good with them. same for a non-decimal clock.

It's somewhat like this "summer time" nonsense that is artificial, expendable and has no practical use. It only causes confusion and negative effects on peoples health but politicians still won't get rid of it despite peoples demand because politicians are cowards and don't give a damn about peoples will.

[ertr]

It's somewhat like this "summer time" nonsense that is artificial, expendable and has no practical use. It only causes confusion and negative effects on peoples health but politicians still won't get rid of it despite peoples demand because politicians are cowards and don't give a damn about peoples will.

I don't know... I kind of like having more daylight hours during summer evenings and fewer mornings in the winter where I have to get up before the sun - at least one of which I would lose if we did not switch between summer and winter time.

[Rufkin]

That is just a question of how used you are to the system. If I see a temperature in Fahrenheit I will have to do a lot calculations to figure out if it is warm or cold, while if I see the temperature in Celcius I will immediately be able to tell if I need to put on a jacket or not before I head outside. And having the freezing point of water at 0 is useful since it makes a BIG difference for roadconditions etc. if the temperatue is below freezing/zero or not.

Ah, so you see the fallacy of the metric system. It is simpler to understand when doing math or science, but that doesn't matter, because it is quite simply easier for the population to remember what they were taught than it is to use a new more convenient system.

You see, Fahrenheit is more convenient, but metric users won't budge on it because they were taught Celsius, so they are just as unwilling to change for that sake as english users are to change away from the foot. The foot is about the length of my forearm, the inch is pretty much the length of the tip of my finger. A mile is also easier to judge than a kilometer. The metric system means nothing to me in everyday life (unless I'm running a 'k' race), and are only convenient if you are doing measurements and math.

All of that aside, I'd much rather see time in a 24 hour clock than am/pm. If you can't count to 24 what business do you have telling time anyway? I also have no interest in doing away with daylight savings. I can't imagine trying to sleep with the sun still up at 10pm.

[MathKnight]

It (the metric system) is simpler to understand when doing math or science, but that doesn't matter, because it is quite simply easier for the population to remember what they were taught.

This part is true. Then you state something that's opinion.

You see, Fahrenheit is more convenient, but metric users won't budge on it because they were taught Celsius, so they are just as unwilling to change for that sake as english users are to change away from the foot. The foot is about the length of my forearm, the inch is pretty much the length of the tip of my finger. A mile is also easier to judge than a kilometer. The metric system means nothing to me in everyday life (unless I'm running a 'k' race), and are only convenient if you are doing measurements and math.

There is no reason Fahrenheit is more convenient. It is simply easier for people to remember what they were taught. That is why Celsius means nothing to you. Not because it is less convenient overall, but because you weren't raised to it. Neither was I, actually, and I also have problems judging a kilometer. Maybe it'll be easier the more I play Pokemon GO.

Random examples for metric lengths include the thickness of a plastic card is a millimeter. The width of a fingernail is a centimeter. A meter is about a long step by an adult, five steps up a staircase, the depth of the shallow end of a pool, half the length of a bed, the width of a large fridge. A kilometer is roughly twelve minutes' walk (assuming you don't stop to catch Pokemon). English measurements are not more convenient. You and I are simply accustomed to them.

[Freawaru]

English measurements are not more convenient. You and I are simply accustomed to them.

This. Metric is a system of tens; it's much easier to use if you need to make conversions of any kind (which, yes, is often necessary in every day life -- see cooking, for instance). If the rest of the developed world managed to switch to metric, why can't the United States?

[Xhiu]

the only reason for non-metric system is, that people use them for longer time and are used to them. besides that, theres nothing good with them. same for a non-decimal clock.

A waistline in cm seems gruesome to me. HOW big is my waist?? A teaspoon is something you can use to stir your tea. Gasp, you can measure, with uncertain accuracy, how much sugar to put in the cup.

mph vs kph. Kilometer is too small but thats what the metric people use. Guess a Gigameter would be too large. The imperial system has measurements that fit what is being measured. Some of them are archaic. It does take more thought to change feet into miles... or inches into feet I suppose.

Btw: with an analog clock you can anticipate the minutes and hrs more by watching the hands move. I would have hated to have a digital clock in my class room. Oh and, in the interests of accuracy, non-decimal (digital?) is called analog. Its a technical term.

I've been using a 24hr clock since boot camp. ohdarkthirty comes around pretty early as does 1930hrs when you want to do something other than go to bed. yeah zero dark thirty has been around at least since the 1960's

[Fratonia]

I don't know... I kind of like having more daylight hours during summer evenings and fewer mornings in the winter where I have to get up before the sun - at least one of which I would lose if we did not switch between summer and winter time.

