[melling]

We don't use the imperial system for space, but the American readers do.

https://www.space.com/3332-nasa-finally-metric.html

I'm just as guilty as the next person when I post numbers. Occasionally, I'll also show metric. However, as an old(er) dog, my first instinct is to use feet, miles, etc.

Perhaps we should agree to use only the metric system on HN?

[SmellyGeekBoy]

As a younger person who predominantly uses metric - as long as there's a conversion I don't see the issue. Just list both. I'm not sure why the sight of imperial units makes some people irrationally angry.

[melling]

He’s probably referring to the time NASA lost the $125 million spacecraft because teams used different systems.

https://www.wired.com/2010/11/1110mars-climate-observer-repo...

It’s helpful when there’s only one system. In the US, it’s too costly to switch. HN readers are global and we’re technical so there’s no reason not to simply use metric.

[EdwardDiego]

> In the US, it’s too costly to switch.

What is the estimated cost out of curiosity?

[adrianmonk]

I estimate the cost to be 1 unit of national pride.

[melling]

Everything has a cost. NASA estimated their cost was $370 million to switch to metric.

https://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/04/why-the-us-hasnt-fully-adopt...

The cost of switching road signs alone was quite expensive. Exit numbers, for example, are often the mile marker number.

[adrianmonk]

Oh yeah, I'm not saying there's zero monetary cost. I'm saying the blocker isn't affordability.

[Loughla]

Honestly. Communication is about clarity, not about arbitrary 'correctness' in word-choice. Put both so everyone can understand it.

[melling]

95% of the world officially uses metric.

https://www.reddit.com/r/theydidthemath/comments/2cjiau/self...

Do they still teach the metric system in US schools? I learned it over 40 years ago. Metric is the official system for science.

It’s hard to believe that we’re so close but we still have holdouts. It’s not an arbitrary choice at this point.

[ahoka]

It's a mistake that sometimes even Americans do, but the USA uses the US customary units system, which is closely related, but slightly different to the British imperial system.

[cbhl]

Americans also call US customary units "imperial units", even though they're not the same as the British ones.

[cryptonector]

Imperial pints are bigger than customary pints, for example.

[EdwardDiego]

In my country, NZ, we refer to beer as pints, and order them as such, but a pint isn't a legal unit of measurement, so it's accepted that your pint will vary. The good establishments have a chart on the wall explaining how many millilitres map to their "pint". And a pint of high alcohol beer will often be less than a pint of average alcohol beer. 473mL vs 568mL typically.

It's not illegal to serve someone a "pint" if they ask for one, but it is illegal to offer a "pint" for sale.

[stallmanite]

So at the same establishment you could order two pints of beer and the high ABV one would be smaller in volume? That would really bother me or anyone calculating the unit cost of ethanol.

[EdwardDiego]

They make it clear what size they serve it in on their beer menu, so it's not too bad.

[redler]

...the sad fact of which rears its head in American drinking establishments nationwide.