Metric system ignorance

[whooziss]

I really hate to admit this, but the metric system used by AW to indicate the girls' height gives me headaches. Old school, ignorant Yank here, I guess.

Corrrect me if I'm wrong, please. Say a model's height is listed as 170. That is centimeters, right? So 170 divided by 2.54 equals 66.929 etc., etc. Would that then be rounded off to 66.9 inches, or about 5'7"?

Thanks in advance for de-cornfuzing me........ ;-)

Bill T.

[artlover]

Maybe someone could do an AW height comparision chart, with short Elizabeth at one end and tall Penelope on the other. Anything to get more pics of those two

In the meantime: http://www.onlineconversion.com/

[alleyes1]

Artlover,
Thanks for the conversion link. When I was in school, MANY years ago here in the states, they had a big push for teaching the metric system. The problem was that it wasn't used out in the "real" world so I quickly forgot it. I certainly wish it had caught on.

Alleyes

[Vid Dude]

This is all my evil plan to convince some of you Americans still stuck in the dark ages that the metric system is a logical progression.

I can't figure out how come such a progressive nation as the US can't let go of such awkward gauges as yards and inches.

[Philos]

I can't figure out how come such a progressive nation as the US can't let go of such awkward gauges as yards and inches.

I think it may be because of the huge cost of switching manufacturing industry to a new standard. However, when all manufacturing has migrated to China this will not be such a problem

[bluewhale42]

Artlover,
Thanks for the conversion link. The problem was that it wasn't used out in the "real" world so I quickly forgot it. I certainly wish it had caught on.

Alleyes

you will find that it is actually in the real world.

[Longcar]

Here in Canada as you Yanks who travel here probably know, metric was forced on us in 1972 or 73, and believe it or not, seems to work quite well. eg" in a couple of minutes I head back to the Ca Ctre, about 245 kms. Building trades predominantly still use Imperial, but that too will change with age. We still buy butter as a 'pound', but it is marked as 454 gms. As one of the old pharts, I use both, but have done so all my life even before the change. GB is still an anomaly, selling petrol in litres, but measuring in miles. We are "bi-measureable", maps having scales in both , as well as in French and English. It does work, but it does take time and the will, to change. But as long as politicos are vote hungry in the US system, they may well remain outside the real world. Longcar

[sterlingcenter]

so what else is new-unless there is something in it for them !

[Duaane]

Humm I never knew metric was hard for USA, you do sell computer, and all metric. No really a 6 foot person is a little less than 2 meters, and temp, c/f, is c times 2 + 32 = f. and a pound is ~1/2 Kgr.

That is very ruff, not percise but I toss it in as a way to get a good "guess, quick.


Also note you would have to work backwards from my metric.

[alleyes1]

Bluewhale42,

I realized what I had said after I submitted my message and wondered if anyone one notice that little mistake but what I meant was that as long as it was just in schools it wasn't going anywhere.

Actually, Vid Dude, as far as yards and inches, I suspect it's not the manufacturing that's holding us back as it is, "How would we mark american football fields?"

Alleyes

[BigSpud]

The US blew it totally by not going to the metric system during the gas crunch in the 70s. Most pumps were not set for more than $.99 per gallon and so there was a lot of talk about going to liter sales for gas because it would be back to less than $.25 per.

We could still be using those pumps today as we are way less than $.99 per liter now.

I would much prefer to be on the metric system, but nobody asked me.

[Luxman]

We could still be using those pumps today as we are way less than $.99 per liter now.

Gas is pretty cheap in the US. In Luxembourg we are today at $1.25 per liter and it's one of the cheapest places in Europe (for gas, everything else is very expensive).

Lxm

[j5e1n2]

This is all my evil plan to convince some of you Americans still stuck in the dark ages that the metric system is a logical progression.

... and once in a while a Mars mission gets screwed up bc one group working on the project uses different units than another one....

[Jettman]

The company I work for builds custom manufacturing equipment for both the US and the rest of the world. Depending on where it goes, we make it with Metric or SAE components. Because most of US production is consumed in the US, its not important that we use metric.

