Re: [NTLK] OT Kilometers

From: Norman Palardy (palardyn_at_shaw.ca)
Date: Sat May 01 2004 - 10:02:56 PDT


On May 1, 2004, at 8:13 AM, Jon Glass wrote:

> on 4/29/04 11:01 PM, Robert Benschop at rbenschop_at_telebyte.nl wrote:
>
>> Go to Extras -> Prefs -> Locale and switch to Canada.
>> (or wait until the US finally switches to metric, but that might take
>> a
>> while ;-)
>
> I certainly wouldn't expect it any time soon... While I like and use
> metric
> for some things, and use a dual tape measure for measuring building. I
> would
> not want to give up my feet and inches... The mixed measuring system
> that it
> represents comes out of real life, using "real" things as their basis
> (thumb, foot, etc.) and are hence, rather automatic, in a sense.

The thumb, basis for an inch, is purported to be the measure of King
Edward the II's thumb
The hand, an often used measure in equine circles, has vague origins
and is about 4 inches
The yard is the measure from King Henry I's nose to the thumb of his
outstretched arm.
A mile is 1,000 paces, historically about 5 feet or one double step.
Today one pace is one step or 2.5 to 3 feet

Metric derived units in a slightly different way.
A meter was one ten-millionth of the length of the earth's meridian
along a quadrant (one fourth the circumference of the earth)
Today it is defined differently and more precisely as the length of the
path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of 1/299 792
458 of a second.

At the end of the 18th century, a kilogram was the mass of a cubic
decimeter of water. Today the same measure of mass is a
platinum-iridium alloy.
Note that the volume (and therefore the mass) is derived from another
unit (decimeters)

> Metric
> comes from a lab and is too abstract for practical life. Plus, its
> whole
> method forces one to either measure in mm, or cm or m or (strangely
> enough,
> straight to km--when was the last time you ever heard somebody say that
> something was 3 dkm long?)

But unlike imperial it is trivial to convert between these measures.
I can convert dm to cm to mm with ease.
Converting feet to miles is something most people cant do because the
number of feet in a mile is not well known
Or inches to miles ?

> I like the mixed measurement system which is only
> as precise as you need it to be, dividing down by halves.. Very
> intuitive
> once you get the hang of it.

Living in Canada I originally learned imperial and still refer to it
from time to time out of habit.
My children have learned metric and out of the two I personally ind
metric much more sensible and intuitive.

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