Imperial or metric

[ORJoe]

Well no, we didn't lose anything since we never used the metric system to my knowledge. Tens, hundreds, thousands are easier to use than fractions of inches, quarts, whatever.

Don't hurt yourself. It isn't complicated.

Euro-Wannabees hate this one simple trick...


Edit: two tricks

 

[Customweld]

You have to be able to do both. Where it gets interesting is surveying and grading design- decimal feet. Hand one of those tape measures to a carpenter and watch his head spin.

It's also kinda funny when people that swear by imperial have no idea what a slug is outside of invertebrate or shotguns.

I've seen a few framers turn in to pipelayers and yep, tenths grade rods twist them up.

 

[LongWayAround]

Euro-Wannabees hate this one simple trick...
View attachment 906466

Edit: two tricks
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But of course. I always want to know the conversion to 50ths.

 

[ORJoe]

But of course. I always want to know the conversion to 50ths.

It's about 1/2 a millimeter

 

[solarshooter]

Can you learn to use either, yes. Is one inherently more consistent and simpler to do physics/engineering/design/math in, yes. Metric is a better system. If I asked you to do any physical calculations in your head, for instance what dimensions of bore and stroke would produce a V6 engine with 3.0L of displacement? You can readily convert from distance to volume in metric, so this problem is much easier in metric. What would the dimensions be in inches for a 3/4 gal displacement? What about for a 2 cubic foot displacement? The conversion constants are all odd numbers, like 12, 144, 231, rather than 10, 100, 1000.

Another example, I have a 44.4 grain charge, and 2lbs of powder, how many rds can I load? Well I have to remember there are 7000 grains in a lb, and do that math. Versus, I have 2 kilograms of powder, and a 3 gram powder charge, easy math, no need to remember conversion constants, the answer is in the name of the unit.

I could go on and on. Don't even get me started on mass units - slugs, pounds mass, slinches - the rabbit hole goes deep and it's really stupid and ugly.

I think most of the comments here against metric are due to a lack of comfort/familiarity/intuition, which I share (I know what 15 inches LOOKS like, but not 34 centimeters). But this is kind of a bogus argument since we would be equally familiar with metric if we grew up with it and worked with it for years.

 

[solarshooter]

I can throw a rock 65ft and have a 38inch stride. How many throws and how many steps does it take me to cover a distance of 950 yards? 3/4 of a mile?

 

[Sunshine40]

You have to be able to do both. Where it gets interesting is surveying and grading design- decimal feet. Hand one of those tape measures to a carpenter and watch his head spin.

It's also kinda funny when people that swear by imperial have no idea what a slug is outside of invertebrate or shotguns.

Carpenters are trained to work in traditional imperial and tenths and hundredths. We get converting back and forth pounded into our heads as aprentices in school. I use decimal feet every day on drawings and survey/ elevations.

 

[Rich M]

Still waiting for someone using the metric system to go to the moon.

Why ya gotta want to be like the other nations is beyond me.

Inches, feet, pounds, ounces is how i talk.

 

[fngTony]

Still waiting for someone using the metric system to go to the moon.

Why ya gotta want to be like the other nations is beyond me.

Inches, feet, pounds, ounces is how i talk.

Both have flaws I guess. Metric seems to have too many units when talking about human height and weight. Imperial maths like garbage but that’s because we decided to use 4ths, 8ths etc instead of tenths, hundredths etc. Metric doesn’t feel right for temperature but with imperial the boil & freezing point isn’t a nice even number. Easier for most to visualize a distance in imperial but easier to math metric

 

[Rich M]

Both have flaws I guess. Metric seems to have too many units when talking about human height and weight. Imperial maths like garbage but that’s because we decided to use 4ths, 8ths etc instead of tenths, hundredths etc. Metric doesn’t feel right for temperature but with imperial the boil & freezing point isn’t a nice even number. Easier for most to visualize a distance in imperial but easier to math metric

It's all in fun.

Most of us grew up using imperial numbers. Schools compounded the issue by introducing metric.

In my industry, we have parts per million or milligrams per kilogram, parts per billion or micrograms per liter - stuff like that. After a while you just know what you are looking at if you use it often enough.

I have no idea how far a kilometer is.

Likewise I wonder why folks have to go to a 200 meter gun range and where one could be found. Most of our ranges around here are 100 yards - few places will let the public shoot 200 yards or more.

 

[ben h]

Still waiting for someone using the metric system to go to the moon.

Why ya gotta want to be like the other nations is beyond me.

Inches, feet, pounds, ounces is how i talk.

I'd wager that most if not all the calculations done for the moon landing(s) are done in metric. If some of the measurements are displayed in imperial units, it's a conversion from metric.

I think the metric system is better and we should switch, but it will be hard for those stuck in their ways (myself included).

 

[Rich M]

I'd wager that most if not all the calculations done for the moon landing(s) are done in metric. If some of the measurements are displayed in imperial units, it's a conversion from metric.

I think the metric system is better and we should switch, but it will be hard for those stuck in their ways (myself included).

Did they have metric back then? I don't want to think about all the conversions they did and how they had folks who did that stuff in their heads. Talented folks.

Yes - I'm too old to worry about it.

 

[taskswap]

Any Archer fans here?

I have a calculator and a brain. They both work for me. Imperial / base 12 has more divisors if you're doing mental math but even in modern carpentry it doesn't even make that much sense anymore. Sure, we have a 2x4x8 and 96 inches has a lot of divisors. But a 2x4 is actually 1.5"x3.5" so when doing takeoffs we already have to allow for that, and dimensional lumber is notoriously inaccurate to begin with because it's a natural product. A 2x10 is nominally 9.25" wide, but I just set a ton of rafters where the widths ran from 9.1" to 9.4". It's just part of the process.

We're already making up for these details all the time. I would have no problem working against 23.5mm instead of 9.25". If I switched tape measures I'd probably get used to it in a half hour. It's just another number and there was never anything special about the Imperial numbers to begin with. Honestly I think it's more the manufacturers than anyone. I could frame a 36x48 (Imperial) window opening in exactly the same amount of time as a 900x1200 (Metric). I would just grab a different tape measure. But if I buy a window from my local supplier, they'd have no idea what I was talking about if I asked for a 900x1200.

 

[JustABritCrazy]

My standard unit of measure is a chain

 

[roosterdown]

As long as the two systems keep 10 rods apart, all is well.

 

[ozyclint]

Hey how many meters per second is your bullet going at 500 meters?

Sounds weird. Lol

17/64" Creedmoor.

Sounds weird. Lol

 

[Dos XX]

Was Canada using imperial before we announced we were going to metric in 1975? Did we hose them in to going metric by saying we were?

 

[3325]

Even in the us military, pacer (ranger) beads and artillery adjustments are based on metric.

Yet a standard marching step is 30 inches and you swing your arms nine to the front and six to the rear while doing it.

And ships and planes figure speed in nautical miles (knots) which is an arcminute of latitude (1/60 degree) on the equator.

 

[3325]

17/64" Creedmoor.

Sounds weird. Lol

.256 or .264, depending on if you measure land to land or groove to groove.

 

[medvedyt]

Was Canada using imperial before we announced we were going to metric in 1975? Did we hose them in to going metric by saying we were?

they are keeping imperial for construction and everybody i know here can switch between the 2 except at our great ranges that is fitted in metric but with a conversion made for our neighbours coming to visit us every fall ...