I guess here in the US, we are the equivalent of bilingual. In industrial applications we use SAE and in scientific areas we use metric. The average person is only concerned with the local unit of measure and therefore does not have to be concerned about metric. Almost all goods sold here have both metric and SAE units listed.

Considering our vast economy, the expense of converting everything to metric only system would be ridiculous. And being the worlds only super power, why should we? Hasn't prevented us from getting really wealthy so far. Why mess with a perfectly good system of measure.

If we are going to make the whole world go metric, why not make everyone speak one language and have one currency? I vote for english and the US dollar. I'm sure there are other opinions on that matter! Having two units of measure isn't a bad thing, just the way it is right now.

On a new piece of equipment I'm building, I'm buying a real cool ion plasma source from a company called Saintech in Australia. Its right outside of Melbourne I think. Yes its metric and I have to adapt it to our SAE equipment. They came to visit us last month and gave me a real cute little kangaroo doll. I keep it here right next to my monitor.

[woodford]

The metric system is soulless, and bears no relation to reality. The Imperial system's yard, foot and inch are related to the ancient "human" cubit, handsbreadth and fingerbreadth.

The "Dozenal Society" in the UK is even attempting to restore the old pounds shilling and pence currency: 240 (old) pence to the pound and 12 pence to the shilling!

The metric system originated with Napoleon and was forced on Europe "just to be different from the English", which is also why he changed Europe to driving on the right.

[Vid Dude]

The metric system is soulless, and bears no relation to reality. The Imperial system's yard, foot and inch are related to the ancient "human" cubit, handsbreadth and fingerbreadth.

The metric system is based on ten fingers, or digits, on the hands. Just as legitimate as your argument, and much more logical to be in base 10 than base 12, as all other forms of counting, particularly money, use base 10.

And being the worlds only super power, why should we?

Arrogance like that won't make you many friends.

[woodford]

Actually the metric system is not based on decimals, but on the metre, arbitrarily defined in 1799 as "one ten millionth of a quadrant of the Earth".

[Jettman]

Arrogance like that won't make you many friends.

Oops! Did I forget the smily face?

[Philos]

The metric system is soulless, and bears no relation to reality. The Imperial system's yard, foot and inch are related to the ancient "human" cubit, handsbreadth and fingerbreadth.

With respect, this is nonsense. There is no reason why the (notional) length of body parts should be preferable to any other standard of length. Similarly, the work-rate of James Watts' horse has no better claim than the Kilowatt to be the standard measure of power. The metric system, or something like it, was desperately needed because without standardised weights and measures the progress of science would have been seriously impeded. Then, by basing the progression of units on the base of the universally used number system (10), calculations that had been difficult and prone to error were rendered easy and reliable. Pounds, shillings and pence, forsooth!

[woodford]

The reasons the Americans followed Napoleon in driving on the right was also to make a break with George III's Redcoats. But being of Anglo stock, giving up ve up ye olde Imperial measures was just too much.

The British managed perfectly well before the SI system, and their system would have sufficed equally well: 32 feet per sec per sec = 9.8 m/s^2!

Ohh the quaintness of the 12-sided threepenny bit!

[Philos]

The British managed perfectly well before the SI system, and their system would have sufficed equally well...

As I remember, the amount of school time that was wasted on learning the old units and learning to do base-12 arithmetic with base-10 numbers was prodigious. And even then mistakes were frequently made. Having experienced both systems in an engineering environment I know which one makes sense, and it is't Imperial! (In my humble opinion, smiley face, etc.)

[woodford]

Actually it made the British (pre-1970 decimilisation) as a nation rather good at mental arithmetic. Mistakes in the pre-slide rule, pre calculator era were no worse than elsewhere. The Merlin engine, described as the "biggest miracle of WWII" was of course built by engineers using 1/32nds and 1/64ths of an inch without any problem at all, if you're brought up with it.

[Philos]

Actually it made the British (pre-1970 decimilisation) as a nation rather good at mental arithmetic.

We were rather good at Latin and Greek, too, but I would have preferred to spend my time more profitably, learning something else. And nobody with serious work to do relies on mental arithmetic: they use a calculator.

