Ask a German: How Do You Deal With Imperial Units?

Ask a German: How Do You Deal With Imperial Units? | Feli from Germany

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Жыл бұрын

In this week's #askagerman episode, I'm answering the question of how I deal with American measurement units as a German living in the US. Do I always convert gallons, miles, and inches into the metric system? Or have I gotten used to the imperial system by now? 🤔
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ABOUT ME: Hallo, Servus, and welcome to my channel! My name is Felicia (Feli), I'm 29, and I'm a German living in the USA! I was born and raised in Munich, Germany but have been living in Cincinnati, Ohio off and on since 2016. I first came here for an exchange semester during my undergrad at LMU Munich, then I returned for an internship, and then I got my master's degree in Cincinnati. I was lucky enough to win the Green Card lottery and have been a permanent resident since 2019! In my videos, I talk about cultural differences between America and Germany, things I like and dislike about living here, and other topics I come across in my everyday life in the States. Let me know what YOU would like to hear about in the comments below. DANKE :)
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Пікірлер: 2 200

@FelifromGermany Жыл бұрын

Do you guys prefer imperial or metric units? 🤔 CORRECTION: As some people have pointed out in the comments, the US actually uses the "United States customary system" which has different volume measurements than the imperial system. So American fluid ounces, pints, or gallons are actually smaller than their imperial counterparts. I was not aware of that but this only makes this whole situation even more confusing 😅

@Bennyboyjr Жыл бұрын

Imperial

@dmscmightymo Жыл бұрын

I guess there are a lot more americans prefering metric than the other way around😂

@Trifler500 Жыл бұрын

As an American, I think metric makes the most sense, although I do really love the foot. I wish metric using countries actually used the decimeter, since it's similar to a foot. I also like the gallon for fuel, milk, and water.

@CancerKicker98 Жыл бұрын

I'm more iffy on the weather C° seems easier than f°

@NipkowDisk Жыл бұрын

I grew up with U.S. Customary Units (often mistaken for Imperial Units), so I prefer them. We tried in 1974 and the mid-1990s to convert to metric, but there was SO much push-back that it was never fully adopted.

@georgemandigo3857 Жыл бұрын

Regarding temperature I grew up with Fahrenheit but when I lived abroad and needed to embrace Celsius I never needed to learn a conversion. A friend gave me a much easier way of getting along in centigrade: 30 is hot 20 is nice 10 is chilly And 0 is ice I have never needed anything else regarding temperature in daily life.

@goldfieldgary Жыл бұрын

That's a clever little ditty! When I spent some time in Europe all I was concerned about was rain gear!

@CAMacKenzie Жыл бұрын

15C is 59F. I learned that in learning to fly, as 15C is standard sea level temperature, and density altitude is calculated using the difference of the temp from that and the pressure altitude. Unfortunately, it's been a long time since I've flown as it's TOO DAMN EXPENSIVE.

@luv2fly745 Жыл бұрын

As a pilot, I used my own quick temperature calculation from metric to imperial to give the passengers an arrival weather briefing. Double the C temp and add 30 to get the imperial F temperature. For example, 15°C x 2 = 30 + 30 = ~60°F. The actual conversion is 59°F so it's fairly accurate to give you a quick idea. During my previous career as an RN, we used the metric system which I liked much better than imperial measurements.

@bothellkenmore Жыл бұрын

I've learned that 22C is close to 72F which for a lot of Americans is an ideal temp.

@jaszaesel5390 Жыл бұрын

@@luv2fly745God bless you

@jack2453 Жыл бұрын

Tip: Back in prehistory (the 1970s) when Australia changed to metric, we used the 'reverse' conversions of C to F of 16=61 and 28=82. If you keep these in your head you can do a rough scaling up and down from there.

@monikatraeger7774 Жыл бұрын

That's very interesting. I had never heard of that trick. 😮

@flyerfan8 Жыл бұрын

F = C(9/5) + 32 also -40f= -40c

@pwoody9416 Жыл бұрын

I just heard “double it and add 30”. Close enough for most things. Never heard the ‘reverse’ bit. Interesting.

@Kristina_S-O Жыл бұрын

That's how I got through my student exchange year in the USA.

@Sullrosh Жыл бұрын

Another point, -40 = -40

@dougwarren4208 Жыл бұрын

My favorite discussion about travel is the when you ask people from other countries how far it is to travel somewhere, they answer in distance, ie. 25km, but Americans tend to answer in time, ie. 20 minutes.

@Eillecho Жыл бұрын

That have never made sense to me :) How can you know the time when you don`t know the speed?

@ChristopherX30 Жыл бұрын

@@Eillecho The speed is likely the average (posted) speed travelled to get to the location.

@Eillecho Жыл бұрын

@@ChristopherX30 yeah, that's understandable but still the result is pretty rough

@lucasward9506 Жыл бұрын

@@Eillecho It's because we don't actually know how far things are away from where we are a lot of the time, but in our experience it takes a certain amount of time to get to a place.

@kingofmphs 10 ай бұрын

Most Americans don’t really have a clue how long a mile is but they know how long it takes to drive.

@jensschroder8214 Жыл бұрын

I worked for an American company in Germany in 2022. The production dimensions were in millimeters but the threads in inches. This was particularly difficult because nobody in Europe really knows about inches and fractions.

@kilsestoffel3690 Жыл бұрын

I work in Germany at a German company with European costumers. Pneumatic connections are in inch and fractions. I have a good assumption how big 3/8" or 2" actually is

@jasonhaman4670 Жыл бұрын

The only thing worse than imperial/customary units, is mixing them with metric units.

@reinhard8053 Жыл бұрын

@@jasonhaman4670 I found that difficulty when designing circuit boards for electronics. We had a program with a defined grid. For electronic parts it's mostly 1/10 of an Inch 2,54mm. But then we got parts with metric pin distances and the trouble began.

@nikomangelmann6054 Жыл бұрын

@@jasonhaman4670 we are lucky that nobody like the nasa will do that and crash an million $ project into mars or somthing like that... ahm... yes...

@MBrieger Жыл бұрын

@@nikomangelmann6054 They actually screwed that up too. Not sure which mission failed and at what stage, but the issue what that some guidance was calculated in imperial and some other software interfacing in metric. That didn't pan out well.

@gdp3rd Жыл бұрын

I really have no problem with either system. As a scientist I always used metric for work, but having grown up with American units I used them most of the rest of the time. These days I have measuring devices marked in both, so when following a recipe, for example, it depends on where I got the recipe. I will admit to preferring degrees F over degrees C for the human comfort range.

@kentworch 11 ай бұрын

I like both types of units fine myself, but like you I had to get used to using them both as well as converting back and forth on the fly at a very frequent basis. At some point you almost just get the feel of both systems so well that they both feel natural.

@GaryandErica 11 ай бұрын

As an engineer, I would support changing to ALL metric unit measurements, except temperature. Temp when it comes to human temps needs more granularity in measurements! (in C, 0 is cold (but not "REALLY" cold), 100 is dead. comfortable room temp is 18-23. in F 0 is also cold (though that's getting towards "REALLY" cold, 100 is hot, comfortable temps are anywhere between 60-80)

@bob456fk6 10 ай бұрын

I always use metric for physics problems. I have a metric voltmeter and a metric crescent wrench too. 🙂 I don't like imperial units but I do like degrees F because one degree C is rather coarse.

@krowaswieta7944 9 ай бұрын

@@GaryandErica Well, the thing is 0 C degrees is when water starts to freeze. But ye, i guess its a matter of getting used to one of those systems. So if you grew up using Celsius its hard to switch to F - and the other way around.

@misterno-ice-guy8082 8 ай бұрын

I like to think in degrees Fahrenheit for weather because a human's threshold is 0° - 100° F; below or above those numbers, respectively, can be deadly

@theonlymoo5e Жыл бұрын

The imperial system was used in Canada before we went metric. There still are people that are older than me, that when they hear the weather on TV, and ask what's that in normal degrees. So I've been converting between the 2 ever since lol.

@mizapf Жыл бұрын

The nice thing about the metric system is the link between different measures: 1 kg is the mass of 1 l of water, and 1000 l is 1 m³. So you have a simple connection between mass, length, and volume.

@grandrapids57 Жыл бұрын

There is the Same thing in imperial, oz, quarts, pounds, inch, etc. This is exactly why people who don't know the system think it "makes no sense" when its bad pedagogy that creates the false belief. it is absurd that for centuries engineers etc. would use something stupid, indeed the system is quite well thought out, and in several cases makes more sense than metric. It is more of a catch phrase that somehow metric "makes sense" and every other measurement system in history did or does not.

@alroth6308 Жыл бұрын

@@grandrapids57 the "sense" for imperial is more historical than practical and the human resistance to change. in the usa most manufacturing is metric, yet most consumers are not aware as such is not obvious or marketed as such. some things will be very difficult to change to metric as already existing and permanent......(think land measurement for ownership title)

@grandrapids57 Жыл бұрын

@@alroth6308 Oh standard is quite practical and rather simple, fewer units for example- every time in metric one goes up 10 or down 10- new name, new unit, new conversion formula., Exactly why everything other than metric seems complicated and stupid is more a reflection of how alive people look at dead ones, than any actual differences, No metric supporter seems to be aware of the complications that arise when dealing with fractions of a unit while restricting the divisiors to units of ten, for example,

@alroth6308 Жыл бұрын

@@grandrapids57 did not say what you imply as you appear to think changing all the land ownership title descriptions along with all the history of title changes of a large nation being simple......(even most of europe has not done such after going metric with all the land ownership history that would need to be reconstructed...)

