When did we start using temperatures in Celsius instead of Fahrenheit

[GoFaster]

^ Another thing that's engrained in history. It's 1/4 mi here, too. But track and field sports have made the conversion ...

 

[Max Period]

On fuel consumption, developed metric countries use L / 100 km while developing countries sometimes use km / L.

The proper US/imperial equivalent is Gal / 100 mi, but USA and UK use MPG instead.

For temperature changes, 1 C or 1 K = 1.8 F.

 

[twopassats-one-TDI]

Well Since this is a car forum I will only say one thing. Whats the fun in finding the fastest car to 402.34m when 1/4 mile is much easier to say.

Ron

Here here!!

 

[jayoldschool]

Well Since this is a car forum I will only say one thing. Whats the fun in finding the fastest car to 402.34m when 1/4 mile is much easier to say.

Ron

Fastest car doesn't win. Quickest car does

 

[vanbcguy]

500m dash! Metric drag racing...

 

[forcedfedbug]

potatoe

Fastest car doesn't win. Quickest car does

some say potatoe.....
Yes but to me the lowest et is the fastest car or they would not have the lowest et. However I would give you scientificly speaking that may be quickest but it is still splitting hairs if you ask me. LOL I would love to own either.(just never like feeding them). we complain about 4 dollar a gallon gas. 20 years ago my brother was paying 5.50 a gallon for 116 octane for a car that got 4 gallons a mile. It was by far the funnest car I ever drove.

Ron

 

[nokivasara]

On fuel consumption, developed metric countries use L / 100 km while developing countries sometimes use km / L.

The proper US/imperial equivalent is Gal / 100 mi, but USA and UK use MPG instead.

For temperature changes, 1 C or 1 K = 1.8 F.

Then there's Sweden
Here distance is mentioned as mil (Scandinavian mile) which is 10km so fuel consumption in Sweden is L/mil...

From wikipedia:
"
In Norway and Sweden, the old "land mile" or "long mile" was 36,000 feet: because of the different definitions of foot then in use, in Norway this was 11,295 m and in Sweden 10,688 m. (Had the imperial foot been used, the distance would have worked out to 10,972.8 m.) The distance was equal to an older unit of measurement, the "rast" ("rest", "pause"), representing a suitable distance between rests when walking. [1] See League (unit)
When the Metric system was introduced in Norway and Sweden in 1889 (the actual law having been passed in 1875), the mil was redefined to be exactly 10 km."

 

[JSWTDI09]

Then there's Sweden
Here distance is mentioned as mil (Scandinavian mile) which is 10km so fuel consumption in Sweden is L/mil...

From wikipedia:
"
In Norway and Sweden, the old "land mile" or "long mile" was 36,000 feet: because of the different definitions of foot then in use, in Norway this was 11,295 m and in Sweden 10,688 m. (Had the imperial foot been used, the distance would have worked out to 10,972.8 m.) The distance was equal to an older unit of measurement, the "rast" ("rest", "pause"), representing a suitable distance between rests when walking. [1] See League (unit)
When the Metric system was introduced in Norway and Sweden in 1889 (the actual law having been passed in 1875), the mil was redefined to be exactly 10 km."

Fascinating, You learn something new here everyday. Thanks!

Have Fun!

Don

 

[euromade]

Here is an interesting article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_obsolete_units_of_measurement

I guess there was a variety of standards in Europe, not just between the countries, but also with a single culture (country). It looks like standardization to the metric ( and decimal) system was something that was necessary. In the US there was/is no need for changing the way things were/are.

Majority of the imperial measurements and US measurements have strong roots in naval practices and the way people measured speed and distance ( nautical mile, knot, etc).

Compass and navigation in general has not been "decimalized", at least not at the consumer level...

I have two sets of wrenches just as I have a flathead and Philips screw driver..not a big deal!

When I moved to the US it took me a while to get used to some of the standards. Now when I travel back to Europe it takes a while to figure out if 25C is warm enough to wear a t-shirt or not....
P.S. My 2014 Chevy Silverado shows speed in MPH only, the instrument cluster is way more elegant without the dual speed scales

 

[FlyTDI Guy]

Guess that's why they invented the crescent wrench...

 

[Lug_Nut]

Well actually.........
The Farenheit scale is based on 100.
"Zero" was the coldest consistent temperature that he could measure and that was a saturated solution of salt water.
"100" was the hottest consistent temperature that he could measure and that was (anecdotally) the body temperature of a goat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit

 

[nicklockard]

Civilized and/or smart people speak in measurements that make sense instead of gibberish units.

Okay, that's a bit harsh, but the real reason is because we have an unusually high proportion of scientists, engineers, pilots, Europeans, and Canadians here at Fred's Tdi Club.

 

[Windex]

It's funny, most here at Fred's have made the (I think) logical decision to operate a TDI, based on the long term benefits.

They cost more up front, but deliver long term cost reductions through reduced fuel usage.

The Metric system provides the same kind of benefit. It would/did cost up front to switch, but the long term cost savings through simplification and standardization have been vetted and implemented by all but two or three countries on the planet.

It's the logical choice, just like a TDI.

 

[Ski in NC]

It's funny, most here at Fred's have made the (I think) logical decision to operate a TDI, based on the long term benefits.

They cost more up front, but deliver long term cost reductions through reduced fuel usage.

The Metric system provides the same kind of benefit. It would/did cost up front to switch, but the long term cost savings through simplification and standardization have been vetted and implemented by all but two or three countries on the planet.

It's the logical choice, just like a TDI.

