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To: Gaffer
English metrics (ha! ironic, huh) were derived from common relatable instances (pounds, stones, gallons, feet, yards).

True metrics (ala ‘system’) were designed by lazy scientists and aficionados that thought it would be neat to only have to worry about things in tens, hundreds, etc. Screw them...I never bought a deciliter of anything - never will.

Half agree with you. I started out as a industrial chemist, and For Science!, SI is the thing (looking at 50 year old reagent formulae (grains/pint) convinced me of that)

Then I moved out to the plant and found metric units came in two sizes - too large and too snall), and the Imperial/Engineering was just right - everything industrial can be measured in feet or inches.

And it's not the decimalization, that's good. We calculated everything in ft, sq ft, cu ft, lbs, multiplied by appropriate powers of 10.

182 posted on 08/22/2013 5:12:11 PM PDT by Oztrich Boy (Drone strike on Michael Grunwald: you know it makes sense)
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To: Oztrich Boy

And 988 is not a power of Ten, no matter where you stick the decimal point.


188 posted on 08/22/2013 5:36:41 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
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