@alroth6308 Жыл бұрын

@@grandrapids57 metric is "better" for most science/engineering. yet historic practical matters prevent such adoption for aspects noted previously with the costs to change previously existing are deemed problematic (think land title descriptions or for existing objects as a 67 Caddy being pointless to "metricfy")

@brucehorn7600 Жыл бұрын

I am an American and for at least the last fifty years I have thought that we should switch to the metric system. I have no idea why we are one of the few countries that have not. So much easier to calculate and it would make interactions with the rest of the people in the world so much easier.

@guentherk.1082 Жыл бұрын

The U.S., Myanmar and Liberia are the only countries that still use the imperial system day to day, though the U.S. system has some slight differences.

@robletterly6679 Жыл бұрын

Because we murricans don't wanna be told what to do, and you can't make me change my measurements /s

@mr_bottomtooth Жыл бұрын

@@guentherk.1082 Small correction: Myanmar uses neither the imperial system nor the metric system, but rather the traditional Burmese system. However, in 2013 the Myanmarese government announced that it will adopt the metric system in the forseeable future and as of now they have it already partially incorporated, such as in road signs (these are in kolimeters now). So unlike the U.S. in the 1970's Myanmar actually appears to follow through with this plan. :P

@goldfieldgary Жыл бұрын

It's a divisive issue and politicians are afraid of losing votes.

@Pyrolonn Жыл бұрын

It's two things we have a Presidential system rather than a Parliamentary system which always tends to yield a divided government. Filibuster in the Senate and switching is a pain. Even in the U.S. it is widely used in scientific and medical fields. If the U.S. wasn't such a large actor in the world there would be more pressure.

@JustKnifeThings Жыл бұрын

I have a tape measure that has both imperial and metric on it. It's a lifesaver once in a while. Maybe a good addition for your household.

@jameseddy6835 Жыл бұрын

Feli I'm Jim. I was born and bead in the US. I use metric in baking but nothing else. I have been unable to form a relationship between imperial and metric. Metric seems to be more accurate but I still have to do it my way. Your English is better than a lot of Americans I know. I will conclude with the quote, "when in Rome do as the Romans do"

@jhawker41_the_bald_dragon21 Жыл бұрын

I feel you, I'm over 80 and never understood why this country (U.S.) never switched to metric. They talked about it in the 70's I think but kickback they dropped it. They should have done what Canada & Sweden did and just switch over night. One day Imperial next day Metric. They survived

@douglasfur3808 Жыл бұрын

I think the US officially switched to SI measures in the 70's and all our customary measures are defined by metric units. What got swept under the rug was the plan to phase out the old system.

@jessicaely2521 Жыл бұрын

The US was going to go to metric in the late 80's early 90's. I only know this because I was in school during this time and started to learn our system and metric.

@Brian3989 Жыл бұрын

@@jessicaely2521 Didn't the idea of metric for USA start back in the 1800's?

@jessicaely2521 Жыл бұрын

@Brian3989 there was talk, but no law. We all know talk is cheap. It wasn't illegal to use metric back then, but majority of US didnt use it. 1975 they made a law that the US was going to metric. Nowadays you'll see metric almost everywhere in the US. I'm drinking a bottle of soda. It says 20 FL OZ or 591 mL. Prescriptions are only in grams, chips are in oz and grams, meat is in lb and kg, cars made in the US have mph and kmh (my mom's Lexus was the first vehicle I saw in the US that doesn't have both), the volume of engines are in Liters (I don't know what the SI system for engines is), glass measuring cups have SI and metric, the springboard diving boards are only in meters, swimming pools that i know of are only in meters (we had customers at a swimming pool I worked at asking how many km are in a mile. It's a little over 1.5 km) my daughter's baby bottle had SI, imperial, and metric, etc.

@tommynyberg2122 Жыл бұрын

In sweden we have had the metric system since 1878. The meter system was officially introduced by a Royal Decree on 22 November 1878 with a ten-year transition period.

@grantnitschke9794 Жыл бұрын

As a Boomer living in Australia, I grew up with the British Imperial system (some things eg volumes, are different to the American system). However, during the 1970s, Australia switched to the metric system. These days I mostly think in metric (temperature, distances by road/rail/air, etc) but I also still think in Imperial terms in regard to people's height, weight and width (circumference) measurements. But I fully agree with you, Feli. Metric is so much easier to use.

@anthonyfuqua6988 Жыл бұрын

America tried to switch in the 70's but it didn't take hold. We regressed back.

@anthonyfuqua6988 Жыл бұрын

Fahrenheit is more precise than Celcius though. One degree of fahrenheit could include 3 degrees of celsius. Celsius isn't the scientific unit anyway. In chemistry we use Kelvin.

@anthonyfuqua6988 Жыл бұрын

Where's a good place to visit in Australia? I've been to Adelaide about 20 years ago. But I did my tour of Europe last year and had Australia and New Zealand as next counties up. In New Zealand I wanted to do the Milford Sound trek but it has a six month waiting list. I want to go during you guys spring or fall. Not dead middle of summer. My roommate was Australian and he says Perth but he admits he was kinda isolated there on the West Coast of Australia.

@anthonyfuqua6988 Жыл бұрын

Adelaide was for work. I didn't choose it but it was a great place. It was summer and wasn't too hot. It was pretty green.

@joereu4510 Жыл бұрын

@@anthonyfuqua6988 Kelvin and Celsius refer to the same scale. The Difference between freezing and cooking water is 100 degrees Celsius and 100 Kelvin. Why is Fahrenheit more precise than Celsius? It is not forbidden (and in fact it is normal in daily life) to describe room temperatures with a digit like 21.5 degrees Celsius.

@meg8294 Жыл бұрын

It’s so interesting how difference in language and measurement systems can affect how our brains operate. I’m an American, and cannot even imagine associating low numbers like “18°C” with warmth 😂 I do think the metric system seems much simpler and easy to understand though!

@michaausleipzig Жыл бұрын

I work in a hotel in Germany and had to deal with a very confused american gentleman once who was wondering why his room's AC would only go up to 25°. It took some explaining but in the end he accepted that we really didn't want him to freeze to death. 😅 Ahh ... Americans... 😂

@Petar_Savic Жыл бұрын

That is not a difference in language. Indeed 100 years ago and more they have started to define weight, lengths, temperature, pressure etc. But almost the entire world has started to use the most simple units which can be used and transformed easily. Like metric system. You are always playing with 10. Either multiplication or division to get other units. On the other hand temperature is defined with Celsius. Because 0 Celsius is the moment when water starts to freeze and 100 Celsius is when water starts to evaporate. And our human temperature is between 36⁰ and 37⁰ degrees Celsius.

@lalystar4230 Жыл бұрын

@michaausleipzig Just tell, Here in Germany we're all just training to be as coldhardy as we can get! 😂

@michaausleipzig Жыл бұрын

@@lalystar4230 hehe ... better not. It he end he might have sued me. Which appears to be a quite popular american pastime...

@publicvoidmain Жыл бұрын

@@michaausleipzig I'd like to see that lawsuit in action.

@happychriggy Жыл бұрын

I'm an engineer at NASA Kennedy Space Center who went to university in Germany and the US. You speak my pain!!!! If you think just dealing with daily measurements is confusing and complicated, you should try engineering math. All my calculations have a separate sheet where I convert all inputs to metric and all outputs back to the US standard system while all the actual calculations are done in metric.

@barryhaley7430 9 ай бұрын

All that conversion increases the likelihood of errors. Like the Air Canada pilot who thought he was loading kilograms but actually pounds. Ran out of fuel at 41,000ft He did manage to glide the 767 to a safe landing.

@missdaisyracing 9 ай бұрын

This story made me remember when a rocket exploded because of conversion errors between metric and imperial systems - an error that costed millions of dollars! PS.: I'm also an engineer and had to work with both systems during and after graduation!

@Jiphoune 9 ай бұрын

Of course the calculations are done in metric, because you just CANNOT calculate with imperial. It's just not mathematical.

@timlois Жыл бұрын

I started grade school in the US in 1983. We learned imperial and metric units. Our teachers told us by the time we graduated high school, the imperial system would be phased out, so we had to learn both. Guess we are more stubborn than they thought.

@jroda8015 9 ай бұрын

Heard the same thing in the early 90's 😂😂

@johnschroeder6351 Жыл бұрын

I am an Australian and we went metric in 1974 i was in primary school and was so happy when we went metric. I still fall back to imperial sometimes but mostly work in metric.

@sapanoop Жыл бұрын

I am from India and we went metric about the same time. I had to learn both systems and the conversions because I went to school during the transition phase.

@MentalLapse Жыл бұрын

For a simple temperature convertion, there are three temps that if you flip the order will give a quick way to go from C to F or F to C. They are 16C = 61F, 28C = 82F and 40C = 104F. Anything in between, just approximate for instance 22C would be about 71F and 92F would be about 34C.

@chitlitlah Жыл бұрын

And a change of 18 F is the same as a change of 10 C, so you can remember a few fixed points, such as 20 C is 68 F and 40 C is 104 F, and then do some simple math in your head to get other values. So if it's 24 C, that's a bit under 25 which is 68 + 9 or 77, so around 75 F.

@stevevaughn8428 Жыл бұрын

And -40C is -40F. Now stay indoors.

@Markle2k Жыл бұрын

20°C is exactly 68°F, aka the "room temperature" setting for thermostats. 16°C is 60.8°F not 61. 30°C is 86°F. 28°C is 82.4°F A difference of 1°C is 1.8°F so 22°C is 71.6°F (68 + 3.6)

@robertdendooven7258 Жыл бұрын

@@stevevaughn8428 Hell no! At that temperature, it is time to winter camp in a hot tent with a stove!! 😁😁

@steve41557 Жыл бұрын

and -40C = -40F

@lanamack1558 Жыл бұрын

When we came to Australia I struggled with the imperial system and £/s/d. There were a lot more units than you mentioned, such as fathoms, furlongs, drams, chains, gills and much more. Coming from the metric system, maths was a disaster; we were expected to know all the conversions by heart!

