Erik+B’s+Final+AmEx+Speech+2016


 * Metric 'Merica **

Erik Bruenner Mr.Fitz Period 1 1 June 2016 Metric ‘Merica

Ladies and gentlemen, hello and good morning, my name is Erik Bruenner. I am 185 centimeters tall and I weigh 100 kilograms. That’s right, not 220 pounds, but 100 kilograms. Not Standard, but metric, the measurement system that almost the entire world besides America uses. As of 2007, Myanmar, Liberia, and the United States are the only countries that have not adopted metric as their official system of weights and measurements, making metric almost a truly universal measurement system. There have been many metrication efforts in America Since the mid 1800’s. The first attempt by congress to implement the metric system was the Metric Act of 1866. This Act was signed into law by President Andrew Johnson on July 28th, 1866, and it recognized the metric system as a legal system of measurement. The Metric Act, and all subsequent efforts have failed miserably to normalize metric, and make it mainstream. As a result, we still use the imperial measurement system in America today.

Let's take a look at why these attempts failed. Much of the opposition of the metric system during the late 19th and 20th centuries came from tool manufacturers. All factory machinery and appliances were based on the standard measurement system. For example, screws and bolts were, and still are in america, measured in standard widths and lengths. Manufacturers argued that it would be too expensive to replace factory equipment, and were therefore able to block the adoption of the metric system. However, this argument can easily be countered. Manufactures regularly replace and upgrade machinery as regular maintenance to improve efficiency, profitability, and to maintain plant reliability. At any rate, the fiscal impact of upgrading factory machinery from standard to metric would be minimal, if noticeable at all to the consumer.

However, there is also emotional resistance. Many patriotic Americans are unable to accept that a foreign system of measurement is superior to the American system. Old school American grit and stubbornness are often positive virtues that display our strong will, and highlight individual freedom. However, I find it absurd that some people are too stubborn to see past how convoluted the standard measurement is. Any reasonable person can see that having a base 10 metric system, makes unit conversions simpler than with a base 2 imperial system.

So why should we switch to metric? Because having to convert between two measurement systems is confusing! Conversion errors between standard and metric have cost Americans millions of dollars. For example, in 1999, NASA lost a 125 million dollar Mars orbiter, because a computer software model produced data in pound-seconds instead of newton-seconds. As a result, the orbiter passed too close to Mars, and disintegrated in it’s upper atmosphere. Another example,of faulty conversion was when the Institute for Safe Medication Practices reported an instance in 1999 where a patient had received 0.5 grams of Phenobarbital (a sedative) instead of 0.5 grains, resulting in an overdose. In addition, in 1994, the FAA received an anonymous tip that an American International Airways flight landed 15 tons heavier than it should have. This was due to a faulty kilogram - pounds conversion. Furthermore, on December 5th, 2003 at Disneyland's Space Mountain in Tokyo, an axle broke on a roller coaster train mid-ride, causing it to derail as it was returning to the station.. The derailment was due to a part that was the wrong diameter. The master plans of the ride were converted from english to metric units in 1995. Then, in 2002, new axles were mistakenly ordered using the pre-1995 English specifications instead of the metric specifications. Thankfully, no parkgoers were injured or killed in this incident. Seeing how conversions between the Standard system and the metric system not only causes an inconvenience, but also a safety hazard, makes it clear that we need a universal measurement system, and that system is metric.

However, there is hope, today America is slowly but surely moving away from imperial measurements, and toward the metric system. Consumers in america have adopted 1 and 2 liter soda bottle sizes, and food manufacturers are required to label items in both imperial and metric units. Engine displacement is now mostly denoted in liters instead of cubic inches, and prescription drugs are measured by the milligram. So to answer the prompt, I want to grow old in an America where stubborn, close mindedness no longer impedes progress. I want to grow old in a country that embraces international trade, as well as efficiency and safety. I want to grow old in a metric America, and I want to be a part of the generation that ends the imperial unit.Thank You.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_system (just for getting initial ideas) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_the_United_States (just for getting initial ideas) https://sites.google.com/site/maddieandtorismagicalwebsite/home/what-was-the-significance-of-the-metric-act-of-1866 http://www.nist.gov/pml/wmd/metric/upload/HR-596-Metric-Law-1866.pdf https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/appendix/appendix-g.html http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/whos-afraid-of-the-metric-system/395057/ http://mentalfloss.com/article/25845/quick-6-six-unit-conversion-disasters http://chemwiki.ucdavis.edu/Core/Analytical_Chemistry/Quantifying_Nature/Case_Studies%3A_Metric%2F%2FEnglish_Conversion_Errors http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/weekly/6Page53.pdf http://www.us-metric.org/
 * Sources **
 * Many of my ideas and statistics were from these resources: **