[USMA:36298] Re: Shopping experience at Ikea, FMI arguments

[James Scott Hudnall]

I think you missed my point about Ikea here. My point was about people - specifically native-born Americans - choosing to use metric, rather than Imperial on the showroom floor when given the choice.  As far as things having tenths in their dimensions: real numbers happen. Not everything has to be an integer - even with "hard" metric dimensions. Here's an easy example. Say you wanted to build a box out of 1 mm thick cardboard. You want it to be 10 cm across. If you fold it so that the INSIDE measurement cross-section measurement is 10 cm, then the OUTSIDE cross-section will 10.2 cm. If you wanted the OUTSIDE cross-section to be 10 cm , then the INSIDE cross section shrinks to 9.8 cm.  I think the USMA's cause is furthered if we concentrate on promoting metric usage, not integer usage. On 2006 Mar 18, at 05:57, Ametrica wrote: [USMA:36296] Shopping experience at Ikea, FMI arguments I checked the IKEA site and did not find everything in hard metric.  Check out the kitchen appliances, such as the stove tops and refrigerators.  They seem to be more inch then metric as the centimetres are in tenths.  I would suspect some IKEA products are made by US companies in inches and brand labeled for IKEA for use in the local market, especially those that are subject to local building codes.    I'm sure the FMI is somehow connected with the TABD and is composed of people, who for whatever reason, oppose metric in any way, shape or form.  They don't oppose dual labels as long as they can put  USC/imperial as the primary system in rounded numbers and metric in funny numbers that are designed to turn people off to metric.  The next time you are in your local grocery store go check out the products that have metric sizing to one or two decimal point "accuracy".  We both know it isn't necessary so why is it done?  Most likely deliberately to scare people away from metric.   Allowing for metric only, in the view of the FMI, is the first step in the gradual drift to rounded metric sizes, something the FMI opposes.  Maybe because rounded metric sizes means giving the consumer more, when they want to give less.  In the UK there was no resistance to metrication from manufacturers as going from rounded imperial sizes to rounded metric meant downsizing.  If the UK units were the same size as US units, metrication would have meant upsizing products and thus would have been rejected.   Another possibility is that members of the FMI know that USC is very confusing to the consumer and metric sizing would make it easy to see through many scams.  They want to keep it as difficult as possible for the consumer to make intelligent choices.  Thus in their view metric is something to be resisted.  Metric was invented in the first place to end the practice of merchants using confusing measurements to deceive consumers.  The same methods, although modified are still practiced today.    The best thing for the EU to do is let the directive become law.  If it harms US companies, then it will be the fault of US companies.  Sometimes a little hardship sends the right message to the right people: adapt or die.  It is better to let those who fight metrication to go under then to have them continue to oppose metrication and the sooner the better.