Why the USA & U.K use Inches, Yards, pounds? & the rest of the world uses the Metric System?

Question

How many Centimeters are in a Yard?
How many ponds in a Kilogram?

What system is better and why?

Answer 1

Americans are just stubborn and like their ways. The metric system is far simpler and superior, however the cost of switching over I guess would be high.

Who knows but I hope they change before we enter any sorts of space colonization and major travel.

Answer 2

Because the US and UK are backward? No, I didn't say that. Someone else said that. Honest.

The metric system is clearly preferable if one is starting from scratch and had to choose a system. Anything that increases by the same factor (in this case 10) every time has to be simpler and more efficient that something that uses 12 then 3 (inches/feet/yards) or even worse (ounces/pounds/stones/etc).

1609 metres in a mile, so, er, see what I mean...
:-) :-)
2.2 pounds in a kilogram.

Answer 3

The UK uses the metric system but they haven't been using it as long as other countries so that's why they have both.

I hope for the day when the US uses metric. It makes SOOOOOO much more sense. Its so much simpler. Its base 10. It based on the measurements of the planet.

Standard is just arbitrary measurements some king came up with ages ago.

1 yard = 91.44 centimetres

1 kilogram = 2.2046226 pounds

Answer 4

In fact, UK uses mostly metric system.
The only country using by and large the "english" system is US.
It's not because it's expensive. It's because people tend to be lazy and don't want to learn anything new, even a language; do you know a lot of us persons (not "americans" please) that know another language?
It's more than obviuos that the metric system makes more sense: every kind of unit hast to do with each other; eg: 1 lt = 100 cm^3; 1 kg of water = 1 lt of water, etc.

Answer 5

Because it would be too expensive to convert to the metric system.

Answer 6

Because Americans are generally idiots