The Metric System Is Here to Stay: Difference between revisions

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''"Never heard of 'em," said the barman shortly. "Litre and half litre--that's all we serve. There's the glasses on the shelf in front of you."''|'''''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'''''}}
 
Although fiction set in the present-day United States tends to use [[American Customary Measurements|imperialImperial units]], fiction set in the future is more likely to instead use the metric system. This may be because it makes things seem more futuristic: scientists use SI units (which is based on the metric system), and - given that most other countries, except Myanmar and Liberia, officially use the metric system - it may be only a matter of time until the United States also changes to metric.
 
While futuristic science fiction embraces this trope, futuristic ''fantasy'' often averts it: imperial measurements seem more appropriate for a non-scientific milieu.
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== Anime & Manga ==
* While ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'' and its numerous spin-offs list all the [[Humongous Mecha]] specifications in metric units, it doesn't really qualify for this trope because the series is made in Japan, where the metric system is widely used. However, the fact that few (if any) American translations bother to convert them is probably due to this trope.
 
 
== Fan Works ==
* Douglas Sangnoir of ''[[Drunkard's Walk]]'' comes from a timeline where the metric system has made further inroads in the United States than it has in our timeline; as a result he only uses Imperial units in figures of speech (like "give them an inch and they'll take a mile").