The main advantage of the metric system is that it turns ordinary people into ARITHMETICAL GENIUSES.

The more conversions needed, the more superior the metric system is.

In some computations, WHERE YOU HAVE SEVERAL DIMENSIONS SUCH AS SLUGS, FEET, INCHES, FOOT POUNDS, MOLES, CUBIC INCHES, HORSE POWER, ETC, ALL BUNCHED UP TOGETHER, you may need to do say 9 conversions to arrive at an answer, AND IF YOU HAD NO CALCULATOR, NO SLIDE RULE, AND HAD TO DO THE ARITMETIC BY HAND, YOU WOULD SPEND THE WHOLE DAY JUST MULTIPLYING AND DIVIDING NUMBERS BY HAND --JUST TO DO THE CONVERSIONS.

And the COMPUTATIONS OF MAJORITY OF PEOPLE ARE NOT NEAT. AND THE STYLE THEY USE CAN CAUSE THEM A LOT OF CONFUSION.

INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON THE ALGEBRA, THEY WILL BE WASTING HOURS AND HOURS JUST ON THE ARITHMETICAL MULTIPLICATION AND DIVISIONS OF LONG NUMBERS TO DO CONVERSIONS IN THE ENGLISH SYSTEM ---SOMETHING WHICH IN THE METRIC SYSTEM CAN BE DONE -----SIMPLY BY MOVING THE DECIMAL POINT!!!!

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As a simple illustration, consider the following problem, "HOW MANY INCHES ARE THERE IN 27 MILES?"

(27 miles)(5280 ft/1 mile)(12 inches/1 ft)

miles at the top will cancel miles at the bottom.
ft at the top will cancel ft at the bottom leaving only INCHES AT THE TOP.

=(27)(5280)(12) inches

IF THE ABOVE ANSWER AND COMPUTATION LOOKS EASY, IT IS BECAUSE MY COMPUTATION IS NEAT AND NOT MESSY AS DONE BY OTHER PEOPLE. DONE BY OTHER PEOPLE, THE COMPUTATION WILL BE ALL OVER THE PLACE!!! CONFUSION!!!! ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE TO DO 9 CONVERSIONS.

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In the METRIC SYSTEM, consider the following problem, "HOW MANY MILIMETERS ARE THERE IN 27 KILOMETERS?"

(27 km)(1000 meters/1 km)(100cm/1meter)(10mm/1cm)

km on top will cancel km at bottom.
meter on top will cancel meter at bottom.
cm on top will cancel cm at bottom.
this leaves milimeter on top as dimension for the arithmetical answer!!!

(27)(1000)(100)(10) inches

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Which is easier to do??? (5280/12) or (1000)(100)(10)

CONVERSIONS SUCH AS THESE CAN SOMETIMES BE VERY LONG SUCH AS IN A QUESTION LIKE, " HOW MANY CUBIC INCHES ARE THERE IN 27 CUBIC MILES???"

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WRITE TO ALL CONGRESSMEN ALL OVER THE WORLD. TELL THEM TO OUTLAW THE ENGLISH SYSTEM AND CONVERT TO METRIC!!! PRONTO!!!

Yeah, metric's good for some things, but I'll take a .40 cal over a 10mm anytime.

And what's with the pronunciation, too? kil-AH-meh-ters, but MILLI-meters. Say KILO-meters (or mil-IH-meh-ters) and you sound like a freak. All those conversions don't look so simple now, do they?

I'm mostly tounge-in-cheek, here. I'm a big metric fan ... still waiting for the US to convert. The metric system in the US and flying cars: both were promised to me in grade school - neither has come to pass. (I'm not bitter, just disappointed...)

I think fans of the whatever-you-call-it system with inches and leagues and furlongs and gallons are just stubborn. The old "I had to learn it, so you have to learn it, too" attitude of High School juniors and seniors.

(Need I point out again that I'm just poking fun, here?)

:-)

" HOW MANY CUBIC INCHES ARE THERE IN 27 CUBIC MILES???"

That's spooky! I was just wondering that exact thing. Fortunately, for my purposes, "a bunch" works just fine.

Say KILO-meters (or mil-IH-meh-ters) and you sound like a freak.

Yet another advantage of living in Texas. We go around all day saying KILL-ometers and nobody thinks twice about it.

But why would I want to know how many inches are in 27 miles? ?

But why would I want to know how many inches are in 27 miles? ?

I can think of many reasons. Unfortunately, they all somehow involve TV game shows.

Let me point out to all that the Commandments given to Moses were transformed, or in the form of METRIC, that's why it is 10 Commandments.

Yet, WHO INVENTED THE DECIMAL NUMBER SYSTEM? WAS IT NOT THE HINDUS AND THE ARABS?????

I WONDER WHAT GOD'S PLAN REALLY IS FOR THE WHOLE WORLD!!!! MAYBE THE ANSWER IS WITH YOU GUYS!!!!

I love the old English system because I love confusion.

That's exactly what happened to the English when they followed King Henry VIII.

Eric, All...

I find it EXTREMELY SIGNIFICANT THAT CENTURIES BEFORE THE BASE 10 DECIMAL HINDU- ARABIC NUMBER SYSTEM, GOD GAVE MOSES THE 10 COMMANDMENTS.

I also find it EXTREMELY SIGNIFICANT THAT 19 CENTURIES BEFORE THE COMPUTER AGE, JESUS CHRIST SUMMARIZED THE 10 COMMANDMENTS AS 2 COMMANDMENTS, AGAIN THE SAME NUMBER OF DIGITS AS THE BASE 2 BINARY NUMBER SYSTEM WHICH IS THE VERY NUMBER SYSTEM USED IN ALL ELECTRONIC COMPUTERS.