@mildlydispleased3221 Жыл бұрын

Clearly you haven't been to Australia in a while, shillings are long dead and besides feet and occasional mile, everything is in miles.

@lanamack1558 Жыл бұрын

@Mildly Displeased I live in Australia. Decimal currency was introduced 14 Feb 1966, and there are no miles or feet in Australia, only mm, cm, m, and km.

@markbernier8434 Жыл бұрын

Canada is like that too. Just throw in Nautical miles (Knots) for speed and distance for good measure.

@jaycee330 Жыл бұрын

I assume you mean when you came to Australia prior to 1966, when it was still imperial measurments.

@lanamack1558 Жыл бұрын

@@jaycee330 of course; well before.

@jonteske4267 Жыл бұрын

Feli, I'm 80 years old, so I was in grade school in the 1950s. That was the first exposure to conversion to metric, but it certainly isn't 2nd nature to me. At that time they told us in school "You'll have to know metric because in 10 years everything will be in metric. Like THAT ever happened. I guess that worked in Canada and Mexico, our neighbors... they simply decreed it. Not so here. All my science classes, Chemistry and Physics, were done in metric, but whether in actuality or mentally we still were doing the conversions. So yes, I still think in Imperial. I'm not going to outlive it. I actually have outlived some measurements. As a kid we still sold some solid food products by "bushels and pecks." You bought a "peck of potatoes." I knew that by the size of the bag, when we bought them in bulk. (My grandfather owned a grocery store.) Bushels are still used for some farm measurements (wheat and other grains.) Shorter horse races are still measured in "furlongs." Old survey maps of property (especially in the East of the Allegheny Mountains) will have measurements in "rods.") Where you live in Cincinnati you are in the areas covered by the Land Ordinance of 1785 where land (whenever possible) was laid out in rectangular grids called "Townships" which are squares of six miles on a side. You can see this when you fly from the US East Coast to the flat areas west of the Eastern Mountain ranges.

@derpinator4912 Жыл бұрын

For the longest time, I thought that the tongue twister was "Peter Piper picked a patch of pickled peppers," because I knew what a patch was and what it meant for someone to pick it. I didn't know why they were pre-pickled though...

@gilheuss7830 Жыл бұрын

I was an adult when the aborted attempt to convert US measures to Metric. One morning I walked into my local Hardware store for something and noticed a counter with crescent wrenches on it. Crescent wrenches are an adjustable wrench using a screw system. The sign on the counter said "Metric crescent wrenches." I queried the clerk about this, he laughed and said they were selling very well!

@mattybrunolucaszeneresalas9072 11 ай бұрын

@@derpinator4912 peck*

@mattybrunolucaszeneresalas9072 11 ай бұрын

In Mexico they went metrification in the 1850s or so. In the 1960s Canada phased out Fahrenheit from laboratories and and weather programmes and in the 1970s slowly replaced the signs. Most things unrelated to that like our bodies we are used to the US standard system of measurement. Funnily enough, the Canadian gallon was probably the same as the imperial gallon. Which meant 20 fluid ounces per pint and us 4 UK Quarts equals 5 US quarts . But then we stopped doing that? I still have a Pepsi-Cola glass bottle that says 16 FL OZ (1PT) idk things are weird. Some products still have some English units. And regardless what the doctor says, we measure ourselves in feet and inches and pounds

@derpinator4912 11 ай бұрын

@@mattybrunolucaszeneresalas9072 I know that it is a peck now, I used to think that it was a patch.

@theblackbear211 Жыл бұрын

You are absolutely correct Feli... we do have a lot of fun with our measurements. Many people do not realize that Engineers use decimal feet, while architects use feet and inches. Machinists convert all their fractions to decimal measurements. When it comes volumetric measurements, we have units of measure that vary by the product being measured. It used to be even more fun when there were still countries using British Imperial measurements versus US statute measurements. (4 imperial gallons = 5 US Gallons) We still get to have fun with this in areas where the ton is used - Since there is the Metric Ton (MT) =1000Kg/2200 lbs, the "Long" (Imperial) ton = 20 "Hundredweight"(112lbs) = 2240lbs, and the "Short"(US) ton = 2000 lbs. Have you ever heard about the time NASA crashed a Space Probe on Mars, because of an error in converting metric and statute measurements?

@alicemilne1444 Жыл бұрын

That Mars probe crash was what finally moved NASA to officially switch to metric.

@pierreabbat6157 Жыл бұрын

I'm a surveyor (not an engineer) and I measure in meters. Someone gave me a house plan in feet, inches, and some fractions, and I had to compute about 50 points (corners of the outside and centers of pillars) to be set. I had to make a spreadsheet to convert everything to millimeters and add them up.

@markvoelker6620 Жыл бұрын

Actually, 1 metric ton (“tonne”) = 2204.6 pounds.

@theblackbear211 Жыл бұрын

@@markvoelker6620 all these years... and I've been shorting myself over 2kg per ton...

@theblackbear211 Жыл бұрын

@@markvoelker6620 You are absolutely correct... but I have to admit that in all the years I had to do conversions, I always stopped @ 2.2 lbs / Kg so my tons (tonnes) were technically short on weight.

@_kowono Жыл бұрын

As a brit living in the US, I couldn't agree more! Back home we'd use feet and inches, but only as a rough measurement "that looks about four feet", but if I actually measure anything I would ALWAYS use metric. I still do and have to make sure every measuring tape has both.

@jbaidley Жыл бұрын

I randomly vary between metric and imperial on the same project depending on which one is nearer on the tape measure. Although nothing really beats the British thing of measuring car economy in miles per gallon (a different gallon to the US one, btw) and then actually buying the petrol priced per litre.

@davedavids57 Жыл бұрын

Yes the UK is a weird place measurement wise. It's very rare to actually find a tape measure or ruler in the UK that doesn't have both types of measurement on it. Schools in the UK only teach decimal (and have done since the 1970s) so most people under 50 will have a good idea of decimal. However anything related to the body is typically still imperial, such as weight (always done in stone), height and "another area" is virtually always in feet and inches. Also in sport most things are still done in yards (such as football and cricket) other than that pretty much everything else is in metric. So you would measure a house in metric etc. The only other thing is long distances which are in miles and yards but they are fairly easy to convert. 1 yard is basically 1 metre and 1 mile is 1,600 metres. Also you get a pint in pubs and when buying milk sometimes but that's now pretty much interchangeable with half a litre.

@Trouble_2X Жыл бұрын

@@davedavids57 TBH I usually sum it up as Distances are both, Volumes are usually metric but with exceptions (pints, gallons or for cooking from some recipe books) and everything else is metric only. The difference with what you are saying is body weight as I and most people I know will never use stone and always use kilograms so maybe people just use one or the other but always the same one.

@BCSchmerker Жыл бұрын

@_kowono *The apparel industry in the United States stuck with fractional inches and cloth yards.* Converting to Systéme Internationale tooling, e.g. vinylite measuring tapes calibrated in centimetres to the tenth from inches to the sixteenth, is _not_ a trivial expense.

@mitchyoung93 Жыл бұрын

That is we the US system is better. It is more intuitive.

@michaelschmale Жыл бұрын

Really interesting to read all this different opinions and answers🙂

@kentworch 11 ай бұрын

As a machinist here in the states I often work with both English and metric units and constantly have to convert units on the fly when dealing with metric parts. Measuring tools at my disposal are more often than not in English units meaning all that dimensions and tolerances on a metric print have to get calculated and converted over to English units so that I can quickly measure parts with my English tools. It's definitely a hurtle especially at first before you get used to doing it all the time. It's also more accurate than remembering 25.4mm per inch to remember that 1mm = 0.03937 inches. 25.4 is fine for stuff with a loose tolerance like construction, but not good for high precision machining when the margin for error can be as low as 0.0005 inches. You always want that extra decimal point of accuracy in the conversion so you don't have to worry about adding that to any inaccuracies in the micrometer measurement, and those are the parts you always want to check in more than one spot to make sure there's no taper. I'm probably going off on a tangent. I pretty much use both English and metric units interchangeably as I'm so used to using both and converting between the two. Anyway awesome video and really cool seeing the differences from Germany. 👍🙃

@barronweand5973 Жыл бұрын

I am a scientist, so I have long favored metric units. However, for daily weather I think the Fahrenheit scale has advantages. That's because the Fahrenheit degree is smaller than the Celsius [centigrade] degree and therefore has a larger practical range for everyday use. For scientific use over a large range Celsius is advantageous. In Cincinnati the average temperature in January is 20F [6.6C] and in July 86F [30]. The 66 degree range in Fahrenheit provides easier delineation.

