The british invented the system and even THEY have change to Metric !
136533
I'm not sure, but it is really hard not to use it.  Metrics are really easy.  You just divide or multiply by ten.  But Americans just are afraid of change.
413807
I agree.  I answered a question a few days ago...I gave the correct answer as it applied to the UK and then some American who "knew" better than me called me a liar!  If she had read the question properly she would have realised it was asked by someone in the UK!!!  Ho Hum, such is life :(
243914
They used them for counting way back when.
272613
It's been done before, most recently during the French Revolution.  It just wan't popular enough to stick.  I suppose the reason is similar to the lack of acceptance of the metric system in the United States -- people get used to it a certain way, and are reluctant to change.
603995
Units are arbitrary, but once chosen need to be kept as a constant reference to allow comparison of results over time. This is a challenge, because even things like measurement precision  change.\n\nThe original metre for instance was a reference bar of platinum held in Sevres, France - its length was originally chosen to be one ten millionth of the distance from the Equator to the North Pole on a line through Paris. Similarly for all other units.\n\nThese days, most units have been redefined in terms of unchanging physical phenomena that can be reproduced in any standards lab without the need for a special reference bit of metal. So the metre is now defined as the distance travelled by light in 1/299,792,458 seconds. This means it is a tiny bit different to the original metre but will never change.\n\nThe notable exception is mass. The kilogram is defined as being equal to the mass of the international prototype of the kilogram. This prototype is a lump of platinum iridium alloy held in Paris. The kilogram is the only SI unit based on a reference prototype.
390604
The odometer just rolled over to 300,000,000 (three hundred million.  We are on our way to a Chinese like, or Indian like population.  When the population reaches a certain size it will begin to expand geometrically, (doubling, tripling, etc.)
307798
Check out the History of the UK.
10988
This all dates back to the Ancient Babylonians who liked to count in base 60. Ratios of 6, 12, 60, and 360 were seen by them as being 'round' numbers in the same way that we use base 10 and see 5, 10, 100 etc as useful numbers to divide things up into. \n\nSee: http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/ HistTopics/Babylonian_and_Egyptian.html \n\nThe Babylonians divided the sky into the 12 signs of the Zodiac, and a circle into 360 degrees. They divided the day and night each into 12 hours (although in many time systems the lengths of these varied between summer and winter! Babylon was rather nearer the equator than Liverpool, so they didn't get too confused with this). The hour was split into 60 minutes and a minute into 60 seconds. \n\nAll these numbers have survived for 4000 years, despite the fact that we have changed our numbering system to base 10! In England, when I was young, we still measured with feet, each divided into 12 inches. The Americans still do! [By the way, do you know where the mile comes from? It's Roman, not Babylonian!] \n\nThe year is nearly 360 days long and the Babylonians split it into 12 months. Other civilizations based their calendar on the moon and had 13 months. We still have problems with this today because Easter is based on the lunar calendar and migrates around the Julian calendar in a complex way. Chinese new year is still based on the Lunar calendar
655156
Agree that most users are American idiots which is why I have my country listed. They are the ones that don't know about metrics.
172047
I hate the metric system...
655898
They invented the bible and adopted Paulism rather than Christianity. They invented the concept that Jesus is God.
39404
Educated about them? I invented some of them! :)
82306
Yes. It's like sweet, sweet, mathematical unification of the world! Many parts of the world has already been using the Metric System, except for various countries like the US. The rules of the Metrics, is simplier than the Customs. (cm)Each unit of the measurement is in 10s, as inch, make it hard to make specific measures because each mark on the ruler is 0.0625! Adopting the Metric System!
144396
they did then modified it in the late 60's, its always been an experimental thing. kinda silly idea thought. very dangerous. you'd have to be an idiot to use one. no offence.
388766
America's conversion to metric is the law:http://ts.nist.gov/WeightsAndMeasures/Metric/pub814.cfm#act\n\nIt's just voluntary.\n\nHowever, all the units you listed are metric.  The prefixes you're confused about are metric prefixes.
45045
I dont know, people are just slow to change I guess.  Also, there isnt much reason for the "average" person to change, they can get through life quite easily not know a single metric unit.\n\nThe United States has through redinfined its standard measurement system in terms of metric equililents and is suppose to use metric measurement on official stuff.\nCongressed passed the Metric Conversion in 1975 to promote the use of the metric system in the US.\n\nI love the SI system, it is great.  I am get a little agrivated when I have to explain how many pounds are in a kilogram to people, and I think in Liters.\nHowever, I still like to use miles per hour for speed.
290502
And I see that you are no exception, as you HAVE confused them!!\n\nIn the S.I. system, mass is kg, and weight is N (that is Newtons)\n\nIn the Imperial system, mass is slugs and weight is pounds.\n\n1 slug is equal to 14.6 kg.\n1 lb. is qual to 4.5 N\n\nPeople generally confuse them because the authorities decided  to equate 1 kg to 2.2 lb.  Not that it makes that much of a difference if these are used for commercial and not technical/scientific purposes, since gravity is basically the same at all habitable places on Earth.