Ask Lemmy

Metric 100% when I'm working with mechanical stuff my mind works in metric but my brain has been poisoned to use imperial in other things and I actually really dislike it.

I normally don't talk about this in public. 

But I'm Bimeasurable. I go both ways. Sometimes at the same time. That 7 inch 5mm I got packing is exciting.

For F and C, C is better for things like cooking, where what water is doing is useful. F is better for what we feel. Low numbers feel cold, hot temperatures (approaching 100) feel hot. I know people get used to C, if you're using it every day, but I still think F is the better system for it. That doesn't mean we should use it though. I think we should just switch to C and deal with it.

Metric - so much easier to understand and work with. I personally hate the imperial system, but I know it because of where I grew up. I would shed no tears if the U.S. switched to metric tomorrow.

I use metric when working on personal projects and cad, I would vote yes if a miracle happened and switching all of the us to metric was on the ballot.

The A system is superior to any american shenanigans!

A4 paper size FTW!

Metric ARE standard measurments, the others are wierd.

I would prefer that we had continued on the path of converting to metric until Reagan killed it.

Metric

Imperial system (or whatever the US system is called ) should go away. Let's all just one standard.

Unfortunately, since I'm from the US, I only really know this one, and it's hard to switch when nothing else has switched. I'd put up with the pain of switching though.

Excluding a few examples like frequently used gym weights, common fastener sizes, and short distances, I still have to do rough conversions in my head to have an idea of what a metric measurement is, so I guess I'd say imperial.

But I wouldn't be upset if the US converted to metric.

Metric. All day, every day.

Metric. I do a lot of woodworking and auto repair and anytime I have to use not metric it's annoying

Raised in imperial land but studied science in college, so I prefer metric for almost everything other than talking about large distances.

I prefer metric, it just makes more sense. Also having to add fractions in order to measure something is maddening. 10 1/4" + 4 17/32" vs. 260mm + 115mm

Same as you. I agree on Fahrenheit on the same principle, but it's not that big of a deal and °C isn't that hard to adjust to.

I use both all the time, prefer metric

metric, since i was in the stems. people would freak out if you use kelvin.

I hop back and forth.

For temperature, Fahrenheit just makes more sense because a human useful range is basically 0 to 100 instead of 0 to ~30.

For measurements I use a mix. Feet and inches are useful for medium size things, but below a quarter inch I use millimeters because fractions of an inch is just a fucking mess.

Metric. I've had my phone set up to display the temperature in Celsius for the last ~8 years so that I can get a sense of it without doing math all the time.

Fahrenheit is nice for talking about the weather, but metric is just better for everything else.

Metric all the way

As of today, I am completely unable to estimate or visualize metric values with the exception of the meter (because it is roughly the same as a yard). That said, I would prefer to switch to metric and get used to it rather than continue using our current measurements. It would be vastly preferable to me to use mm and cm over fractions of an inch (I hate fractions, I much prefer decimals).

For temperature, I still prefer F over C. As you said, F is much more metric-like with a 100 degree range that roughly spans the typical weather environments we live in. And considering that the boiling point of water is only 100 C at sea level, that fact is no more valuable than remember that water boils at 212 F at sea level. The reality is, I don't actually care what specific temperature water boils or freezes at (at any particular elevation). I happen to know what the values are in both C and F, but it doesn't matter in my life (except for when I was trying to bake when living in Colorado).

Weight of human beings, weights at the gym, etc.: pounds

Height of people: feet and inches

Height of buildings: mostly feet, but occasionally meters.

Depth of water in scuba: meters

Kitchen weight: grams

Kitchen volume: fluid ounces only between 0-128 oz, then gallons after that. Decimal places, not fractions. So for example, cocktail recipes should all be in ounces, no tablespoons or teaspoons.

Distances in wilderness: meters/km

Distances on a football field: yards

Distances on a basketball court: feet

Distances on roads or in cities: miles

All temps in Fahrenheit.

Energy in calories for food and heat, watt hours for electricity, joules for everything else.

Either is fine.

I have to admit I can picture American units more intuitively, but that’s just what you’re used to and use all the time. I have no idea what my height in metric is but it’s easy enough to look up and I’d remember it if I had reason to use it.

I also like afflicting measurement puns on my British colleagues. They groan in pain and may not appreciate the humor, but I’m amused at carrying on weather smalltalk about 30° vs 30°