1) An inch is legally defined as 25.4mm exactly. A gallon is legally defined as 231 cubic inches. A pound is legally defined as 7000 troy grains, which are legally defined as exactly 0.06479891 grams. All Imperial measurements are derived from metric equivalents and have been since 1959. In other words, we've been on the metric system for more than 50 years. 2) Speaking as an engineer, anything involving math you do in metric and then convert anyway. 3) Speaking as a former elementary, middle, high and college student, everything you learn you learn in metric anyway. Bonus points if you spend any time converting. So really, whenever anyone says "we want metric!" what they mean is "we want new signs!" Okay, but every object in your life capable of displaying units - with the possible exception of your tape measure - already switches from English to Metric. Your phone. Your speedometer. Your thermometer. Your barometer (although I'll bet you don't have one). Wanna switch to metric? Buy a meter stick instead of a yard stick. Ta daa. You're done. Now all you have to do is show the courage of your convictions. Look up the temperature in celsius. Follow the little ring on your speedo rather than the big one. Buy some metric measuring cups (although god help you when you have to look up "Gas Mark four"). Yeah, you're stuck in the stone age at the gas pump, but trust me... ...you do not want to buy gasoline by the liter. Particularly in Victoria BC.
Ralisticallly, what they are saying is "we want base-10." Base 10 makes doing all of the little calculations we have to perform in our heads every single day far easier and much less annoying. It's pretty much objectively better, though how much so is quite subjective.So really, whenever anyone says "we want metric!" what they mean is "we want new signs!"
I think that's what they think they want. What calculations are those, though? Cook in metric and suddenly you're dividing by a thousand all the time. Dealing with distances? 100km or 62 miles, doesn't matter. How often do we think in yards? When we are, aren't we usually converting to feet or inches? In which case we're dividing by three, or that multiple of three, twelve. Really we want base 10 because we have ten fingers. Base 12 is much easier to work with when you're doing the math in your head because it's so much more divisible. Yeah, if you're doing big calcs Metric all the way... but weren't we just arguing on here a few days ago about how useless Algebra is to most people?
I doubt this will happen, to be honest. Just "making" our new system of measurement the Metric system would really do much; sure, schools would now teach it, but anybody past 5th grade isn't gonna re-learn the entire way Americans measure stuff just so they can satisfy somebodies need for everything to be standardized. So, with the next generation of kids learning this, it's at least 20 years until a respectable portion of the population is out in the work force and actually doing things. Then, comes the issue of the older generations not changing. I imagine that companies will stick with the old ways rather than teach the entire work force of America a new system of measurement. While in some companies this would be easy and manageable, I doubt such a thing would be possible in much larger companies such as UPS or FedEx, where measurement and weight are key to running a profitable business. Now, after all of that, this next generation is still using the old ways because the older generations don't want to change. So, you'd have to wait until my generation(born in the 1990s) to all be dead or out the work force for this stuff to truly change. I also don't personally like this idea, so take what I say with a grain of sand, but why exactly would the US change its metrics system when we're the most powerful nation on the planet? Kneeling to others ideas is fine and all, but I simply don't understand the European position of "the US HAS to change." I dislike the fact that they assume their system of measurement is inherently better than ours. About all I had to say.
We all already know that metric makes more sense than Imperial units. Issues arise with changing the system though. For one, the generational divide where the older generations will largely not feel learning a new system if they haven't already. Then you have all the companies that would have to redo their packing to note the changes and possibly recalibrate equipment, maybe retrain some workers to learn metric, etc.
I really do not understand the americans haven't done so already. I mean 12 inch is one foot, but 3 feet is 1 yard. And so we continue on to the mile with all weirdness in between. Imperial units aren't meant for the modern human mind. Just use metric. Clear and easy. And I can talk to americans, tell them the distance is about 1 km and they know what I am talking about (or the other way around, I can understand the americans when they tell me that the distance is about a mile)