The US stands alone in sticking with the Fahrenheit scale.

[PeteC]

The US stands alone in sticking with the Fahrenheit scale.

Why Americans still use Fahrenheit long after everyone else switched to Celsius

Virtually every country on earth aside from the United States measures temperature in Celsius. This makes sense; Celsius is a reasonable scale that assigns freezing and boiling points of water with round numbers, zero and 100. In Fahrenheit, those are, incomprehensibly, 32 and 212.

This isn't just an aesthetic issue. America's stubborn unwillingness to get rid of Fahrenheit temperatures is part of its generally dumb refusal to change over to the metric system, which has real-world consequences. One conversion error between US and metric measurements sent a $125 million NASA probe to its fiery death in Mars' atmosphere.

Full article:
https://www.vox.com/2015/2/16/8031177/a ... fahrenheit

Opinions from the 'yanks' on the forum?

[PeteC]

Not really. We're just "dumb westerners" as some on here put it. Let the youngsters change it if they want to fall into lock step.

[Nereus]

Not really. We're just "dumb westerners" as some on here put it. Let the youngsters change it if they want to fall into lock step.

Ah yes, why don't those youngsters wait until all us old fogies have karked it!

[HHTel]

I have fallen into 'lockstep' with Celcius and kms in the 20 years I've been here. But like you, I was brought up with Fahrenheit and still able to understand 'VERY HOT' in F rather than C. 100F is bloody hot though 37/38 doesn't sound so.

Still most of world changed to 'C' back in the 60's so I'd guess many who have been brought up with C are not youngsters any more. My daughter has no idea of Fahrenheit and she's in her 40's.

[Nereus]

The "Imperial System" is a carry over from former Britsh colonies. Australia used it up until 1970, when the metric, or "SI" system became law.

It caused a lot of confusion and frustration at the time, because people of my generation went to school using the imperial system, and then had to change eveything from the currency to weights and measures, and everything in between.

My intial trade training was in imperial units, and then as I progressed further everything changed to SI units. Many an exam failed because of the changes!

It did have a funny side, such as the American crew on an offshore oil rig asking the supply boat for 500 litres of bulk cement. What really threw them was trying to convert the US gallons to SI litres!

[lindosfan1]

I still use fahrenheit, inches and pounds and ounces. The one that confuses me most is centimetres.

[HHTel]

It's all very well sticking to Fahrenheit, gallons, miles etc. But why has US have a different measure of volume but still use the same name as the imperial system?
The US fluid ounce is larger than the imperial fluid ounce. Henceforth all volumes following, pint, gallon quart etc etc are different to the imperial system.
Even some weight is different Imperial hundredweight = 112 lbs - US hundredweight = 100 lbs.

Even though I was weaned on the 'old' system, I have to agree that metrication is far simpler.
Celcius from freezing to boiling is 0 - 100
Fahrenheit freezing to boiling is 32 - 212.

I can understand the 'youngster's frustration about us 'oldies' that understood the vague and complicated Imperial system but cannot get our heads around the very simple metric system.

Pounds, shillings and pence (LSD)! Try getting 'metric/decimal' people to understand that.
Nah! Let's not go there.

[Dannie Boy]

I’m amongst many on this forum who grew up with imperial and had to change to metric as I got older - fortunately my grey matter can still comprehend both sets of units to the degree that’s sufficient to convert close enough from one to the other

[PeteC]

How about rods, chains, furlongs and and poles? There is a Cricket quiz in there somewhere.

[PeteC]

I’m amongst many on this forum who grew up with imperial and had to change to metric as I got older - fortunately my grey matter can still comprehend both sets of units to the degree that’s sufficient to convert close enough from one to the other

I'm fine with it all too and using it in business since the 70's. I just don't like Celsius.

[HHTel]

How about rods, chains, furlongs and and poles?

I'm fine with all that too. Part of regular schoolwork.

Some terms, I'm sure, will remain. e.g. furlongs and guineas in horse racing. The height of a horse is in 'hands'.

There must be other examples.

[Dannie Boy]

A marathon was traditionally measured at 26 miles 385 yards (26.2 miles).

The penalty spot in football is 12 yds from the goal line and the penalty area is 6 yds by 18 yds.

I can’t see “he likes his 454 gms of flesh” catching on!!

How about joining the 1.6 km high club?

Apparently there are only three countries that officially still use imperial measurements, Liberia, Myanmar and the USA!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[huahin4ever]

I rest my case

YNWA

[HHTel]

Love it.

[pharvey]

We in the UK still haven't decided - we have Miles, have Litres (but think in Gallons), we have Kg but think in Pounds, we have cm & mm but fittings in inches..... And lest us not forget (as PeteC says), Chains, Furlongs and Twaddle.

Working in Denmark several years ago, it was pointed out to me that the UK was "Getting closer to the "Metric System" inch by inch!"