Instigator / Pro
4
1566
rating
29
debates
56.9%
won
Topic
#1660

The Metric System in better than the Imperial System in every way

Status
Finished

The debate is finished. The distribution of the voting points and the winner are presented below.

Winner & statistics
Better arguments
0
3
Better sources
2
2
Better legibility
1
1
Better conduct
1
1

After 1 vote and with 3 points ahead, the winner is...

Trent0405
Parameters
Publication date
Last updated date
Type
Standard
Number of rounds
3
Time for argument
Two days
Max argument characters
1,000
Voting period
One week
Point system
Multiple criterions
Voting system
Open
Contender / Con
7
1711
rating
33
debates
84.85%
won
Description

Definitions:

"Metric" - The better way
"Imperial" - The worse way
"Better" - Convenient, better

IN ... EVERY ... WAY

Round 1
Pro
#1
Hello Trent and thanks for accepting. However we seem to always disagree on which country's better...

Outline

My goal is to prove that in all situations the Metric System is better than the Imperial System (I think I made a mistake when saying "in every way"). Your goal is to give just one way, just one, that the Imperial System is better than the Metric (I'm starting to doubt myself).

Round 1 - Present my arguments
Round 2 - A lot of clash, too much clash
Round 3 - Emphatically tremendous amounts of clash

Starting Point

Let's begin.

How many inches are in 2.71 feet? Times up.

Now how many centimeters are in 2.71 meters? Easy, just move the decimal two places and you get 271 centimeters.

How many ounces are in 3.14 pounds? Times up.

How many grams are in 3.14 kilograms? 3140 grams. This is a joke!

In fact, kilo means 1000. So a kilo-meter or a kilo-gram is 1000 meters and 1000 grams respectively. Now the Imperial System doesn't have that easy conversion, making it terrible in all situations.

Change my mind.
Con
#2
“Better”=Convenient, better

I agree with this(definition listed in description)

SC=Scenario IS=Imperialist system MS=Metric System

BoP

Is on Pro.

SC-1

In 2019, If I’m talking to an American who uses the IS about how long I want a piece of wood cut. Then I say 3 meters, he now has to inconvenience himself by converting it to 9.84252 feet. So, in some ways, IS is superior.

SC-2

A satellite was put to waste because some engineers used IS and others used MS. So, if I’m communicating with American engineers who refuse to use the MS, the IS is superior for convenience's sake.

SC-3

If I move from Canada to the US in 2019, I have to attend school in the US. Problem is I may not know the IS which is necessary for school, so in that case it is more convenient, more useful, and better to know IS.

SC-4

If I sell rare rocks to an American market, a package that says 1 pound is no better than one that says 453.592 grams. That’s because the market will most likely understand IS more, so for their sake, I should use IS.

if In any of these SCs, using IS is better, I would have to win this debate.

Round 2
Pro
#3
Hello and thanks for responding. Let's get into it...


Clash

SC-1
But that doesn't prove that the IS is better, rather the opposite! With the Metric System, decimals are very easy to deal with. We use a base 10 system, which means that all we have to do when converting let's say kilograms to grams is to move the decimal. With the Imperial System, we have to actually do Math.

SC-2
No. The majority of people in the world use the MS, so it should be America that adjusts to our System, not the other way around.

And you can also flip that statement. What if there are some Canadian engineers that refuse to use the IS?

SC-3
Again, this doesn't prove that the IS is better. You could easily flip the statement around and say that an American student has to learn the MS if he/she wants to attend a foreign school.

SC-4
You can again flip this statement by saying that 1 kg is easier to read than 2.20462 lbs.


Conclusion

My opponent has yet to give an example where the IS would be better than the MS.

I have countered his statements and said that the MS is easier to work with.

Thank you.
Con
#4
I can flip your SC's around

Maybe you can, but it doesn't change the fact that in certain scenarios in our world today, the IS is more convenient/better is some scenarios. If in some scenarios IS and MS are interchangeable, than in that way, MS isn’t better but equal. 

Wood Working

The IS is better for woodworking. Using fractions of inches is preferred over counting millimetres or centimetres for woodworking, being considered faster as well. Also, for woodworking IS is seen as being more precise. As a result of this, building materials are generally measured in IS units. People who use MS don't sound like genuine woodworkers. My source is reputable, he has been posting consistent woodworking content for years, well versed presumably in woodworking and it's culture. Even if you can use MS for woodworking, it almost certainly isn't better.

Easier to Convert

Perhaps this is true, but IS has been identified as easier to visualize. 1 foot for example is based on the average man’s feet size, MS was designed to be easy to convert.

Round 3
Pro
#5
Hello and thanks for this debate. I shall conclude my case in this round.

Clash

I can flip your SC's around
Yes, you can flip the scenarios around, but it should be the three IS countries that convert their measurements to MS. 98% of the world uses the MS, so those three outsiders should be the ones converting feet to meters, not the other way around, if that makes any sense.

wood working
I would have to disagree. To counter that I say, we should use MS in woodworking because the rest of the world uses MS in day to day life. We should homogenize measurements of it's easy no matter the task at hand. We shouldn't have to switch over to the IS every time we see wood, and then switch it back we we're driving.

easier to visualize
I would argue otherwise. There are many ways to visualize a meter. And since the MS conversions are similar, it's much easier to visualize a centimeter relative to let's say a decameter.


Conclusion

In this debate, I have refuted all the ways that the IS would be better, and ultimately proven my case.

Good luck Trent.

Thank you.
Con
#6
Wood Working


we should use MS in woodworking because the rest of the world uses MS in day to day life.

We've already established the rest of the world measures building materials in IS units. Your inconveniencing the world by using the inferior MS system for wood working. We use IS for woodworking because we know what may be good for conversions isn't good for woodworking. If MS is better in wood working, why is the world defecting from the norm in this occasion.

We should homogenize measurements

No, we should use what's useful for the task at hand, woodworkers will be less efficient using MS, so keep IS for the sake of the industry.


Visualizing

There are many ways to visualize a meter

How? I can look down and see my foot that's about 12 inches very easily.

conversions are similar, it's much easier to visualize a centimeter relative to let's say a decameter

IS can do the same. 1 inch was derived from the width of a human thumb, so just imagine 3 of your own thumbs if you need to imagine 3 inches. Plus you'll be much more familiar with your body then some abstract distances.