So what would you do with 100+ years worth of installed infrastructure, machinery, etc, some of which that is still in use? Throw it away just to change units?

 

[lovemybug]

For the most part, the US military uses Metric in everyday things. I've been out for over 20 years, and still use the day/month/year format when writing the short form of the date.

The machine shop I'm working at has some equipment that is over 100 years old and still in use. We have to make our own parts for some repairs, but the machine is still used.

 

[TDI2000Zim]

I like to see 98°F in measuring body temperature.

Seeing a 65 mph speed limit is more comfortable than seeing a 100 kph speed limit.

 

[GoFaster]

^ The only way 65 mph is "more comfortable" is that it is a little bit more (about 105 km/h) but still nowhere near enough ...

Having grown up with metric, I have no issue relating to speeds in km/h and it's what I default to, and so does practically everyone my age or younger here.

Normal body temperature is 37 C, by the way.

 

[nicklockard]

Body temp:

37 C @ core; 19-28 at skin;

• Things become uncomfortably hot to handle for most people at 55C. My wife can stand shower water at 60 C ( I call it "death temperature").
• Most plastic softens at 50-60C, melts by 90C-110C, chars by 150C.
• Open-lid acqueous reactions will rapidly cool whenever they're over 37 C and no heat applied. Open-lid organic reactions will rapidly cool to ~55C whenever they're hotter and have no heat applied. If you start up an open-lid, mixed phase exothermic reaction (one acqueous and one organic layer), then once the catalyst is activated, the reaction will auto-catalyze and self-limit to lower and upper bounds of 37C or 55C depending on the shape of the container.
• Your car's engine starts becoming efficient near 55C. You should never gun the engine when coolant temp < 37C, unless your life depends on it--tons of wear occurs here.
• Enzymes rapidly denature > 40C. Enzymes have peak effectiveness in the human body between 25-38C.
• Pathological bacteria and viruses are most deadly around 37C. Non-pathological bacteria are astonishingly tolerant to temps even approaching and > 100C.

 

[James & Son]

One of the major reasons the fabrication, tool and die, automation and machine build, are having a hard time making the change is that all materials, from the mill, structural and bar are in inches.

This prevents the use of nominal metric layouts for the fabricator. Inch bar stock screws up every metric tool design( unless you don,t mind paying for wasted material and labor. There is no such thing as metric tool steel in North America unless you pay a premium to import.

I am building a product that I designed in 2003 and it has all stainless steel fasteners less than 1/2 inch, metric, while the larger are in inch. The reason was cost. Stainless metric fasteners are far more in demand than inch under the 1/2 inch size whereas at the time, fasteners 1/2 inch and above are inch because of the greater demand and therefore were cheaper.

I agree with the posters that just adapt as the demand forces you one way or the other. I solved the problem by dual dimensioning with imperial dominant until you meet the production part which is always metric( or pretends to be).

 

[whitedog]

Not only do Canadians use a messed up measuring system, they can't spell either.

Colour? Excuse me?

Sheesh... Get a grip people. If you grow up using one system (or one spelling) that is what is most comfortable for you to use.

 

[colourfastt]

Not only do Canadians use a messed up measuring system, they can't spell either.

Colour? Excuse me?

Sheesh... Get a grip people. If you grow up using one system (or one spelling) that is what is most comfortable for you to use.

It is the "mercans" who can't spell.

 

[jayoldschool]

Colour? Excuse me?

"English".

I like to enjoy my favourite colour of paint on my walls while sampling a good flavour of ice cream, relaxing on my chesterfield. On Remembrance Day, it's also nice to reflect on the valour displayed by our troops. I also say hi to my neighbour when he's on the way to the harbour. It's the honourable thing to do.

 

[Windex]

I'm sitting on my chesterfield right now.

I should be drinking screech and eating tubesteaks, but it's a worknight.

 

[GoFaster]

Let's hope the hydro stays on through the next storm, too, lest I miss the hockey game I just about drank a whole two-four the last time it was out ...

 

[GoFaster]

I just found the mother-lode.

http://www.wikihow.com/Sample/Canadian-Slang

I know that Americans have scant access to Timmies (something that most Canadians cannot survive without, myself included), but I didn't know that Americans wouldn't know what a double-double is!

 

[Ted Hurst]

I've sold fluid handling products for the past 20 years. Pipe, hose, fittings. Male NPT, JIC, BSPT, BSPP, IPS, Code 61, Code 62, NH, NPSM and ANSI flanges all use some kind of inch measurement.

 

[kjclow]

I just found the mother-lode.

http://www.wikihow.com/Sample/Canadian-Slang

I know that Americans have scant access to Timmies (something that most Canadians cannot survive without, myself included), but I didn't know that Americans wouldn't know what a double-double is!

They missed "Hooped". Can't take my Timmies anyway but black. Learned not to order it as normal or straight several years back.

 

[30_Yr_Dsl_Veteran]

Let's hope the hydro stays on through the next storm, too

It would really have to be cold for flowing water to stop!

 

[supton]

I noticed that the state of Maine recently converted their highway signs from exit number to a number based upon miles from the border. The prior number was kinda arbitrary IMO; sure, it was number of exits from the border but otherwise you had no idea how far exit 52 was from the border (150+ miles in reality, I think). IMO instead of doing miles from the border they should have done km. The number before was "arbitrary", so the notion that no one thinks in km is moot--only locals could know the distance between any given two exits.

 

[vwestlife]

Canadians still widely use the Imperial system, with some strange mixing of units... for example, their weather forecasts are in Celcius, but their cooking temperatures are in Fahrenheit.