Why does the USA use the customary system instead of the metric system like the rest of the world?

Answer 1

You know how Microsoft doesn't give a crap about the best way to do something, and doesn't want to publicly acknowledge that they are copying anybody else because Bill Gates has manhood issues?

The US is just like that.

Answer 2

A correction: the "customary" system is properly referred to as the "Imperial" system.

Several attempts to introduce the metric system in the United States have failed to yield significant results, mostly because of social inertia. Small changes exist, however; speedometres are marked with both MPH and KPH as are some roadway signs; metric measures for bottled water and other beverages are quite common; most thermometres provide readings in both C and F. Feet and inches are still nearly universal in all but scientific settings within the US.

Answer 3

Maybe another way to put the question (if everything is relative and depends on your frame of reference) is why does the rest of the world not use the Imperial system? Perhaps they are lazy and want to take the easy way out.

Didn't your mom ever tell you, "If everyone else jumped off a cliff, that doesn't mean you have to do so, too."

Seriously, though, we've chosen not to change. Pure and simple. Many arguments are economic, some are cultural. The fact that others have changed is fine. It's their choice. We chose not to.

Answer 4

Because conversion is very costly, to really retool factories and equipment.

Europe, surprisingly, did not really convert to metric in many ways.. For example, check out the 0.92 liter glass bottles (that's a quart); and the metal thicknesses and bolt diameters on an Airbus- there are bolts of 12.52 mm (1/2 inch); 6.25 mm (quarter inch); metal thickness of 1.5 mm (1/16 inch) and so on.

Really, the conversion is trivially easy... just being able to divide by 10 is not a huge advantage in a world of computers... American products are labelled in both- why eliminate the traditional system people are comfortable with when it really does nothing?

Some of the traditional measurements are easier, too. Metric fans quote the convenience of the meter- no argument- but for cooking, for example, American recipes are in volume units whereas European ones are by weight- a pain to weigh ingredients! Also, for temperature, while it is easy to remember Celsius goes from freezing to boiling of water, Fahrenheit was set deliberately to span climate of the world. Below zero F is dangerously cold, and rare' above 100 is dangerously hot, and rare; whereas Celsius has negative numbers all the time. Not necessarily so much easier.

Cheers, and 'vive la difference!'

Answer 5

As vladbath mentions, it is the British, or Imperial system of measures, usually called the British System, as terer are discrepancies between Imperial measures and US measures.

If you were to check Google Earth, you would find that vast areas of the US are laid out in one-mile grids. 1 mile = 1.609344 kilometers. One mi^2 = 2.589988110336 km^2 = 258.9988 hectares, but = 640 acres. Almost all rural land ownership is measured in acres or square miles. A Range is defined as a 6-mile square, or 36 mi^2, and a township is defined as 6 ranges square, or 1,296 mi^2. Resurveying and regrading all the county roads in the US to set up a 1-km grid would be prohibitive.

Temperatures are measure in Fahrenheit because Fahrenheit is an ergonometric temperature scale (even if the standardized scale is slightly off the original definitions). The Centigrade scale (named so by Celsius himself), while easier to calibrate, and wonderful to work with with water, is really lousy when applied to people, and is less precise, to boot. Difficulties come about from insistence on conversions.

The inch, foot, and yard are also ergonometric units of measure. Doorways are comfortable at 30" (76.2 cm) wide and 6'-6" (198.12 cm) high. Steps with a 6" (15.24 cm) rise and 9" (22.86 cm) tread are easir to negotiate than any other. Have you ever noticed that 12 is divisible by 2, 3, and 4, while 10 is only divisible by 2 and 5? Note that we divide inches into fractional powers of 2, and don't resort to powers of 10 until we get to to thousanths. Larger fasteners (bolts & nuts) are sized in fractions of inches with a certain number of threads per inch. There is no compatibility betwen US and metric fasteners whatsoever, making this the primary objection to converting.

Admittedly, weights and fluid measure are weakness in the system, but we're used to it, and our engineers have memorized a suprisingly large number of conversion factors, so that they can translate when necessary.

Lastly, Americans take great pride in resisting coercion. It took the infamous Reign of Terror to get the metric system adopted in France. This was viewed with great alarm in the young US, with the result that even those who favored the conversion had second thoughts about trying to implement it.

Answer 6

Because we are a bunch of dorks!

I was taught and routinely used the metric system in chemistry and physics classes in high school in Los Angeles in 1962, 1963 and 1964. That's 55 years ago!

The government is dragging its feet!

Answer 7

Why do we have to conform? I guess you're going to have to wait until everyone who did not learn it in school. like me to die off before the USA will conform to the rest of the "world". Majority rules and Americans don't want to change our system in our country.

Answer 8

The US doesn't know there IS a rest of the world.

Answer 9

because apparently we don't like doing things the easier way. they thought about it in the seventies and because people kept arguing about how it would be hard to learn the conversion it kind of fell through. even though technically it's a way easier system to understand.

Answer 10

you're nuts and arrogant. the world uses metric, we all make fun of the states, backwards-*** country....