Why do so many Americans hate European trucks?

I grew up with metric measurements, but I much prefer using imperial units in construction, particularly fractions. An 1/8" is a perfect division on a tape measure when cutting wood. You never can tell if it's 5 or 6 mm..... Division in feet and inches is natural. What is this whole 3,476 MM crap? Sixteen feet, 9 3/16 has a natural logic.

Temps I use interchangeable from C to F. All the meters are in C, but the conversations are in F. Small weights are measured in grams, but very small things like medications are in grains. Larger weights are in ounces and pounds, and then up to tons, short or long. Hands to measure a horse.

There's nothing wrong with metric, but imperial makes a lot of sense in day to day use. Except for furlongs and stones. Never did figure those out.

 

Blood glucose (which comes up a lot on TTR because of the DOT physical) is measured in units of mg/dL in the US and in mmol/L in Canada or the UK. Occasionally , I'll see someone from there, frustrated with the US using different units write something like "why can't the US get with it and use metric like everyone else" and I will have to reply that of course both mg/dL and mmol/L are metric.

 

No, they are not, but in practice they are not in inch sizes either.

No one knows that 1 point = 1/72 inch. Many people will not even know what an inch is. So people only have some idea about the size of a 10 point character and a 12 point character, without any idea about the precise size. The same applies to TV displays. people have some idea about the size of a 49 inch TV, or a 55 inch TV, without actually knowing what the exact size is in units they know.

Line spacing etc. in my word processors is done in centimetres, not in points or picas. Paper sizes we use are A sizes or B sizes, a wonderful system of paper sizes (look it up).



That point system only proofs how poor the inch is for measuring things. Normally you use 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64 inch etc. , and for the points it is 1/72 inch. With a size in millimetres, and fractions of millimetres, it would have been straightforward. Apple made a bad decision.

 

Perhaps this may help you:



Somehow I prefer the SI system, don't know why.

 

Yes, both are SI units. The mol is dimensionless, it is a counter, no more. The milligram is a unit of mass to be precisely. Not weight, the unit of weight is the Newton. The symbol for litre is the lower case l, not the upper case L.

 

This is a magnificent clip by an American, telling you why you should go metric:

 

Curious on European truck tires, what unit of measure wheel diameter is listed as and what unit of measure trailer kingpin is referenced as?

 

Kingpin is mm, I believe.....,,