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Old 12-13-2016, 11:35 PM   #81
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It appears that there's some who really don't want to change to the metric system of measurements. The reality is it's coming and you can't stop it.
The problem is that most people don't seem to have the ability or desire to think in more than one measurement system. I believe this a fault how the US attempts to teach the metric system. We learned the English system by some pretty simple means. We learned how to estimate all kinds of measurements not by converting one system to another but by observing. We also learned a lot about how the systems came into being. In the early days the system changed every time there was new king. Eventually the system was standardized. Then along came the metric system with it's measurements in multiples of 10 (convenient since we all are used to numbers in the base 10).
There are a number of professions that use the metric system. The medical industry, is one. Many, if not all, of the sciences use the metric system.
Scientists learn what a miligram, or milileiter, or a milimeter all mean know how to use them. Everybody else seems to want to play the conversion game. I don't know why, but sure seems that way.
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Old 12-14-2016, 05:10 AM   #82
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Byron, as I stated earlier, one has to be able to visualize in their mind how far a unit of length is, how heavy a unit of weight is, how hot a certain degree of temperature is. Residents of the US when going to school were taught the English system, and have always mentally visualized weights and measures in this system. The reluctance of US citizens to convert results from the lack of desire to start over (learn something "new," at least new to them). I hear a lot of complaints where I live about Mexicans who come to Florida (whether legally or illegally) who "refuse" to speak English. When you think in Spanish, it is normal and easier to speak in Spanish. And when you think in the English system of weights and measures, it is easier to use than the metric system. The metric system may be coming, but it isn't going to reside in this country until many more people are willing to learn how to think in metric, or they are forced to by governmental decree. Old habits die hard!


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Old 12-14-2016, 06:20 AM   #83
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Thank you all... for making me feel young again! I was in middle school when I last heard this debate.

Nothing has changed, at least in terms of the arguments on both sides. Canada's path proves that it is possible to change and adapt. The US path proves that you don't have to.

I will confess that fuel economy measured in liters per 100 kilometers gives me a headache, being not only different units, but a reciprocal measure.
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Old 12-14-2016, 07:30 AM   #84
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Originally Posted by floyd View Post
It seems important to so many that we all conform to one measuring system, while insisting that we accept a Babel of languages.
Thanks for bringing this up. There is so much wisdom in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
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Old 12-14-2016, 07:48 AM   #85
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Originally Posted by Jon in AZ View Post
I will confess that fuel economy measured in liters per 100 kilometers gives me a headache, being not only different units, but a reciprocal measure.
This is one of the last conversions I got comfortable with, and in fact has only been the last few years with doing so, but now that I am it just seems more intuitive. The way I look at it is, if you are looking to save fuel and burn less, you try to achieve a lower number for fuel economy. Which in reflection would make the MPG way of calculating be the reciprocal measure.
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Old 12-14-2016, 08:14 AM   #86
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sorry to burst your bubble but.....

English is the most widely spoken language across the world.

and the use of Spanish is spread all over the world....

The common number here is three....English is in third place....and there are only three countries in the WHOLE WORLD that have not adopted the metric system ....Liberia, Myanmar...and the US
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Old 12-14-2016, 08:51 AM   #87
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...I wonder where the concept of "dozen" came from. Why 12? Why 2x12 hours a day? Why 12 inches in foot? Why 12 pack of beer bottles?
...
Could be any number of reasons.

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Old 12-14-2016, 09:02 AM   #88
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One easy tip if you need to convert mpg to l/100km is this: you only have one number to remember: 235.

Simply divide 235 by the value you want to convert.
235 divided by the l/100km value will give the mpg.
235 divided by the mpg value will give the l/100km.

That's for US gallons.
For Imperial gallons, the number to remember is 282, same principle.
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Old 12-14-2016, 09:04 AM   #89
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Originally Posted by Ice-breaker View Post
Could be any number of reasons.

Hi: Ice-breaker... What I wonder is why do the number of wieners in a pkg not equal the number of buns in a pkg.
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Old 12-14-2016, 09:29 AM   #90
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Originally Posted by Franswa View Post
English is the most widely spoken language across the world.

and the use of Spanish is spread all over the world....

The common number here is three....English is in third place....and there are only three countries in the WHOLE WORLD that have not adopted the metric system ....Liberia, Myanmar...and the US
No bubble burst here, merely a confirmation of what I said earlier. It is easier to convert measurements than language.
Notice I did not say that English was spoken by more people than any other language.
Still why would one advocate complex translation among the world's 6500 languages and not tolerate something as simple as measurement conversion?
While English doesn’t have the most speakers, it is the official language of more countries than any other language. Its speakers hail from all around the world, including New Zealand, the U.S., Australia, England, Zimbabwe, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, South Africa, and Canada.

Also here is a quote from a wiki article...
"English is the third largest language by number of native speakers, after Mandarin and Spanish.[3]
Estimates that include second language speakers vary greatly, from 470 million to more than 1 billion.

