Comment by rplst8
3 years ago
The US customary units have a lot advantages. For example:
In Fahrenheit, 0 is really cold while 100 is really hot. In Celsius, 0 is kind of cold while 100 is damaging to life.
With feet and inches, you can easily divide a foot by 2, 3, 4, and 6 with no repeating decimal digits. It's the same reason the ancient sumerians used base 60 for their number system.
With liquid measure, a cup is roughly what would be considered a serving with a meal while a litre is one hundred millionth the distance from the equator to the north pole, cubed
As a non-American I don't understand the Fahrenheit vs Celsius arguments. What's special about 0F being really cold and 100F feeling really hot? I find that -20C being really cold and 30C really hot quite intuitive and easy to understand. Also in terms of weather it is easy to understand that below zero temps snow and ice will form. Add the convenience that Celsius is basically just an offset of Kelvin and I really don't see the appeal of Fahrenheit at all.
It's just American Exceptionalism. Many people in the US categorically refuse to entertain the idea that their system isn't the best, and come up with justifications that sound funny to outsiders.
I've been living here for 15 years and the recurring pattern still hasn't stopped being funny.
In terms of outdoor air temperature in the North East US, 0-100F is basically the temperature range you’ll experience throughout the year. 50 is about average in spring/fall.
> In Fahrenheit, 0 is really cold while 100 is really hot. In Celsius, 0 is kind of cold while 100 is damaging to life.
0C: I need shoes, pants, sweater, coat, gloves.
10C: sandals, pants, two light layers.
15C: sandals, shorts if sunny, one long sleeved top.
20C: sandals, shorts, shirt. Hoodie if windy.
25C: sandals, shorts, shirt optional.
Etc.
How is F more convenient in any way?
0 is freezing, 100 is boiling.
12 is a handy number but decimal calculation isn't difficult either, especially when all your units use the same.
What is a cup? How do you do calculations with a third of a cup etc?
I know a cup is roughly 200 mil. From exposure in life I know 200ml is about a cup of tea and 300ml is about a mug of coffee /can of come, 500 is a big can of beer. How many cups are in a can of beer?
>/can of come
You can buy it in cans now?
A can of beer is 12oz or 16oz.
So you change which unit you're using depending on what you're measuring? Much handier.