Map of which countries post dates in the right way or the wrong way

America just HAS to be different though. The world has adopted the A4 standard paper size other than America who has their own.

Why be consistently different? Is it you look down on the World as being sub standard? Why be the only one? It's not just paper sizes that this applies to.

 

That was sort of the point. Unfortunately, really going to the metric system would require retooling an unbelievable amount of our industry. We are way beyond that costing billions of dollars. Who pays for that? Is it worth it?

 

Sure, there are costs, but what about the benefits?

 

You mean like all the products you make that are already metric? I'm sure you've been making items for decades that are already metric.

If it ISN'T metric, it's not gonna sell outside your own market! Or is that the idea?

 

Such as not crashing a $125 million spacecraft into Mars, for example:
CNN - NASA's metric confusion caused Mars orbiter loss - September 30, 1999

 

You mean, besides things like not wasting a third of a $Billion on Mars Climate Orbiter doomed by a non-metric unit error?

Case Studies: Metric/English Conversion Errors

(PS posted before ftl's reply arrived here, but I'm leaving it for the linked article. I've seen other cases elsewhere, such as a failed space shuttle experiment.)

 

While conversion error was the direct cause of the Mars Climate Orbiter, the underlying cause was the subdivision and rush of the work. Which is why the error was missed. It used the operating software. The engineer responsible for the flight corrections portion to update to the software did his job right. Nobody told him when another team removed the conversion program from the original software.

Of course, using just one set of units would have avoided all this.

 

I'm talking about things like a passenger aircraft. It can have 50,000+ bolts, nuts, screws, etc all based on non metric parts. Replacement parts can only come from the aircraft manufacturer, so to the end user it is a non-factor whether the $1000 bolt is 3/8th head or 10 mm head. It's the $1000 that matters. However, to build the next generation aircraft totally metric could add $10,000,000 but not make it a better plane, just a "metric" plane. If that causes the aircraft company to lose the sale, then the metric conversion was not worth it.

Please don't take my comment as opposing the metric system. I was pointing out (and so were you!) that tooling changes and end user desires have economic consequences that are often faced by manufacturers. The metric vs. non-metric transition is a whole lot more complicated than what most people realize.

 

Yes and no. It varies dramatically depending on the plane tooling, and a huge number of other factors. The body of the plane can be non-metric and the engines can be completely metric. Same with a number of the avionics and software. Some of the program can have variables in English units and a different section of the same program can have variables in Metric Units.

I design all kinds of avionics. It is very rare for a project to have 100% of everything in one set of units. For example, an European or Asian altimeter can be made of metric parts and programmed in metric units only to output altitude in 100s of feet.

 

What you see as a problem, I see as a market opportunity.

I'll let you on a little secret. Real engineers use serious units, one of the favorites being furlongs per fortnight. Look it up on google, It will show up before you finish typing.

 

If it doesn't use the smoot, I don't like it.

 

I checked the calibration on a recent visit to MIT and it's right on.

 

Are you referring to the English smoot, American smoot, or Australian smoot?

 

I'm confused. Did you check the bridge length with the present smoot or check the present smoot to the bridge length? Engineers are concerned about minor details like that.