Author of "English as a Global Language" David Crystal
calculates that non-native speakers as of 2003 outnumbered native speakers by a ratio of 3 to 1. When combining native and non-native speakers, English is the most widely spoken language worldwide."
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Old 12-14-2016, 11:15 AM   #91
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Originally Posted by Jim Bennett View Post
...The way I look at it is, if you are looking to save fuel and burn less, you try to achieve a lower number for fuel economy...
I'm looking for better fuel economy... and better means more, right? It's the American way!
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Old 12-14-2016, 04:32 PM   #92
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Originally Posted by Carl V View Post
One easy tip if you need to convert mpg to l/100km is this: you only have one number to remember: 235.

Simply divide the value you want to convert by 235.
235 divided by the l/100km value will give the mpg.
235 divided by the mpg value will give the l/100km.

That's for US gallons.
For Imperial gallons, the number to remember is 282, same principle.
Why not simply divide Kilometers by Liters? KPL
The average car holds 60L and lets say it goes 500K on a tank
500/60 is 8.3KPL
In the US the same tank holds 16Gallons and lets say it goes 300miles.
300/16 is 18.75MPG.
Its about how far you go on a unit of fuel.

Before Canada converted, did they divide an imperial gallon by a multiple of miles to get G/100M?
Your speedometer is calibrated in KPH,...So why not H/100km instead?
Then your speed limit could be a simple "1"

I'm confused, in your example if you convert one way with division... shouldn't you use multiplication to convert the other way?
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Old 12-14-2016, 05:25 PM   #93
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The end of cheap gas?

No, because of the reciprocal relationship. You're dividing into 235, not by 235.

If k/x = y, then k/y = x.
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Old 12-14-2016, 05:32 PM   #94
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Why not simply divide Kilometers by Liters? KPL
Because almost universally the metric unit for fuel economy is not kilometers per liters, it is liters per 100 km. I don't know why, but that's how it is. You could calculate kilometers per liter if you want, but most metric countries don't use that.

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Originally Posted by floyd View Post
Before Canada converted, did they divide an imperial gallon by a multiple of miles to get G/100M?
No. The non-metric fuel economy numbers were miles per gallons as in the States, but used the larger Imperial gallon.

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Originally Posted by floyd View Post
Your speedometer is calibrated in KPH,...So why not H/100km instead?
Then your speed limit could be a simple "1"
Actually, it would work as well. But more confusing. The greater the number, the slower the speed. But then I guess people would get use to it.
But you wouldn't be able to brag about the speed you drove at. If you say you drove at 180 km/h, that's pretty fast. If you brag that you did 0.55, nobody is impressed!!

BTW, I don't decide the units, that's what they are.

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I'm confused, in your example if you convert one way with division... shouldn't you use multiplication to convert the other way?
No. Just do the math. It works.
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Old 12-14-2016, 05:47 PM   #95
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I have "Convert" app on my iPhone. Does all measurements and I don't have to do mental gymnastics.
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Old 12-14-2016, 08:01 PM   #96
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Originally Posted by Carl V View Post
One easy tip if you need to convert mpg to l/100km is this: you only have one number to remember: 235.

Simply divide the value you want to convert by 235.
235 divided by the l/100km value will give the mpg.
235 divided by the mpg value will give the l/100km.

That's for US gallons.
For Imperial gallons, the number to remember is 282, same principle.
That is very handy and elegant!
Just rephrasing what Jon said:
235/mpg=lp100k, hence 235/lp100k=mpg
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Old 12-14-2016, 08:07 PM   #97
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I have "Convert" app on my iPhone. Does all measurements and I don't have to do mental gymnastics.
Usually those conversion programs convert the common, more basic units. Here the mpg or lp100k are highly derived. If the iPhone includes those, that programmer did some good thinking. I would like to know - did he?
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Old 12-14-2016, 08:23 PM   #98
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Originally Posted by Carl V View Post
B
No. Just do the math. It works.
OK, Thanks... I did and it does
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Old 12-14-2016, 11:05 PM   #99
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Interesting replies on conversions. I was stationed in Athens Greece in the early 70's for 18 months. When I needed gas I filled up, figuring MPG's never came to mind. As far as the speed limits, we were told to multiply the first number by 6 to be close, 80 kmh.....6x8=48. Funny thing was that everyone was already going 100+ and the cops working the streets were waving everyone to go faster. I was just glad they drove on the right side of the road, everything else was easy .
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Old 12-15-2016, 06:11 AM   #100
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Originally Posted by Jon in AZ View Post
If so, that ought to be a boon for the oil sands petroleum industry in NA and for Canada's economy especially. Perhaps the biggest casualty might be the current favorable exchange rate for Escape buyers in the lower states.

Since most on this forum have chosen smaller trailers and vehicles, we are better positioned to weather any increase in fuel cost. And no matter where on this great continent you live, there are wonderful places to explore while staying closer to home base.

The sky is not falling!

We might have a favorable exchange rate but the Escape trailers just went up another $1200 CNDs.


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