[Luxman]

Hot discussion, I'm enjoying.

Lxm - pro metric (of course)

[baboo]

I hate metric myself. Not that I can't deal with it, it's just that I already have this mental map of the relative size of things in standard units. Maybe some mouse-over property could be set to pop up one of those yellow boxes with the standard conversion for we old farts.

[Vid Dude]

Actually the metric system is not based on decimals, but on the metre, arbitrarily defined in 1799 as "one ten millionth of a quadrant of the Earth".

Well, the word metric may be based on the word metre, and the length of same may also be from what you describe, but the system itself is based on the number 10, derived from the pokey-out bits on our hands.

[Luxman]

The metric system is soulless, and bears no relation to reality. The Imperial system's yard, foot and inch are related to the ancient "human" cubit, handsbreadth and fingerbreadth.

and

The metric system is based on ten fingers, or digits, on the hands.

While the dimensions of feet and everything related to those "human" measures vary from person to person, everybody (well, except some carpenters I know) has 10 fingers.

BTW: Inch is called "pouce" in French, which means thumb.

Lxm

[Duaane]

Sorry for rambling, and miss-spelling, and being off topic

[sd3456]

US's debt is the lowest (compaired to GNP) as it has ever been. economics can be argued 7 (billion) ways to sunday and we won't get anywhere, national pride will mess us all up.

oh, and the metric system is easy learnable, and confuses the heck outta me. [sarcasm] becides I'm a US American I like all things imperial anyway [/sarcasm]

[willow]

... and was forced on Europe "just to be different from the English", which is also why he changed Europe to driving on the right.

France changed to travelling on the right-hand side of the road after the revolution. It had nothing to do with the British. The following excerpt from this page explains why:

The General Highways Act of 1773 did not apply the keep-left rule to England. The custom was already established. In the 18th century stage coaches left London form most parts of the country but their precise routes were quite flexible. Drivers simply chose the firmest ground and it was not uncommon for roads to be 100 yards wide. As landowners enclosed more and more fields, they narrowed the roads dramatically and increased the importance of agreeing on which side to pass to avoid accidents. Contemporary prints show that the custom was for stage coaches to keep to the left. This evidence must be treated with some respect because not every lithographer knew how to reverse images for printing.

The keep-left rule did not become law in Britain until 1835, although local regulations existed. The Highways Bill was introduced in four successive sessions of parliament before finally becoming law. As ever, the press could be relied upon to keep its finger on the pulse of the nation (and its elbow on the bar of the four-ale saloon). One journalist reported: " A vast number of clauses, which extended to 113, were agreed to, but from the rapid manner and the low tone in which they were discussed across the table it was quite impossible to collect the nature of the objections... the house remained in committee nearly the whole night."

Meanwhile the French Revolution was setting off on a dramatically different course. Keeping left had only ever applied to driving or riding. People on foot kept to the right-hand side of the road and faced the oncoming traffic, a custom which persists today in Britain on country lanes without pavements. Indeed until the 1920s, horses were led on the right in Britain, on the principle that it was safer for those on foot to be able to see fast-approaching traffic (and if necessary take avoiding action) than to be run over from behind.

There was an obvious class distinction in France between the left- and right-hand sides of the roads. The aristocrats drove in their carriages up the left hand side of the road, forcing the citizens over onto the right. Come the revolution in 1789, and the declaration of the "rights of man" in 1791, the aristocrats had a natural incentive to keep to the poor side of the road, to avoid drawing attention to themselves and a quick trip to la lanterne, the street lamps that made such handy gibbets. Robespierre codified the change and ordered that traffic in Paris should keep to the right. Robespierre was guillotined (without trial) on 10 Thermidor, in the second year of the revolutionary calendar (28 July 1794) but there is no record of whether his tumbril kept to the right or not. Napoleon established the change more firmly by ordering his military traffic to take the right side of the road.

Napolean simply carried this new habit with him on his excursions throughout Europe and Hitler spread it even further.

This page has a neat time line of the practice of travelling on the left- or right-hand side of the road throughout the ages, though some of the claims are apocryphal.