@jayvincentmarchetto2633 4 ай бұрын

Isn't 20F a negative temperature in C? Because if 32F is 0C, 20F should be -something because is a lower temperature

@Milesco 2 ай бұрын

@@jayvincentmarchetto2633 You're right. 20° F is *_minus_* 6.6° Celsius. 😊

@Milesco 2 ай бұрын

@ barronweand: This is what I've been saying on metric-related KZfaq message boards for years. I'm pro-metric, but *_not_* when it comes to temperature. Temperature is fundamentally different from other dimensions and measurements. Lengths, masses, and volumes don't have a "feel". But temperatures do. And humans are highly temperature sensitive, so it doesn't take much to cause a significant difference in how it feels. The "distance" between freezing and boiling is too great to be adequately covered by a mere 100 gradations. That results in degrees that are too large, which in turn results in inadequate precision and a too-small range of numbers when dealing with ordinary ambient temperature measurements. As I mentioned above, humans are very temperature sensitive, and Celsius degrees are too large and chunky to properly measure ambient atmospheric temperatures for human use. For example, going from 68° Fahrenheit (somewhat cool) to 85° (fairly hot) is a significant difference, and the resulting range of 17 degrees reflects that. But in Celsius, it's only a range of 20° to 29° -- a mere 9 degrees, and not enough to properly convey the difference in how such a substantial temperature change actually feels. This is something that the die-hard Celsius proponents who have never used anything else cannot seem to understand. (Sorry this comment is so long! I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but I'm considering a pro-Celsius audience, and I know they require lot of convincing! 😁)

@vicsardou9654 Жыл бұрын

As a science teacher in the US, I think it would be so much better with we converted to the metric system. I have so much trouble teaching high school students the metric system even though it's easier to manipulate. They have problems during conversions between milli, centi, kilo, etc. My wife measures in Vics (I'm Vic and I'm 6"2".) So, she looks at a distance or a height and tries to figure how many Vics placed end to end would fit in a length or height. So, our driveway is 10 Vics long. We have couches that are about than a 1 1/4 Vic and one that is only 3/4 a Vic (I can't lay down straight on that one.)

@southcoastinventors6583 Жыл бұрын

There in lies the real problem having to covert in the first place if that wasn't needed then there would not be confusion since both measurement system are artificial constructs. It the same problem for countries that drive on the left.

@LadyAnuB Жыл бұрын

So your wife uses Vics instead of Smoots, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot

@LatinaChef1986 Жыл бұрын

I agree with you. I took Chemistry 🧪 my junior of high school (2002-2003) and everyone was stressed about conversions. Math wasn’t my forte to begin with, but, when the academically blessed students complained about converting imperial system to the international units of measurements, oh boy. I felt like I was doomed!

@JurgenErhard Жыл бұрын

@@LadyAnuB Hah, I also immediately thought of Oliver. :D

@seanthiar Жыл бұрын

Your example proofs one thing - Americans use everything for measurement as long as it isn't metrics.....

@crablegs21 Жыл бұрын

As an american, the imperial units are so ingrained, I have a much better feel of them. Being an engineer, the metric system is easier to work with, but once again, have a much better feel with imperial units since most of our designs use imperial units. But it you really want to see confusing measurements, you should look up the difference between horsepower and boiler horsepower.

@fairphoneuser9009 Жыл бұрын

I already loved your channel before, but this video is definitely the funniest (and probably most true) I've ever seen here ! 😁

@Stephan4711 Жыл бұрын

Feli is going to make metric system great again 😂 🎉 i love it

@Stephan4711 Жыл бұрын

But why you didn't bring thr pulp fiction example? Why does the quarter pounder isn't called Carter pounder here in Europe 😅

@wilburfinnigan2142 Жыл бұрын

StephanCE NOT in America she won't. IF she does not like OUR systems she can shag her @$$ back to Germany

@neutrino78x Жыл бұрын

@@Stephan4711 "look at the big brain on Brad! That's right, the metric system, you're a smart mother fucker" lmao

@gasaholic47 Жыл бұрын

Back in the mid-70’s, there was an attempt to gradually ease into the metric system. Interstate highways for a time had both miles and kilometers posted for distance signs. The problem was that no specific date/time was set for a permanent crossover. If that had been done, we’d all be using the metric system here by now.

@aaa111ddd111 10 ай бұрын

6th gen German/Am who, back in the seventies, thought it was stupid to learn another system. I have been doing home repairs for three decades and have long known the error of my young thought. Doubtful the system will change in my lifetime, especially during a republican administration.

@muten861 9 ай бұрын

I would like to highlight, that Europe has actually a unit-change ongoing. We are moving from HP(Horsepower) to KW (Kilowatt). With the ongoing shift to Electric vehicles, I got really used to kW.

@warrenhussey7733 Жыл бұрын

I am an American who graduated from high school in 1978. In the mid and late 70s we were planning to switch to the metric system starting in 1980, so in high school they drilled the metric system into us and I was very comfortable with it. However, when President Reagan was elected and took office in 1981 he said no we’re not gonna do that and canceled everything. Most people at that time didn’t really want to go to the metric system because they were so used to the imperial system, but I wish we had switched at that time. It’ll be difficult for people no matter what time we switch so we should just buck up and do it.

@sekrasoft Жыл бұрын

Isn't it more difficult to keep the system constantly from falling apart? It's like renting a wrench for $5 per month instead of paying $50 at once and using it for the whole life.

@vtbn53 Жыл бұрын

It's amazing that Reagan got 99% right and failed on probably the most important.

@vtbn53 Жыл бұрын

@@sekrasoft Well you have to demonstrate how the system is falling apart, and your analogy certainly does not do that.

@sekrasoft Жыл бұрын

@@vtbn53 My analogy is about costs of switching the system. The falling apart (or even being fallen apart) of the system is an obvious fact. For instance, the system doesn't quite aware of volumes being 3D lengths so 1 gallon = wtf cubic inches. BTW that dry/liquid distinction splits the system too. Then there are have several coefficients like 2, 3, 2*2, 2*3, 2*2*2, 3*3, 2*2*3 and so on that they form several unique sequences for lengths, volumes, ... (SI: 10, 10^2, 10^(3*1), 10^(3*2), 10^(3*3), 10^(3*4) and so on for ANY unit). That fallen apart bunch of unrelated units haven't even tried to bother about more complex stuff like voltages, currents and so on. They were attached to inches and gallons with a lot of duct tape. So using the US customary system is like attaching a Mercedes logo to a died horse (like they defined the units via SI units), carry this horse and some baggage by yourself and bragging about how strong you are instead of spending some money on a real car.

@AC-py1df 10 ай бұрын

That was exactly my thought in the early 80s. Just bite the bullet and make the change to a clearly better and more logical system. Any pain would have been short lived.

@rizon72 Жыл бұрын

I had a thought a few days ago about the entire Imperial/Metric thing. Its all in our minds. To my Imperial friends here, it is a power of 10. Easy to do, 1, 10, 100, etc. To my Metric friends, its not as complex as you make it out to be. Just look at time units, you know those. I grew up Metric, and learned Imperial, it can be done.

@daveschmarder-1950 Жыл бұрын

When I was visiting a friend in Germany, we went to a home improvement store. The pipe diameters didn't look "quite right", as well as the lumber sizes. 2 years ago I changed my smart speakers from F to C. I think in meters/km too. Für mich das ist nicht leicht weil ich 73 Jahre alt bin.

@mina_en_suiza Жыл бұрын

Don't forget: English fluid ounces, pints and gallons are different from US fl oz, pts, gals. It's a nightmare... It's actually a wonder, that 1$ has 100¢, whilst at the same time the British still used 1£ = 20 shilling = 240 pence. I consume *a* *lot* of English speaking media and the measurements always drive me nuts (I am definitely a numbers person, but I also like it easy). Just the other day, I stumbled upon somebody mentioning 138 acres. OK... How much land is this? 1 acre = 1 chain X 1 furlong 1 furlong = 10 chains 1 chain = 22 yards = 66 feet So 1 acre = 4,480 square yards = 43,560 square feet And also 1 square mile = 640 acres Now, we're getting somewhere! 138 acres = 0.22 square miles (inconveniently just between 1/4 and 1/5 of a square mile, if you prefer fractions) = 618K square yards = 6M square feet Now do the same in metric: 138 acres = 56 hectare 1 hectare = 100m X 100m = 10,000m² and 100 hectare = 1 km² So, if we know, our field is 56 hectare, it's 0.56km² or 560,000m² I guess, nobody has any doubts, which system is superior.

@vwscirocco115 Жыл бұрын

Thanks! You're the best Feli!!

@FelifromGermany Жыл бұрын

Thank YOU! :)

@conlon4332 8 ай бұрын

I've never heard of decimetres before, but they make metric seem a lot easier to use. Centimetres are so small, and metres are far too big, and 100 is far too many centimetres to get to the next unit. Decimetres sound useful.

@cureiosity Жыл бұрын

This is hilarious and so familiar. I've lived half my life here in the US,, and I still don't estimate distances in feet. Instead, I try to give an approximation in yards (because it's closer to meters), but when I do that (e.g., "it's about 250 yards away") most people still shake their head :D - Go metric system!!! I still love you!!!!

@teknohead500 Жыл бұрын

@5.15: "... And of course I know my own height in feet and inches. I'm 136 centimeters tall..." 🤣🤣🤣🤣

@jorislemmens6926 Жыл бұрын

😂

@Razgriz09 Жыл бұрын

It's so much fun (/s) working in any metal shop that deals with other countries because we have to deal with all of the imperial bs down to the thousandth, but we also had to use the metric system as well. And in construction we had to use tenths of a foot, which completely threw me for a while.

@henriherz8498 Жыл бұрын

I am very thankful for having the metric system here in Germany. It is so easy to learn and in comparisson it is the same in length, or volume.

@derekdal5185 Жыл бұрын

Love your perspective and I've spent quite a bit of time in lower Bavaria. It's annoying for sure but one missed connection is that 1oz volume = 1oz weight in water which does help. There the same connection in metric between L and kg

@simonsaunders8147 Жыл бұрын

A pint of pure water weighs a pound and a quarter (i.e. 20oz or 20fl oz). S'all connected in a roundabout way.

@Arltratlo Жыл бұрын

1 liter water at 4°C weights 1kg and got 10x10x10cm volume!

@miguelangelsandoval9850 Жыл бұрын

As a new immigrant, almost 50 years ago, I learned and I adapted to this new culture, like most immigrants back then. I didn't bitch and complain, like most of the new immigrants nowadays.

