Wire sizes

[RichB]

I have had the opportunity to work in factories that were foriegn owned and we used both systems--when machining out parts we just used whatever scale we measured it in or the Engineers drew it it in--However--My thoughts on it are that the metric system is actually a bit easier to use--the place that most people seem to find confusing is the conversion--I just bought 10 gal of gas fopr my car and that filled it,,now how many liters is that--answer--who cares--I just filled my car anmd it took 25 liters---how many gallons is that--again--who cares the gas tank is still full

Like the little Norwegian boy who was over here learning english and asked the teacher-=-"Teacher I don't understand--My house burn up or my house burn down--Still no house right??"

 

[Besoeker]

My experience growing up and going to school in the US has been that, from elementary school on up through university, SI units are used almost exclusively. Oh, they throw in some Imperial units every now and then just to keep you on your toes, but it's pretty rare.

The "problem" (if it really is a problem) is that we use one system for science/engineering, and another system for everyday life.

First of all, apologies for truncating your post. I pretty much agree with it.

IN UK, which is where I'm from, we are mostly SI including everyday life. Milk, butter, meat, cheese, fruit, even the Oscar Meyer American bacon we have in the fridge are all in SI units.
Mrs B and I were buying sandwich meat at the deli in our supermarket. It gets cut from a joint at the time and priced per 100g. The girl serving us looked to be aged no more than about 20. She had never learned Imperial units.

But, for older people, being forced to change has been a challenge for many and caused quite a lot of resentment.
I agree with your point. Does it matter whether you buy fuel by the litre or gallon? Or fabric by the metre or yard?

We also have a few anomalies. I have a few beers in the fridge. Stella Artios, a fine Belgian beer as it happens. One is labelled one pint (and also 568ml). The others are all 500ml.
Pubs sell beer by the pint* yet wine by the ml.
Road signs are all in miles, speed limits in miles per hour but fuel is sold in litres.

Back to my original point. The AWG system has a smaller number for a larger conductor which doesn't seem entirely logical. And that's before you get on the the larger sizes. You might 2/0 to be twice the size (diameter or area) of 1/0. But it's neither. Then throw in circular mils or kcmil or MCM to the mix......
I like it that 120mm² is 120mm².

*Oh, yes, this.
It was reported in the media here that a pub/club owner was prosecuted for selling beer by the litre. Why, you might wonder if SI has been adopted here?
Well, the pint was retained as the standard unit for beer. Glasses have an official stamp on them indicating that the Weights and Measures office has agreed the calibration. No, I don't think EVERY glass is individually calibrated - just one or two per production batch would be my guess. There would be no such stamp on the litre glasses and thus the club owner would be contravening the Weights and Measures Act.
Of course the media failed to mention that. Why let inconvenient facts get in the way of a good story that fuels public distrust of the nasty EU?