I'd like to talk about measurement, too---American measurement, and how we of USMA have always had, and continue to have ,a great struggle before us.
We Americans on this list live in a society in which measurement is highly emotional and highly romanticized, in which mere
metrology can turn into a real shouting match. Invariably, discussions of metrication in the US deteriorate into the old jokes
of metricating popular sayings as well as the standard of measurement (I hold my nose as I repeat one of them: "Give him 2.54 cm and he'll take 1.608 m"). In a way, US metrication suggests a revolution in American thinking, since it involves political, economic, and social change. I often wonder if Canadians, Australians, and South Africans had to fight a revolution to change their standard of measurement, but I do not wonder about my own country, the United States. I believe that it will take a kind of revolution to enact SI in our land. That revolution may be the result of a tragic collapse in our economy, compelling us to take drastic action to buttress our global competitiveness. I do not think we will go into SI in good times.
I have a theory that great powers find it difficult to convert
because of hubris. France did not complete its conversion until 1840,
while Neterlands converted shortly after 1815. Germany converted in
1872. Russia converted in 1918. Japan started conversion in 1923 but
did not finish the job until 1965. The Unied Kingdom started in 1965
but still has not managed to convert speed limits and distance signs.
The (US) National Bureau of Standards (now NIST) in 1971 proclaimed
"A Metric America - A decision whose time has come". This
led Canada to decide in 1970 to convert so as not to be left
behind.
In New Zealand a wise old man gave metrication a human touch by
finding a girl who was born when metric conversion started. He named
her "Miss Metric" and followed her development as
metrication proceeded. Australia started by metricating horse racing
and getting the press on side. They concentrated on converting trade
and industry but did not make much effort to inform the public,
assuming that they would learn more from exposure to the metric system
than they would from proganda. South Africa made the most rapid
conversion, ignoring any public protests.
--
Joseph B. Reid
17 Glebe Road West
Toronto M5P 1C8
Telephone 416-486-6071
17 Glebe Road West
Toronto M5P 1C8