@tedkanakis4139 8 ай бұрын

Dear Felli, I understand your frustration, as I lived in Germany for three years while in the US Army. While everything on Base, and in Army operations continued in American measurements, outside the Base and while living on the German economy, it was all Metric. To ease my life, I simply learned a few approximations between the two systems to help, and found it was sufficient. Temperature in Celsius was 32 plus 1.8 degrees F for each degree over Zero, and 32 minus 1.8 degrees F for each degree under Zero. Kilos were 2.2 lbs, which meant that 500gr was 1.1 lbs 250gr was .55 lbs, and so on. For measurement, a Meter was almost 40 inches, which means 3.3 feet. So 1 foot was 13 inches. Close enough for most things in life. And German Time was the same as Military Time, so that was not a problem at all. And it makes better sense as no one knows what AM and PM means without looking it up. As far as Americans changing - I should hope not. Its a working system, that most Americans understand, and going to metric would only aid globalization, which computers xan do well enough on their own.

@kenbrown2808 Жыл бұрын

first: we don't have those conversions memorized, because the only things we routinely convert is between feet and inches, and even then, we usually just measure and choose the unit that works best for our purposes. for example, if I have a space that is 10 feet wide, and I need to divide it in thirds, the tape measure shows 10 feet, or 120 inches. I can divide the 10 inches by 3 to get 40 inches. but if I have something that is 148 inches that I need to double, I can also read it is 12 feet 4 inches, and that doubles to 24 feet, 8 inches. we occasionally have to compare prices between cents per ounce and dollars per pound, but then we use the 16 ounces in a pound formula, rather than a sixteenth of a pound is an ounce. second, he was most likely trolling you with his measurements on the shiplap. carpenters rarely use measurements smaller than a 16th but are very likely to call out absurd numbers just to make a joke of it. as far as temperature, metric temperature uses the freezing point and boiling point of water as the reference points - farenheit uses the freezing and boiling point of people as the reference - so if it's below 0F outside or over 100F outside, you know it's a too cold or too hot for a person out there. bu the bottom line is, the American way is to use whatever units work best for you in any situation. for me, what I measure I can usually do easily in feet and inches, but I would have to pull out a calculator and a notebook to do them in mm, and doing them in cm would leave me with a decimal value, anyway. plus, I'd have to go get my reading glasses to read a metric tape measure.

@josephturner7569 Жыл бұрын

😂 I once made an apple stew recipe from the Ikea cook book. It had cider in it. 1 decilitre. Which I thought was 1/2 a litre. My grand kids quite liked it 😂

@nicolemroczka9073 Жыл бұрын

Born and raised in the US and have a “feel” for imperial units much more than metric. However, I would prefer our country switch to metric. I can certainly learn and adapt to an easier, base 10 system.

@joereu4510 Жыл бұрын

I grew up in Germany and since my childhood I am familiar with the metric System that was introduced in 1872 in Germany. But in daily life there is one exception. People measure the performance of combustion motors in horsepowers. They say "my car has 120 horsepowers" instead of "88 kilowatts". Maybe 25 years ago they started to try to educate people to use kilowatts instead of horsepowers. For exammple car sellers have the duty to use kW in their offers. But still today they write both, kW and PS (horsepowers) in because still today many Germans are familiar with PS but not with kW. So I can imagine that it is very hard to change a whole country. On the other side better now than never. The benefit of the metric System is simply great

@allanrichardson3135 Жыл бұрын

@@joereu4510 One thing that may help is that 1 horsepower is very close to 750 watts, or 3/4 kilowatt.

@danielzhang1916 Жыл бұрын

@@joereu4510 horsepower makes sense, it came about in the 1700's, never understood the kilowatt thing at all

@alroth6308 Жыл бұрын

most manufacturing already is metric in us (think your car if modern where all that is inch is the tire rim diameter and the speedometer being mph) inch based tools being mostly machinists 10,000th of inch based and building/infrastructure/construction being inch/foot based as well as for clothing (md's however seem to skeek to patient in pounds and feet/inch, but do their calculations in metric to arrive at dosages with pharma products in metric)

@alroth6308 Жыл бұрын

@@allanrichardson3135 yup another case where calcs in usa are usually in metric then converted to horsepower for advertising....also the Btu (British thermal unit) or heating ton is also used less and less in the usa other than for advertising

@williamjackson7061 Жыл бұрын

When I was in school back in the 1960s, there was a big push to change to the metric system. Unfortunately, the way it was taught was to mathematically calculate the conversion. Like; multiply inches by 25.3999… to get millimeters. Of course I hated metric, it’s hard. Then in high school physics, We did problems either in metric or “Imperialism” without converting. Well, guess who saw the light. Now as far as I can tell, for a lot of people is a matter of identity. You know, It just ain’t ‘Merkin.

@soayunnanga 10 ай бұрын

coming from a country that officially adopted the metric system, we still informally use the imperial system for height, weight, and length. for distances, volume, temperature, pressure, and lengths greater than the tape measure can read, the metric system is used.

@MichaelPhillipsatGreyOwlStudio Жыл бұрын

For decades in America, every single measuring tool I've ever had has had *both* Imperial and Metric on it. I've never had to buy a special one to get Metric. You'd probably have to go back in time or make a special effort to find any measuring tool with just Imperial on it. As for switching to Metric, we officially did in the 70s and 80s, designating the Metric system as "the preferred system for trade and commerece," and it's used extensively in science, medicine, and engineering, but the government made a decision not to update all the commercial labeling exclusively to Metric and abolish the Imperial system from measuring tapes and cars and signs, etc. They decided to put both systems on everything. But this meant that Americans just kept looking at the system they were already aware of. And as long as everything is arranged this way, Americans will probably not stop using the Imperial system. It's sort of inherited from generation to generation like a language. I really hate it when people act like Americans are dumb for using the Imperial system. It's like a language, and we're involuntarily immersed in it, and we learn to think in that "language" from an early age and have to do a conversion in our heads when using Metric.

@lauravalle3766 Жыл бұрын

In the US, medicine uses the metric system along with a 24 hour clock, so I’m happy I still work in the metric system in the US. 😇 I’ve always found the metric system easier to convert and move around in, so I loved it when I lived in Europe. When I moved back to the US, I changed my car into C and 24 hour clock (it’s a German BMW, so naturlich 😉) but I keep my car in miles because it coincides to signage in the US and apps like Waze or Apple Maps when driving. I do keep my house temp in C along with my weather app and use metric tape measures (usually most you buy in the US have both). I have a scale to measure in g in my kitchen and also have a mL measuring cup, like you do. I try to avoid the imperial system as much as possible, but sometimes one just has to suffer. 😂

@hectorg5809 Жыл бұрын

Fahrenheit is a better scale for humans feeling temperature because it's more precise

@F_A_F123 Жыл бұрын

@@hectorg5809 you don't need to be precise

@sekrasoft Жыл бұрын

@@hectorg5809 It's as precise as a thermometer since precision derives from measuring errors. One scale is defined via another, so both of them sre equally precise.

@Falco4077 Жыл бұрын

In the states, we use both. In medicine and science, it's all metric. We sell soda by the liter, and the military uses metric distances for troop movements in certain circumstances.

@patklemmensen1694 Жыл бұрын

OLD Canadian here, didn't start learning SI (Systeme Internationale, aka 'the metric system') until grade 5; sometimes metric is easier, sometimes Imperial is easier... trivia bit: a 'gallon' in the US is NOT an Imperial gallon by any stretch of the imagination - it's actually 760 ml less, 3.78 liters where an Imperial gallon is 4.54 liters... and if you're wondering, half of 31 and 5/8 inches is 15 and 13/16 inches...

@gregblair5139 Жыл бұрын

Despite my advanced years, I'd love to convert to the metric system. There would be confusion around the conversion, but over time it would pay off. Please be aware if this additional confusion regarding liquid measurements. The pints, quarts, liquid ounces, and gallons that were (and may still be) used in the UK, Canada, and throughout the British Commonwealth are not the same as those used in the US. This was especially confusing if you cross the Canadian border. I think that Canada;s metric conversion - at least the liquid measures - are almost complete.

@scvcebc Жыл бұрын

Science classes in the U.S. teach the metric system and those of us who are nerds embraced it and wish it were adopted officially. There was a small movement to start putting road sign distance in both, but that confused people, so they reverted them all back to miles only. Many manufacturers wish we would convert so that parts could be universal for imports and exports. With more foreign made car and bicycle parts, you need to keep two tool sets so that you have the English and Metric wrenches, for example.

@kenbrien4978 Жыл бұрын

In Canada, we use a mix of both metric and Imperial units, depending on the situation. For example, I use Fahrenheit for my oven settings, but kilometres for highway travel.

@jacobthatcher385 Жыл бұрын

I am a baker in America. The imperial units make doubling or halving a recipe very easy. 2 cups = 1 pint. 2 pints = 1 Quart. 4 quarts = 1 gallon. I have measuring cups in all those sizes plus a 2 quart one. So when I double a recipe, I use the same measurement on the next size up measuring cup. No conversions. And vice versa for halves.