I don't know about your working hours but in the winter I get up when it's still dark and come home when it's dark again. Some weeks when I'm working in a data center I don't get to see the sun at all.

The sun going down sooner during summer had the nice side effect of the temperature also going down sooner so people that actually have to sleep during the night have an easier time doing so. It wouldn't really affect those that like to party.

But don't worry. I doubt that anything will change in that regard. Summer time was introduced with false expectations and we both know that politicians hate to admit mistakes.

[Sheaezra]

This. Metric is a system of tens; it's much easier to use if you need to make conversions of any kind (which, yes, is often necessary in every day life -- see cooking, for instance). If the rest of the developed world managed to switch to metric, why can't the United States?

I think the US likes to be separate from the rest of the developed world in some ways. Seems like their health care system is a prime example of that.

[Rufkin]

This part is true. Then you state something that's opinion.



There is no reason Fahrenheit is more convenient. It is simply easier for people to remember what they were taught. That is why Celsius means nothing to you. Not because it is less convenient overall, but because you weren't raised to it. Neither was I, actually, and I also have problems judging a kilometer. Maybe it'll be easier the more I play Pokemon GO.

Random examples for metric lengths include the thickness of a plastic card is a millimeter. The width of a fingernail is a centimeter. A meter is about a long step by an adult, five steps up a staircase, the depth of the shallow end of a pool, half the length of a bed, the width of a large fridge. A kilometer is roughly twelve minutes' walk (assuming you don't stop to catch Pokemon). English measurements are not more convenient. You and I are simply accustomed to them.

Fahrenheit uses the same system of 0 (cold) to 100 (hot) that most of the metric system uses. Saying that Celsius is more useful is only true when limited to a lab or classroom. In terms of weather, a thing that every person on the planet is subject to, knowing that it is cold closer to zero and hot closer to one hundred is much more simple from a non-biased standpoint. If you claim that -17 to 37 is simpler to understand, you are biased.

[Freawaru]

If you claim that -17 to 37 is simpler to understand, you are biased.

But... no one who regularly uses metric uses those values as their benchmark?

0C = freezing point. We know that if we're driving, and the temperature outside has hit the freezing point, we have to be particularly careful as the roads may be icy.

40-50C = hot as hell. near or exactly halfway to the boiling point of water.

In Canada (or other countries that regularly dip below zero):

-10C = a moderately cold winter day
-20C = a pretty cold winter day
-30C = an extremely cold winter day
-40C = holy moose poop, where's my Arctic-strength Canada Goose jacket?

See...? Like I said, a system of 10s. Fahrenheit is not any more simple to use than metric when it comes to weather.

[daneyul]

... I reckon people are allowed to be condescending when someone is complaining about something as simple as time-telling. "No one knows what 12 PM is"? SERIOUSLY? I've known that since I was a young child. It is very basic knowledge that any moderately-functioning adult should know.

Condescension is NEVER appropriate. Not that I expect someone like YOU to be able to grasp such a concept. Hrmpf.

[Freawaru]

Condescension is NEVER appropriate. Not that I expect someone like YOU to be able to grasp such a concept. Hrmpf.

Yes, let's not condescend; let's go ahead and hold the hands of adults who do not how to tell time. What next? "Wah, Turbine, give me update notes in pretty pictures! There are too many big words!"

[Tuco]

... I reckon people are allowed to be condescending when someone is complaining about something as simple as time-telling. "No one knows what 12 PM is"? SERIOUSLY? I've known that since I was a young child. It is very basic knowledge that any moderately-functioning adult should know.

Nope. AM and PM for midnight and noon (or vice versa) are ambiguous and deprecated in English-speaking countries. References: NPL (National Physical Laboratory), Wikipedia, and NIST (National Institute of Science and Technology).

[Freawaru]

Nope. AM and PM for midnight and noon (or vice versa) are ambiguous and deprecated in English-speaking countries. References: NPL (National Physical Laboratory), Wikipedia, and NIST (National Institute of Science and Technology).

Funnily enough, I've gone through thirty years of life without ever encountering any confusion over the distinction between 12am and 12pm (except for that time when I learned about the distinction in school -- I can recall some classmates struggling with it at first). The lack of an "official" designation between the two does not obviate the fact that it is generally accepted that 12am = midnight, and 12pm = noon.

