what is the problem using old fashioned units foe example feet, yards and inches?

Answer 1

They are not decimal and they are way harder to calculate/divide/multiply, whatever...

Answer 2

The answer to this is based in physics

Force is proportional to acceleration.

Notice I don't say 'equal to'

The above statement means that F = kma where k is some constant (And so is m, assuming it isn't something that's consuming fuel, or a block of fissioning uranium :-p) . In SI (metric) units, that constant has been eliminated to 1, so the equation is just the familiar F=ma, however in imperial, the nature of the units makes it so that k is not equal to one, which makes all of the equations in Physics (and most other sciences!) a significant amount harder.

Imagine, this only deals with imperial weight and force (time is always seconds), but there are imperial measurements for volume, length, power, and lots of other things. There are many more complex formulae than F = ma, and the constants for volume and length and others in these formula would just be over complex.

+ There's the day to day advantages of easily been able to divide a kilometre into 10 and things like that.

Answer 3

6 billion people on the planet are using the metric system for instance. Join the global community already!

The metric system is easier to learn which would shave off the length of school. "How many meters in a kilometer? A 10? B 100? C 1000?" Kilo means thousand. This is how the metric system works. By prefixes. 10, 100 or 1000.
"How many feet to a mile? A 4350? B 5280? C 6260?"

The main problem is that the english system is not very scientific. It is worthless for off world uses. You use pound to describe weight, mass and force. Well a pound isn´t always a pound, is it? In metric the units are separate. Force is Newton. Mass is Kg. Weight is a function of mass and force.

Answer 4

There isn't a problem with them, the UK has used the Imperial system for years. The only reason we are not supposed to use them anymore is to conform with the rest of Europe.

The arguements for using the metric are -

1. It's easier

2. It's used worldwide

In answer to that-

1. Try telling my Nan it's easier! She's used imperial all her life and hasn't got a clue about the metric system, at the end of the day it's what you are used to.

2. Is everybody forgetting that the strongest economy in the world uses imperial - the USA?

Also, so what if the rest of the world is metric, hows about protecting our heritage and history and staying different?

Answer 5

There is no problem if you just keep to lengths (areas and volumes). But scientists have agreed to use the SI the International System of units (Système Insternational d'Unités).
This system is almost universally accepted, the USA is one of the exceptions, but fx. in 1958 the yard is (legally) defined as 0.9144 meters.
Consequence of this system has been the use of Newton (N) as unit of power and many other "new" units.
see:http://physics.nist.gov/Pubs/SP811/contents.html
a website about this SI by of the National Institute of Science and Technology.

PS: As a european, I'm a bit "biased".

Answer 6

Try the following without a lookup table and a calculator

1.How many yards in half a mile?
How many meteres in half a kilometer? 500

2. How many yards is 421 inches?
How many meters is 421cm? 4.21

See my point? Fine if you're buying a pound of meat but imperial is a nightmare if you do anything vaguely scientific - metric is far more logical.

Answer 7

Imperial system (length)
12 " = 1 ft
3 ft = 1 yard
1760 yds = 1 mile
5280 ft = 1 mile
220 yds = 1 furlong

Metric System (length)
1 cm = 10 mm
100 cm = 1 m
1000 m = 1 km

I would have thought that the metric system is much better as it is easier to multiply and divide by 10,100,1000.
(And that is before we get on to ounces,fluid ounces, pints, gallons, pounds,stones, cwts and tons!)

Answer 8

Within the UK it has been Deemed - by the EU - that ALL purveyors of Food and Drink display their prices in Pounds/Pence per Kg or Litre as appropriate - or pay a Monetary penalty (Fine).

This has been met with some resistance; but in general the compromise has been to display prices in Both price per Metric amount AND per Imperial amount.

Answer 9

some countries uses MKS unit and some countries uses CGS units as a method of measureing parameters. Check with country unit monitoring office

Answer 10

1. only the US uses them.
2. theyr harder 2 convert 2. (2 many # 2 remembr!)
3. theyr not really old fashioned. (the metric system is!)

Answer 11

Sure wuld not be understood by most of the peoples of the world. You cn use it where you are but here it is not the way.

Another one that seems to think the world revolves around him. Hell it just might.