The kilogram really sticks in the craw of metrologists. Six of the seven fundamental units of the metric system have 'operational' definitions - you can define them purely in words, by describing a physical process that produces something of exactly one meter, or whatever.
But the kilogram has resisted all attempts to define it that way. It's like a feeling everyone knows and shares but cannot quite articulate. Instead, the kilogram is the last metric standard still bound to a human artifact.
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Not only that, but it's also the only basic SI unit that's kilo-something. This is probably the single ridiculous unit in the entire SI system.
A pint of water weights a pound, so why did we switch to the metric system, again?
Because of crazy imperial measurements like foot-pounds and 1/18th of an inch.
Most of the time when we talk about temperature, we're talking about the weather or ambient temperature. In Fahrenheit, a really hot day is 100 degrees. A really cold day is 0 degrees. A -10 to 34 scale for weather - not so intuitive.
A person used to weigh about 100 pounds, again, very intuitive.
A mile is a comfortable, easy walk. etc., etc.
The imperial system is intuitive because its origins are organic. The metric system is synthesized from figures that are pretty much irrelevant to everyday life.
"A pint of water weights a pound, so why did we switch to the metric system, again?" Well, a litre of water weighs a kilo, and to a lot of people it makes a gell of a lot more sense than this pound business.
"Most of the time when we talk about temperature, we're talking about the weather or ambient temperature. In Fahrenheit, a really hot day is 100 degrees. A really cold day is 0 degrees. A -10 to 34 scale for weather - not so intuitive." Actually its just as intuitive, since we learn to assoiciate certain numbers with certain tempratures. Just because you have been using it, it doesn't mean its more intuitive. Think about it.
"A person used to weigh about 100 pounds, again, very intuitive.
A mile is a comfortable, easy walk. etc., etc.
The imperial system is intuitive because its origins are organic. The metric system is synthesized from figures that are pretty much irrelevant to everyday life." I can imagine that what you said makes sense in your head and to a certain degree it does make sense, but again, you are basing your views on your own personal experience. The imperial system may very well be 'organic' but there is a good reason why the metric system took off.
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