Should We Switch to the Metric System? Reaching blindly for change is rash, if not immature. Why should the U.S. be pressured into the metric system of measurement? Within the article “Should We Switch to the Metric System?” by Mackenzie Carro, a warring argument is presented, followed up on either side. Many believe the U.S. should switch to the metric system, while others become slightly more cautious as they hear this and think otherwise. But then again, why would the U.S. switch to the metric system? The consequences are clearly embedded in the path ahead. Throwing away billions of dollars and wasting years of everyones time. What’s more, fumbling up your speech every time you realize the current system of measurement no longer applies …show more content…
The first issue becomes clear: accidents occur as people try to adjust during the shift. Several disasters, which include “an increase in traffic accidents,” in addition to a possible “plane mishap” that happened during “Canada’s transition to the metric system” (Carro, page 21). Just through these few examples, it is visible that life-threatening accidents are reasonable within the conversion process. People will experience inefficiencies in their daily lives, and will have trouble adapting and staying safe. In short, the conversion from the customary to the metric system will violate the well-being of many in the U.S. In addition to this, the switch will be detrimental to the language and lifestyle, making people in the U.S. undeniably uncomfortable. An example is that “Customary units are woven into our language.expressions like ‘inching along.’” By replacing this idiom with “‘Centimetering along’” the change is unsettling (Carro, page 21). Customary units are already accepted in the U.S. to the point that even the language is influenced. Making a foreign change to the metric system is not something the citizens will accept. Even if the phrases are not replaced to fit the metric system, phrases will still become alienated, as they …show more content…
Moving on, one might also argue that having different systems of measurement could cause accidents. While this is a credible argument, the opposing side forgets to acknowledge that changes to the metric system could actually cause more frequent issues in the United States. An example of this, “U.S. drivers have a sense of what 65 miles per hour feels like. But what about kilometers per hour? It would take time to adjust. In the meantime, accidents could become more common” (Carro, page 21). In situations like these, there is no alternative method to help convert the measurements. By trying to reduce the hazards, the effects will only backfire on us. The other side has yet to take into account the detrimental effects the metric system would bring. In conclusion, the debate on this issue has been constant, yet the U.S. has not, and predictably will not, switch to the metric system. There are reasons why the U.S. hasn’t taken action, and it is already substantial enough to explain why. If switching was more beneficial than its problems, the U.S. would have done it already. However, no action has been taken, meaning it successfully acknowledged the setbacks of transitioning. The setbacks include safety issues, unsettling
An F is a grade that many students fear of obtaining in their school career, unless the student does not care about his or her education. In Carl Singleton’s article, What Our Education Needs is More F’s, Singleton expresses his belief that if students begin to receive more F’s, students would be working harder to earn good grades, parents would become more considerate of their child’s education, and teachers would be stricter and harsher when grading. Therefore, education systems requiring teachers to frequently give more F’s will fix the “inadequacies of American education,” or so Singleton believes. (Singleton). Unfortunately, Singleton’s plan if enforced, would have several negative effects to it, such as; students’ motivation would instead diminish rather than accelerate, students would not
The Americans needed to come up with another system. Henry Knox was gave the task to come up wit...
The switch from customary to metric will decrease the unemployment rate greatly and promote more jobs in America. The most important jobs needed are the ones that will remake and sell new and correct products to customers. There are many products that have customary measurements like rulers, textbooks, and road signs so if this country switches to metric, the demand for these products will rise and businesses will hire more workers to meet the demand. Many people in America are homeless and jobless, so the switch to metric will help get them the jobs they need to make money because the many jobs that will be provided can be simple to many poorly-educated people, such as hanging up a road sign. As a result to the decrease in unemployment, many people will transition from living on the streets to working in a paying job and providing for their own needs.
use. The educational program of the United States has stuck with this outdated decision for
example, it now costs "20% to 25% less to assemble a car in Canada then in the
The culture of Canada refers to the shared values, attitudes, standards, and beliefs that are a representative of Canada and Canadians. Throughout Canada's history, its culture has been influenced by American culture because of a shared language, proximity, television and migration between the two countries. Over time, Canadian-American relations have helped develop Canada’s identity during the years 1945-1982; thus introducing changing social norms, media and entertainment. In support of this, due to the United States being approximately 9.25 times larger in population and having the dominant cultural and economic influence, it played a vital role in establishing Canada’s identity. With Canada being its neighbour, naturally, the United States would influence their way of life upon Canada.
this type of proposition is not new to the voters of california. In the past several attempts to pass an ammenent of this type have failed, and yet the supporters of this change are resiliant to accept the current system and they continue to present the voters with various versions of the same proposed change.
My topic is on the US converting or adopting the use of (SI). We are investigating this topic because other countries use it, while the US is still using the English system and people are wondering should the US just do the same as the other countries. NASA lost a $125 million Mars Climate Orbiter because the failure to convert from English to metric units, and the teams were using two different sets of units. This caused a controversy over whether the United States should be required to switch to the metric system, more than half of the world uses the metric system. The United States should adopt the use if the International System of Measurement, because
Howe and Northrup pointed this out to Canadians during a survey, asking if they felt that this was acceptable or unacceptable. When there results were compared to the same survey taken ten years ago, the results showed some very important shifts in Canadian’s opinions.
The Metric system is used across the world, all except for the United States of America and two other countries. Switching to Metric can mean more business opportunities for America from other countries. The Metric system can be the link for fashion designers to have more opportunities in other countries, or scientists as well. Because of the loss of jobs due to not using the Metric system in America, the country will not advance. The biggest argument against changing is the people, a strong source that should not be ignored. All the immediate benefits from ethical, emotional and logical views show there are many sources that outline the benefits to why America should change to the Metric system and why
The reasons why we have standardized testing today is because of many reasons. The States use it to compare abilities and skills of a student. We also give standardized testing...
Providing states with more flexibility in determining how standardized tests are weighed. States are now allowed to include other forms of measurement of student and school performance.
... to changes to the current United States public schools. However, the people in charge of making the changes are the ones who profit and will probably never change their mindset. The school system needs to be changed entirely, but solutions to this problem simply aren’t out there. Experimentation needs to be done in certain school systems to determine the most successful method. Until then, the United States of America will continue to support a failing school system and will continue to produce uneducated adults.
Thomas, David M.. Canada and the United States: differences that count. Third ed. Toronto: Broadview Press, 2008.
Some countries, such as the United Kingdom, had difficult transitions. In the United Kingdom, the metric system was made legal for scientific use in 1864. It became legal to use the metric system for commercial use in 1897. However, while using the metric system was permissible under law, it was not required. It was not until the 1950s and 1960s that there was a large push to go metric.