@davidwalk9266 Жыл бұрын

We aren’t changing lol. I agree the metric system is easier but converting would be a monumental task. I enjoyed the video

@benkitesurfs Жыл бұрын

It wouldn’t be as hard as you might think. You start gradually, by putting both units on signage, etc. Dies for lumber and metals will not be easily changed, but you can simply refer to a 2x4 as a 4x9, as they do in Canada. Building code could be gradually changed to round Metric numbers, like putting studs on 40cm centers instead of 16” Fasteners would be very easy to change, as all automotive fasteners have been metric for 30+ years (including “American” brands). Not to mention how much easier it is to work with them (what is the diameter and thread pitch of a #8-32 screw? - most people will have to consult a chart, and no, 32 is not the pitch, it’s the inverse pitch 😵‍💫) I use a metric tape measure and fasteners for all my home projects, and it is very easy. It only takes a little effort in the beginning to start thinking in metric automatically

@njordholm Жыл бұрын

Other countries managed to deal with it centuries ago. Just do it and not think about it! If you think about it, you don't do it because you fear about the changes. Yes, as grown adult it could be a harder transition period, but for kids it becomes natural. I still have the conversion rate of EUR and DM in mind and sometimes compare today prices with my childhood which becomes more and more ridiculous due to inflation over time: 1 EUR = 1,95583 DM 1 DM = 0,51129 EUR For my kids, born in the 2010s, DM is history, they are not connected with. They have grown up and learned to deal with EUR only. Now the question for you is, would you like to be the last of the 'few' (US, together with a hand full of other smaller countries) aliens using a deprecated system or do you want your children's life easier and take the pill of having to learn the new/better system.

@d.b.2215 Жыл бұрын

Monumental task that so many other countries have managed to do decades ago?

@jamesv.wilkerson30 Жыл бұрын

I am a chemist and use the metric system all the time. I am a carpenter's child so I know the pain of the imperial system. However, I do like US thermostats better because it allows for smaller changes than thermostats that use celcius.

@mcnamera8167 Жыл бұрын

That is not correct. Most thermostates have a 0,5 scale. So you can put it on 20.5C for example.

@minerran Жыл бұрын

@@mcnamera8167 Your statement "most ... have a 0.5 scale" is incorrect. Mine is digital and does not have a centigrade scale nor the granularity you stated. Analog thermostats are absolutely fixed. However, its easily do-able in firmware and if yours has it, great!

@prqrsqtful Жыл бұрын

Great video as usual! Thank you for that. I did some renovation work on my house once. The measurements made it absolutely ridiculous. Never again. We almost switched to the metric system decades ago, but that failed. Made too much sense. As for suggestions for videos..... this is off-topic, but here goes. I listen to German artists on Spotify, but the translations are hard for me because of the slang sayings. What would you think of doing a "responds to" video to some current German music and give an English translation to the colloquialisms used? I really like the singer Clueso. Thanks again for your content. Also, if you have any suggestions for German music you like, I'd be grateful.

@philgrindle2741 Жыл бұрын

As a Mechanical Engineering student in the US (starting in the late '70s), we had to constantly convert from Imperial to SI and back. Much easier to work within one system or the other! Came in handy during my 8 years working for a German company! 😁

@andrejflieger4182 Жыл бұрын

Immer wieder schön, deinen Kanal zu verfolgen. ❤ Zum Thema Ganz einfach Feli, viel, wenig und halbviel, weit, nah und halbweit, mehr brauchts ned😂 Aber um das aus deutscher Sicht einzuordnen fällt mir ein How to make simple things complicated😮

@zon3665 Жыл бұрын

I think we use both in the U.S. I have fractional sockets and metric sockets in my tool box.

@Delgen1951 Жыл бұрын

@Albo alt well unless your are working on a old classic car, like a 57 Chevy or 1920 Ford.

@berndf0 Жыл бұрын

Strictly speaking, the customary US measurement system is not using Imperial but is based on the older Queen Anne's system. The main difference between these systems is with liquid measures: A US gallon is about 3.78l while an Imperial gallon is about 4.55l and a US pint is 16 fl.oz. while an Imperial pint is 20 fl.oz. Another difference is that the Imperial system has an additional unit of weight that is not used in the US. The weight of a person weighing 63kg would be specified as 139 lbs. in the US but as 9 stones and 13 lbs. in Imperial measures.

@turboswim Жыл бұрын

Every time I see one of these videos, I know anyone in applied science and engineering feels the pain of having to use both systems simultaneously. For example, I have a log book with the following: Air Temp = F sample Temp = C. Building/construction dimensions = Feet, whether that is 1,000 or 0.01. Concentrations = Metric, Volume of water Gallons, Volume of Solute = L/mL. And then my personal favorite, the Nuts, Bolts, and Screws that sometimes are in fractions of inches and sometimes in MM,. Nothing worse than finding out what you thought was 6 cm was a gap of 6 inches.

@onnieduvall2565 Жыл бұрын

I often use both interchangeably. Usually I use the imperial but I’m just as comfortable using metric. Generally if you tell me something in metric I don’t have much difficulty figuring out what that is in the pill your measurement. I understand both systems so, yes, I’m weird that way.

@alroth6308 Жыл бұрын

pretty much there myself, but power/energy calcs seem easier in metric then to convert back to imperial if needed for me, yet I still still think in 10,000ths of inch for machine tolerance and convert to metric if required

@jamesblanton3744 Жыл бұрын

I went to school in the 1970’s and we were taught how the metric system and I am surprised when people from Europe have so much trouble with imperial measurement both are easy

@karinland8533 Жыл бұрын

We don’t get taught about the imperial system, because there is no need for it. If you used to something so logical and easy as metric with base 10, you really don’t understand how something so random like imperial works

@njordholm Жыл бұрын

There is nothing easy with none consistent units. Easy is counting to ten (just use your fingers), multiplying 10*10=100, 10*100=1000 and so on or divide backwards. That's basically all you need to know, beside the derived unit names of the meter. Understandable is the basement of natural constant (1 meter = light moving in vacuum in a second) ... 1 mm [millimeter] (0,1 cm, 0,001 m, 0,000001 km) 1 cm [centimeter] (10 mm, 0,01 m, 0,00001 km) 1 m [meter] (1.000 mm, 100 cm, 0,001 km) 1 km [kilometer] (1.000.000 mm, 100.000 cm, 1.000 m) ... ... milli = thousandths | centi = hundredths | kilo = thousand ... In comparison US customary units covering similar distances (meter conversion at the end): 1 p [point] = 0,08333 (1/12) pica, 0,013888 (1/72) in, 0,0011574051 (1/864) ft, 0,0003858025 (1/2.592) yd, 0,00000021920594837261 (1/4.561.920) mi (0,000353 m) 1 P [pica] = 12 p, 0,1666 (1/6) in, 0,013888 (1/72) ft, 0,004629629 (1/216) yd, 0,0000026305 (1/380.160) mi (0,0042333m) 1 in [inch] = 72 p, 6 P, 0,08333 (1/12) ft, 0,02777, (1/36) yd, 0,0000157828 (1/63.360) mi (0,0254 m) 1 ft [foot] = 864 p, 72 P, 12 in, 0,333 (1/3) yd, 0,0001893939 (1/5.280) mi (0,3048 m) 1 yd [yard] = 2.592 p, 216 P, 36 in, 3 ft, 0,0005681818 (1/1.760) mi (0,9144 m) 1 mi [mile] = 4.561.920 p, 380.160 P, 63.360 in, 5.280 ft, 1.760 yd (1609,344 m) So from mile to point you need to calculate: 1 mi = 1760*3*12*6*12 = 4.561.920 p 1 km = 1*1000*100*10 = 1.000.000 mm If someone tries to tell me, both are easy, he trolls me. There is one easy, and 1 very confusing one, or do still want to deny? Very simple question to you: You drive 23 mi and then another 42 miles. How many points are that? There is everything you need to know above. Please without calculator. I do the same with 23km and 42km converted to mm... 23 km + 42 km = 65km = 65.000.000 mm

@jamesblanton3744 Жыл бұрын

@@njordholm I just find both very easy to work with and covert in my head I do hate that the US schools seem to no longer teach the metric system it’s stupid really

@njordholm Жыл бұрын

@@jamesblanton3744 Have you thought about my question, how many points 65 mi are?

@ssilversgs 8 ай бұрын

In the 1970s, schools here were told to teach metric (around the same time as Britain went metric), and American kids learned the conversions, but it failed to fully take hold. Most manufacturing industries here use metric anyhow and, fun fact, there is a very old Federal law that declares that we should use the metric system which, as you know, is widely ignored.

@roycampbell5583 Жыл бұрын

Working in the UK I have seen customers say " can I get .... 2.4metre X 1inch " completely fusing the metric and imperial system

@michelvisser3811 Жыл бұрын

wow Dutch short male here i used to be 164 cm tall but due to an accident at work now i am 163 but more important keep those vids coming Feli

@patax144 Жыл бұрын

I am south american so metric it is, and I haven't been to the US but for a couple of months at a time, so I never have gotten used to imperial, every time I see people online talking about their height in feet I just get confused. And metric just seems to be more practical for exactitude in measurements, however imperial seems to be more about estimation, specially given its base on body parts, in my country we use some body part based measurements on more familiar contexts, like counting steps or using the measurement of one open hand from thumb to pinky.

@braingasim Жыл бұрын

As an American living in the Netherlands, I try to keep all measuring tools in both Metric and Imperial. Makes conversion very easy.

@cameronduff884 Жыл бұрын

Hey Ben and Feli, when I saw the TPMS lamp blinking on your dash, it reminded me of the song by the Police/Sting ROXANNE...Feli, you don't have to stare at the TIRE LIGHT....

@neolithicnobody8184 Жыл бұрын

As a machinist, I learned a long time ago how to convert in either direction. It also helps that I'm very numerically inclined. lol However, another discovery as a machinist is how each system reacts to vibrations. Metric threads will vibrate apart over time in certain applications where the Imperial holds tight better. Most machines I've been around that are metric threads require being glued to keep from vibrating apart, even under torque specifications.

@erics8033 Жыл бұрын

Interesting... I wonder if it has to do with the harmonics multiples / powers of 2 in the Imperial system.

@markcollins2666 Жыл бұрын

Also a machinist, and a quality manager, and I did not know that! So, essentially the Metric system keeps Loctite in business?