[Tuco]

Funnily enough, I've gone through thirty years of life without ever encountering any confusion over the distinction between 12am and 12pm (except for that time when I learned about the distinction in school -- I can recall some classmates struggling with it at first). The lack of an "official" designation between the two does not obviate the fact that it is generally accepted that 12am = midnight, and 12pm = noon.

I've gone through 70 years of life, and am frequently annoyed at the whole AM/PM thing. Either that trumps your 30 years, or I can be discounted for incipient senility. While I don't want to discount your own experience unfairly, personal experience is by definition anecdotal, and the three references I gave demonstrate that neither choice is "generally accepted."

On my first day with each new OS I switch it to 24 hour clocks.

And don't get me started on month/day/year, day/month/year or year/month day!

[Cayenne_EU]

Funnily enough, I've gone through thirty years of life without ever encountering any confusion over the distinction between 12am and 12pm (except for that time when I learned about the distinction in school -- I can recall some classmates struggling with it at first).

I live in Finland. We use here 24 hour clock. My teacher might've mentioned that US uses am / pm when she was teaching me the basics of clock but probably didn't. At some point in my life I ran into am/pm and first wondered what that is. I probably figured it out pretty quickly, but when someone says 12 am, I must think hard what that means. It is not automatic since the next time I need to know what 12 am means, could very well be in next year or year after that. That's how frequently I need to know how ap/pm clock works.

Altho this thread has now probably made me need less time to think what 12 am means. Or so I would imagine.

[Marancil]

I've gone through 70 years of life, and am frequently annoyed at the whole AM/PM thing. Either that trumps your 30 years, or I can be discounted for incipient senility. While I don't want to discount your own experience unfairly, personal experience is by definition anecdotal, and the three references I gave demonstrate that neither choice is "generally accepted."

On my first day with each new OS I switch it to 24 hour clocks.

And don't get me started on month/day/year, day/month/year or year/month day!

lol, hmm, I did not touch a clock before I was like 7-8 and never heard of am/pm before I was 17-18 or so (early 1980's) so when you say 70 years I pull 10-15 from them. Without a doubt. As for the AM PM confusion, I don't get it. Yes I read all the reasons above. It is so obvious even me who hardly use it get it, when you know what the words actually mean in Latin. Which many of you obviously don't seem to do. Ante Meridiem = AM equals before and up to noon. Ante means literally "before". Post means literally "after".

***
(from the Latin, ante meridiem, meaning before midday) and p.m. (post meridiem, meaning after midday)

In any case this whole discussion is irrelevant. Follow ISO standards. Period. And if anyone has issues making out what time the servers will go down, well just look at the French or German translation since there you have the ISO GMT time.

[maartena]

11:00 is "um 11" or "the pie has been eaten up"

Elevenses!

[maartena]

Being a bit older and well trained in both; no, the English system shouldn't go. That's why many Americans will reject the notion of being forced into a decimal system. I'm old enough to remember when they tried it. It failed. Measuring systems using familiar objects as references and using bases with a large number of common divisors simply is easier to work with without computational aids. Let something happen to modern civilization such that electronics don't work and won't work for an unknown period of time, people will get by just fine looking up and around. Yes, I was one of those who made my own sundial. Sure, it wouldn't give you sub-second resolution; but it sure was entertaining telling time by it estimating the 'analemma' effect.

It failed because congress passed a federal mandate called the Metric Conversion Act, and NONE of the 50 states were held accountable to introduce said mandate. Some states outright refused. Thing is, it wasn't a LAW, it was a "mandate" or a "act" without any time line, without any repercussions, without any firm plan. States could just say: "whatever", and they did. Of course the Democrat who introduced the bill was accused by the Republicans of spending time on useless projects, and it was indeed mostly Republican governed states (at the time in 1975) that said: We ain't changing a thing.

The end result is this:

There are 194 countries that use the metric system.
There are 2 countries that use the English system.

And no, that 2nd country is NOT England, they officially changed over to metric in 2000.
That 2nd country is Liberia. Of course Liberia has strong ties with the United States as it was founded by free slaves in the 1820s, and was for all intends and purposes a "colony" of the US until 1847 when it declared independence.

Birma (Myan-Mar) was the 3d country that still used the English system, but is currently in the process of converting. It is said that Liberia is also making progress in converting, so that would leave the United States as the only country left in the world still using the English system of measurements.

A changeover will always take a generation. The older generation in Canada still talks miles and fahrenheit, while those who have been born in the last 50 years or so have either converted at a younger age or were born in a metric society.