A Metric Commentary for Americans

This is some what of a not-so-reverent explanation of the metric system mostly for Americans. If you are humor impaired or want something only serious, you may want to hit your browser back button now.

The main measures that will affect you when traveling in Canada are distance, speed, volume, temperature, and costs.

Distances in Canada are measured in kilometers (km). Distances in Canada are farther than in the USA. Something that would be 100 miles apart in the USA will be about 160 km apart in Canada. This is is not a problem because you can travel these farther distances faster such that the time to travel is about the same. Speed limits in Canada on the divided highways with limited access is typically around 110 km/hr. Since you can only go about 75 miles per hour in the USA, you will cover those greater distances in Canada fast enough to make the travel time similar.

Volume affects you when you buy gas for the vehicle. Up north, they sell lots more gas to you since it is measured in liters. While your vehicle might only hold 20 gallons in the USA, it will now automatically adjust to hold 75 liters in Canada. You vehicle will now also adjust to how far it can go in Canada. If it could do about 20 miles per gallon in the USA, your vehicle will automatically get over 8.5 km/liter. I had a little bit of trouble doing that math (which numbers do you multiply and which do you divide?), but your car can convert all this automatically, so you don't have to worry about it.

There are some places in Canada that have odometer test sections. Your vehicle may or may not be able to handle this test. If it is an old mechanical type odometer then it will probably only be able to measure in the US units. Most newer digital odometers can convert between kilometers and miles (often by the push of a button). If you have the older mechanical type odometer, then you should drive very carefully while traversing in order to not confuse your vehicle odometer. It might just give up and quit if it can't figure out what to do.

Temperature is another strange thing. It is colder up in Canada, and therefore the numbers are lower. The temperatures are exaggerated some in the metric system to make it seem even lower. 0C is 32F, 20C is 68F, 35C is 98F. All those are obviously colder in Canada.

While not exactly a metric item, costs are somewhat metric because it is a system based on tens and hundreds, just like in the USA. Costs are very similar but that is what makes it confusing. In Canada, costs will be slightly higher. Gas prices seem to be lower though. Up here, prices will be around $0.84 to $0.90 which sounds really cheap, but not really when you consider that it is going to take more units of gas up here to go the longer distances.

Here is the bottom line.....

If at all possible, you should allow yourself to be assimilated in metric. Learn the basics of it, use it, and do not keep converting back and forth. In fact, if you don't worry about the units very much you will probably be correct.

For example, say you are going to travel 350 km at about 100 km/hr. There is no need to convert the 350 km to a little over 200 miles, and the 100 km/hr to about 62 mph, and finally divide 200 by 62. That is just too much work. Just divide the 350 by 100 and get 3.5 hours. If you think you will only average 90 km/hr (maybe because of traffic or hills) then it will be closer to 4 hours.

On temperatures, the comfortable range is about 20C to 25C. 10C is about halfway between comfortable and freezing, and 30C is fairly warm, while 35C is hot. If you see 17C, you will know that it is a little bit chilly, wear a sweater. If it is 27C and you still have the sweater on, then that is probably why you are sweating.

While exchange rates are not metric related it is a conversion to deal with as well. If a store says they will give you 10% over on the USA money, you get $1.10 for each US dollar you give them. At the beginning of our trip the official exchange rate was closer to 22% over ($1.22 CDN per $1.00 US), different places gave 10%, 15% and 20%. The change you get back will be in Canadian money, so any extra you give them is allowing them to act as exchange agents at their (usually not-so-good) rates. I would not exchange any more than is necessary if the quoted rate is more than a few percentage points off the official rate.

If gas is 84.5 Canadian cents per liter at one gas station and 86.5 cents per liter at another, go to the station with the less expensive gas. It doesn't matter how much that is in American dollars per gallon. It's all expensive, and decisions won't be on the conversions. Paying with credit cards will usually get you the best exchange rates, so having cash is not necessary.

Anyway, if you just learn to live in the metric system, it will probably be easier on your brain. Conversions are a pain.