@BGBTech Жыл бұрын

Yeah, machining and similar is fun because half of everything is in inches and the other half is in millimeters, and one needs to convert back and forth. Also because there are screws that are "almost the same" between metric and SAE (they almost but don't quite fit if one mixes them up). Sometimes it is also useful to discard fractional inches and express everything in decimal inches. (I do some machining as a source of income, but admittedly my main thing is mostly programming in C and Verilog and similar, but no real good way to get income from writing code...).

@neolithicnobody8184 Жыл бұрын

@@markcollins2666 In a sense, yes. Many metric bolts used in major applications are pre-dipped these days.

@neolithicnobody8184 Жыл бұрын

@@BGBTech In my experience, they both have their usefulness as well as downfalls. Metric is easier to work with due to multiples of 10. Imperial is easier to fine-tune without needing multiples of 10. Most of it depends on the application.

@jessicaely2521 Жыл бұрын

My husband (he is from Switzerland) is now a handyman here in the US. He goes by metric and his measurements for wood, concrete slabs, tile, etc is more accurate than imperial. Before he orders stuff he converts metric into imperial. Just measuring in Imperial you're either have way to much material or way to Little. His boss started to require everyone to measure in metric and then convert to imperial. Maybe it's just been luck here in Florida.

@carlmenger9145 Жыл бұрын

Metric cannot be 'more accurate'. It may be just simpler to use.

@seanthiar Жыл бұрын

@@carlmenger9145 It is more accurate in practice, but not in theory. In theory it shouldn't matter, but in practice because of the conversions needed in the imperial/US measurement system you are always rounding up or down and in the end it adds. In metric it's easy to keep the whole number because you only move the decimal point, but can still calculate with the whole number.

@carlmenger9145 Жыл бұрын

@@seanthiar It's not more accurate in practice. It's the same length just represented in two different units. e.g. 1 inch is 2.54 cm. 1 in vs 2.54 cm is the same length. In terms of rounding, perhaps you mean depending on the measurement tool it is more precise (not accurate). Regardless, this is context dependent and it is not the case that every SI tool is more precise than imperial tool.

@phoebus007 Жыл бұрын

If you find it challenging, just live in the UK where we use metric for many measurements, including fuel and packaged food, but distance is in miles and yards (not feet, as in US). Milk and beer are sold in pints and gallons (Imperial = 4.55l), horse races are run over furlongs (1 mile = 8 furlongs), personal weights are in kgs but most also know it in stones (1 stone = 14 pounds). Temperature is almost exclusively in Centigrade, except when it gets really hot and the Press talks about "Britain sweltering in the Nineties". Car fuel performance is generally given as miles per gallon, and engines by horsepower. Oh, and of course we have to know about the US tweaking with some of the volumes.

@caligulacorday Жыл бұрын

the one point i`ll defend us customary on is that it makes things much easier to divide integer numbers by thirds an get an integer result, which can make things a little easier to remember once you`ve got a feel for the conversions

@Arltratlo Жыл бұрын

hm, 1/4th of 10 is 2,5...so what is the problem with metric??? 1/4th of 100 is 25 1/4th of 1000 is 250 adding 0s must be very hard for Americans!

@nikossolomou9507 Жыл бұрын

If you think all of that is complicated and confusing, just try getting your head around Pre-Decimal currency in the UK (Prior to 1971) where we had 12 Pennies in a Shilling and 20 Shillings in a Pound so you might ask "How much is that"? and the reply could be "Three pounds, seven and six". I'm actually just about old enough to remember using the old money.

@R2319 Жыл бұрын

One of the units I fell in love with while traveling in France was the centiliter (cl). I feel like it's really useful for measuring drinks and I'm surprised America hasn't adopted it since we already use liters for soda.

@charlesrugg3268 Жыл бұрын

The beverage companies loved switching to metric because they could give you less product without it being noticeable. 100 liters is only about 97 quarts.

@simonsaunders8147 Жыл бұрын

@@charlesrugg3268 100 litres I can understand but 97 quarts means the square root of nothing to me.

@kenbrown2808 Жыл бұрын

drinks need to me measured in pints, like God intended.

@marcovtjev Жыл бұрын

@@kenbrown2808 I thought in floating Australians ? (Fl oz)

@kenbrown2808 Жыл бұрын

@@marcovtjev if your beer is already in an aussie, you don't get to drink it.

@bobvorwald9737 Жыл бұрын

Best argument for the metric system I’ve ever heard

@signedbookcollector3408 Жыл бұрын

Quick method to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit. Take the temp in C multiply by 2 then add 30. To go Fahrenheit to Celsius take the temperature in Fahrenheit subtract 30 then divide by 2. It’s not exact but will get close enough for weather.

@DiAmUs Жыл бұрын

I'm a home theater installer. I actually use imperial and metric in my job. I prefer metric for measuring, because 1) It's easier to measure/divide and 2) if you're off by a millimeter, people can't tell. I'm fine with imperial, as well, as I was raised doing it. I have a tougher time with metric on long distances and temperature, however. I understood it a little bit, when I was younger, when we lived in Stuttgart. 😊

@Markle2k Жыл бұрын

The center of 31-5/8 inches is at 15-8/16 + 5/16 = 15-13/16 inches. It took me longer to type it. Usually such precision is unnecessary unless you are making an object like a picture frame for an odd-sized piece. 1/16 of an inch is close to 1.6mm, actually 1.5875mm. An inch is *defined* as 25.4mm.

@tallest4eva Жыл бұрын

Now, without a calculator, how many feet is that? Think you would never need to know that? Say you had 10feet of a material and you needed to know how many of that measurement would 10feet of your material give you. The main failing of imperial is the lack of constituents units being in multiples of ten. I'll give you a quick example. I need 1000 lengths of wire each 18.65cm long. I buy a wire 186.5m long. You need 1000lengths of wire each 7.34inches, you buy a wire ? feet long (it's about 611'8" calculator needed). This gets even more compounded, if you had to move to another unit up like miles. For my metric example, I need 10,000 lengths, that's 1.865km. in the imperial example, how many miles is ~6100ft. Basically, we humans have ten digits on our primary manipulative limbs, which means we intuitively evolved to count numbers in base 10. Our arithmetic notation for numbers use base 10. A unit of measure that DOESN'T use multiples of 10, and even worse uses variable multiples for constituent units (inches,feet,yards,miles being 12,3,1760 respectively), and finally uses variable multiples across various physical units like distance versus volume) (fl oz,pint,quart,gallon being 20,2,4) is just OBJECTIVELY inferior.

@MagsonDare Жыл бұрын

@@tallest4eva The US Customary System stems ffrom a time when most measurements were related as a scale of the human body and easily enabled using halves, quarters, and often even thirds, so when dealing with the typically used distances that a farmer or tradesman would deal with then, it was relatively easy to visualize a distance or a weight and then cut it into the larger half, quarter, or third in one's own head, as needed. Sadly, it hasn't aged well as most things anymore are more like the examples you used, with larger orders and such making metric conversion much more convenient. Even the A4 paper size is much nicer than the 8.5x11 inch one we use.

@bruceb.5486 Жыл бұрын

In the 1970s, I bought motor oil in Canada in Imperial quarts, which were 40 Imperial oz. Roughly equal to 38 US ounces.

@alansmithee8831 Жыл бұрын

Hello Feli. I grew up at a time when UK was swapping to metric, but you still need imperial as people use that too. It made me good at maths and fractions and provided me a project at university for computing to develop a program to cope with any units. It was strange doing a science degree and at work using metric, then everything else seems to be imperial. At least I had no problems when in other European countries or the US, though for weights UK uses stones and pounds, not just pounds, so you have to think about that one in US.

@marvindoolin1340 Жыл бұрын

I was teaching junior high math (among other things) in the rural Midwest in the seventies when the word came down that the US would switch over. Up to the point I had hardly thought of metric measurements, but I very quickly saw how much easier the system was to learn and use. My seventh graders were extremely resistant despite what I thought were the very best efforts, and the most common parental complaint was "it's just too hard." The effort ended pretty quickly.

@kenbrown2808 Жыл бұрын

it's not the math that is hard, it's the fact that things built to customary dimensions are invariably awkward numbers in metric.

@goldfieldgary Жыл бұрын

Parents in the 70's thought the metric system was "too hard"? I guess America has been on a downhill slide far longer than I thought!

@marvindoolin1340 Жыл бұрын

@@goldfieldgary Possibly. Most of the time they seemed to find it difficult to understand that they could think in metric measurements and not have to convert everything.

@marvindoolin1340 Жыл бұрын

@@kenbrown2808 Certainly. Wasn't a major failure of a Mars probe related to that problem?

@kenbrown2808 Жыл бұрын

@@marvindoolin1340 that would be the Mars Climate Orbiter, which was sent a command to do an orbital insertion burn for (x) pound seconds, and performed the burn for (x) newton seconds, instead. (the command should have been (x*1.3558179483) newton seconds)

@davelong6540 Жыл бұрын

We learned both metric and standard in school at least when I was there.....many years ago. 😆 I've used both systems all my life. Ain't nothing to it but to do it like anything else.

@disoriented1 Жыл бұрын

In the 70s, in grade school we learned Imperial and metric. I understand metric, but I don't use it, and I don't 'think' in metric. I mean I understand that 1km is 1000 meters..but it means nothing to me. If someone tells me something is 2 miles east of me, I can picture that. If I used metric every day, like anything else, it would make more sense. For the little measuring I am required to do in life, Imperial works just fine for me. I understand metric is more practical for the trades and applied sciences. When I speak European friends online, I always convert my measurements to metric as a courtesy to them. To most of us, it's just not a big deal, it frustrates metric users way more than it frustrates most of us.

