Not for digital computers which do the bulk of conversions these days. The Imperial system is based on powers of two and therefore is a natural fit with binary computers.
Posted on 09/19/2017 4:01:46 PM PDT by BBell
The proposal, conceived by a bunch of pointy-headed Parisian philosophes, sounded brilliant: A universal system of measurement, derived from decimal-based units and identified by a shared set of prefixes. It would end the era of merchants buying goods according to one unit, selling in another, and pocketing the ill-gotten profit. It would simplify scientific calculations and enable the free exchange of ideas around the world. It was an enlightened system for an enlightened time. If only the French scientists could persuade other countries to adopt it.
But pirates have a way of ruining even the best-laid plans.
In 1793, botanist and aristocrat Joseph Dombey set sail from Paris with two standards for the new "metric system": a rod that measured exactly a meter, and a copper cylinder called a "grave" that weighed precisely one kilogram. He was journeying all the way across the Atlantic to meet Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson - a fellow fan of base-ten systems who, Dombey hoped, would help persuade Congress to go metric.
Then a storm rolled in, knocking Dombey's ship off course. The unlucky academic was washed into the Caribbean - and straight into the clutches of British pirates. Technically, they were "privateers" because they were tacitly sanctioned by His Majesty's government so long as they only raided foreign ships. But it amounted to the same thing. The brigands took Dombey hostage and looted his equipment. The luckless scientist died in prison shortly after his capture; his belongings were auctioned off to the highest bidders.
France sent a second emissary to promote the metric system. But by the time the replacement arrived, America had a new secretary of state, Edmund Randolph, who apparently didn't care much for measurement. As the rest of the world adopted the metric system, the U.S. continued to bumble around with
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
Oh....sure.....blame the Pirates for the metric system!
Like they were all sitting around looting and plundering and the dreaded bucaneer Mathy The Pirate decides they need a new system because maybe he’s getting shorted on his rum ration.
“A liter of rum for me crew!”
... and you seem to have such an open mind and a welcoming attitude, lol.
A unit of measure is a unit of measure. There is nothing "more precise" about metric. You like it because the math is easier for you, not because the end result is superior.
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The auto industry’s best engines are still SAE!
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While we’re inching toward the metric system, we’ve got miles to go.
The article makes it seem as if nations adopted the metric system right after the French invented it, while dumb old America just kept plodding along with the old imperial system.
Here's an excerpt of what happened in England.
Adopting the metric system was discussed in Parliament as early as 1818 and some industries and even some government agencies had metricated, or were in the process of metricating by the mid 1960s. A formal government policy to support metrication was agreed by 1965. This policy, initiated in response to requests from industry, was to support voluntary metrication, with costs picked up where they fell. In 1969 the government created the Metrication Board as a quango to promote and coordinate metrication. In 1978, after some carpet retailers reverted to pricing by the square yard rather than the square metre, government policy shifted, and they started issuing orders making metrication mandatory in certain sectors. In 1980 government policy shifted again to prefer voluntary metrication, and the Metrication Board was abolished. By the time the Metrication Board was wound up, all the economic sectors that fell within its remit except road signage and parts of the retail trade sector had metricated.
1978? Not so long ago. Certainly a long time after the French Revolution.
I have noticed it’s usually the older folks who hate it the most.
Precision is all in the number of significant digits.
And for some reason, nobody seems to include 16 and 18mm anything in a basic metric tool set. Unless you buy a deluxe set or something, you end up having to purchase the 16 and 18mm sizes separately.
D@mned annoying.
Thus your calcification upon the matter while yet a wee little thing remains something of a mystery.
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The metric system is a mechanical engineer’s nightmare.
Millimeters are much coarser than 32nds of an inch, thus using only whole millimeters for screw design makes for a poor balance between bolt size/thread pitch/strength.
SAE threads are vastly superior to metric!
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I used to work for a surveying company about 25 years ago. We measured in feet. Each foot was divided into tenths.
Not for digital computers which do the bulk of conversions these days. The Imperial system is based on powers of two and therefore is a natural fit with binary computers.
I'm an amateur machinist, and so far as I have observed, American Machinists do everything in thousandths of an inch. All measurements are measured in thousandths, or tenthousandths of an inch.
In other words, it's measurements in mills using a decimal format.
As someone in a STEM field who uses the Metric system, I prefer the good ole USA Imperial for everything else.
It’s more user friendly. 1 Inch ~ width of your thumb, 1 foot = 1 of your feet, 1 minute driving = 1 mile (hey, why is there no Metric time?)
Especially Temperature. Fahrenheit is actually more metric than the metric system, you get a scale of 0 - 100 of temps you are likely to encounter throughout the year. If I say the temps are in the 20’s or 70’s you immediately know what the outdoors are like and how to dress.
Say the Temps are in the 20’s Celsius and that could be a cool or a hot day.
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>> “Precision is all in the number of significant digits.” <<
And that is exactly why the SAE system is so superior!
Millimeters are very coarse units for machining purposes.
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Yep, 3 sets of tools. As if my arms weren’t long already...
Well that’s just clumsy and stupid when rods and poles had been used for, what, over a thousand years? All that rigamarole just for pretty decimals, those must be very, very important.
The US military uses it because NATO and other allies use it.
The UK uses Imperial measurements, but they use Celcious for temperature.
Measurement, like time, is relative.
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Right on!
Metrics were conceived for purely pagan reasons. Earth worship to the max!
I like the fact that 10,13 and 15mm cover most any small repair on a vehicle. In a major repair you may need a 17 and 18.
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