@davelong6540 Жыл бұрын

@@disoriented1 like you mentioned it depends how often you use either system. I used to work in construction and as a mechanic so I would run into both a lot. I was stationed in Germany years ago as well so had to deal with it there too.

@julianbecker4351 Жыл бұрын

One big perk to the metric system is that you can use a scale instead of a messuring cup for most things. Since 1kg water =1l

@breezybri987 Жыл бұрын

We sometimes use the the metric system. Mm are usually used measuring liquid mainly with medical supplies. The kilometers for races since it's mainly used everywhere else and grams depending on what you're weighing.

@richardcollins7909 Жыл бұрын

Actually a lot of places and people here in the US use both. Which ive seen to be more Common nowadays. Plus , Depending on where someone got their basic Education, both imperial and Metric are taught in school.

@SCGMLB Жыл бұрын

As someone who grew up in the US but who also lived in Canada, I found adopting metric units quite easy. What's interesting is that I know the metric measures for the items I used or experienced in Canada and I know the US measures here. In Canada I lived 30 km from work and in the US I know that I live 40 miles from work. Of course, Canada has to deal with the fact that they live so close to the US and so many of the products sold in Canada are made for the larger US market. So, for example, cans of paint in Canada are 3.78 L in size because that equates to 1 US gallon. Similarly, certain prepackaged items in supermarkets are in 453 g packages because that's the same as 1 lb. Still, I prefer metric. The US will ultimately adopt metric but it will be a slow slow process, taking place naturally. The major resistance to it are businesses that would have to spend money if a change occurred, and they're supported by some Americans who are simply resistant to change or being told what to do. The US tried back in the 1970s. Do you ever wonder why you can buy soda bottles in 2 L sizes? It's because back in the 70s when the US attempted to convert, the soft drink industry was switching over from glass bottles to plastic ones, so all their bottling equipment was made to support 2 L bottle sizes. P.S. One other thing to mention about fluid ounces. There's a difference between US fluid ounce (29.6 mL) and "Imperial" fluid ounces (28.4 mL). The reason for this is because a US gallon is smaller than an imperial gallon. In both countries, a gallon is made up of four quarts and a quart was two pints. In the US a pint is 16 fl oz, in the UK a pint for measuring ale is 20 fl oz. Of course, the UK has mostly adopted metric measures, but one place they refuse to change is in their pint glasses of beer. A UK pint is 568.2 mL, and they don't want to switch to a smaller 500 mL glass of beer.

@Pystro 11 ай бұрын

I would be cynical and say that 3.78 L and 453g sizes are a thing because "1 gal 7.25 fl oz" (4 L) and "1 lb 1.64 oz" (500g) would just be too confusing of a measurement. And because conversions (of round imperial measurements) into metric are the only conversion that are easy: You multiply/divide by the conversion factor and give the result in decimal. But to convert into imperial you have to first convert into the major unit - but of the resulting decimal number you take only the integer part, and then you do a _second_ conversion from the fractional major units into the finer units.

@SCGMLB 11 ай бұрын

@@Pystro And yet the US has been using 2 L soda bottles for nearly 50 years.

@Pystro 11 ай бұрын

@@SCGMLB As you stated, that was a decision of compatibility and standardization (in order to be able to re-fill bottles). Possibly even with cross-border commerce in mind. Most other package sizes are probably down to one bloke having to write measurements onto the package in both metric and imperial. And in that case laziness takes over and they'd go for the easier conversion. Or appeal to the customer takes over and they'd choose a non-integer number in the measurement system in which that's easier to understand.

@vwscirocco115 Жыл бұрын

I use imperial mainly for distance, temperature, and general construction. Mainly because materials here in the US, most lumber and construction materials are sold that way. Its sometimes converted to Metric but not often. However, when dealing with my work, which is industrial screen printing and pad printing, they are metric. Liters, milliliters, kilos, grams etc. Ironically, a large majority of those inks are manufactured in Germany for use in the industry here in the US. Also the color matching systems use metric to formulate special colors. I also use mostly metric for 3d printing, and engineering.

@wolfetom10 Жыл бұрын

I'm 60 yrs old, so maybe the younger gens are different, but I was around when the first big push to force the U.S. to metric system happened, and it went nowhere. Does it make sense? YES! Too bad, no one wanted to convert. When I hear Kilometers, I translate to miles. When I hear Meters I translate to yards. I understand the metric system, I just can't think in it. Kind of like learning a foreign language.

@Xaid0nTT Жыл бұрын

Here in the UK we use both systems, can make for some interesting scenarios. I can usually convert between the two quite easily, though measuring weights, particularly bodyweight can sometimes stump me. If you know your 16 times table, then converting miles to km is pretty straightforward (10 miles = 16km). It's 2.2lb per 1 kg and 1 inch is 2.54cm, I usually measure someones height in feet & inches, but DIY I use metric (mm, cm and m etc). 1 UK gallon is 4.55 litres, and 1 UK pint is 568ml. Annoyingly though, we fill up our cars in litres at the pump, but measure our economy in miles per gallon, and not litres per mile. And if someone asks me how far another place is, I'll usually tell them in minutes or hours how far it is rather than distance, as I feel that's more useful, as depending on which direction you drive here, the same distance can be hours apart from each other.

@kilsestoffel3690 Жыл бұрын

We were at a schooltrip to Ireland. We went on a ferry to England, stayed the day in London and then took the ferry from Cardiff to Ireland. Our teacher had booked an place at a ferry in the very early morning. Half way between London and Cardiff she recognized, her map was her old one, she bought while she studied in the UK and was in miles... So toilet breakes were denied and one of the students became a bookmaker if we get to the harbour in time (we did)

@Sky14657 Жыл бұрын

Loved it when someone told me he goes jogging 15 kms and drives 8 miles back home. I thought he was joking until I discovered Brits do that all the time, like buying 1 liter of milk or drinking one pint of beer. Not sure if that's amazing or just completely crazy 😂

@jaycee330 Жыл бұрын

Perhaps they should compromise and do economy in "litres per 100 miles" similar to what Canada does with "l/100km".

@barbararice6650 Жыл бұрын

Now we've left the fascist EU our old counting system is making a come back 👈😑

@jasonwiley798 Жыл бұрын

And don't you use stone and something to measure the height of a horse.

@jentam92 Жыл бұрын

I’m German and I definitely prefer the metric system It’s so much easier 😅❤

@rebeccacorbin1590 9 ай бұрын

As a nurse I'm very accustomed to the metric system and find it easier than imperial. The exception is with cooking. Weighing all my ingredients seems like a pain.

@jesusdavis2941 Жыл бұрын

Here in my Caribbean island we use both interchangeably, some stuff you calculate on meters but purchase in feet. Buy some products by grams but follow a recipe in cups or pounds and vice versa. Most people calculate by heart by now. I still need to convert. The only steady stuff is distance in meters or kms and temperature in Celsius

@bengtolsson5436 Жыл бұрын

We also have had similar measurements in sweden. But in the middle ages😉

@GH-oi2jf Жыл бұрын

A Swede, Carl Edvard Johansson, was the father of the international inch, though. He defined the machinist’s inch, which became the international inch, in 1912.

@carlzeiss48 Жыл бұрын

As a licensed land surveyor I have worked with great surveyors from Britain and Australia. After a beer or two at the end of the day, I was always asked: "When are you Americans going to finally switch to the metric system?" My answer always: "The day after you folks start driving on the correct side of the road." This always got a good reply and another round was ordered. As a surveyor, I have willingly dealt with meters, feet, tenths, hundredths and thousandths of feet, varas, rods, perches, chains and links. And few more.

@jasonrodgers9063 Жыл бұрын

"Correct side of the road!!" PRICELESS! Having the driver seat on the LEFT side of a car makes FAR more sense, as the vast majority of humans are right-handed, and operating the gearshift and other controls (generally placed toward the center of the dash) with one's RIGHT hand is obviously preferable!

@MichaelBrueckner Жыл бұрын

Even as a seasoned surveyor, it might be demanding to build the squares of your varas and tenths of those.

@kathleenharsha6504 Жыл бұрын

I always say we drive on the "right" side and they drive on the "wrong" side.

@vtbn53 Жыл бұрын

@@jasonrodgers9063 the steering wheel is far more important than the gearshift, and, I am pretty sure, you drive automatics almost exclusively so it's a no brainer.

@vtbn53 Жыл бұрын

@@kathleenharsha6504 That's because you are an offensive idiot.

@specialed1 Жыл бұрын

Great video that shows the frustrations us in the US have had to deal with our entire lives? Schools in the 70's told us we needed to learn metrics because the US would be switching over. I even saw road signs that gave mi. and km. but that didn't last long. I vaguely remember of the legislation to switch to metrics, being overturned. So now, we have to deal with both and it is a royal pain dealing with both and trying to calculate in US units. It is a big pain to do work on vehicles because there may be a metric bolt next to a US bolt making it more difficult. I don't know that the full change-over will ever happen? I blame our ballless politicians for not getting it done.

@richardbale3278 Жыл бұрын

There is a book called "The Measure of All Things" which tells the story of the creation of the metric system, which took place during the French Revolution. It is a fascinating read.

@vtbn53 11 ай бұрын

The metric system is merely a label, there were many decimal measurement precursors to that event. They were merely standing on the shoulders of giants. I hope that book acknowledged that.

@barryhaley7430 9 ай бұрын

I m confused. The Chinese had a decimal system with the abacus. But the literature says that the zero wasn’t invented until the 5th century in India.

@richardbale3278 9 ай бұрын

@@barryhaley7430 The literature doesn't say anything of the sort.

@richardbale3278 9 ай бұрын

@@vtbn53 Name one.

@barryhaley7430 9 ай бұрын

@@richardbale3278 Just google “Who invented the zero?”