<THUD....GIGGLE>
-
If you are taught those and only those systems at school then everything else is wrong. I was brought up with inches and miles and pounds and stones and farenheit and shillings and pence (okay I got past that but still remember it and can happily converse in base12/20 :laugh:). Whilst I can appreciate and use the metric system it still does not quite do it for me. I can easily visualise a mile or a yard. But a kilometer? No chance. 14 Centigrade? Duh? 45 farenheit? Ah, tee-shirt weather. 100kmph? What? 100mph? Ah, now that is zippy. Besides, I think there are probably as many people who still use these old systems as don't including the US. You, too, have a jolly nice Imperial weekend. www.merrens.com
www.bkmrx.com You can ignore relatives but the neighbours live next doordigital man wrote:
can easily visualise a mile or a yard. But a kilometer? No chance
That's kinda the point for me too....although I was brought up to use metric....in fact, was never even taught about imperial measurements etc, but still measure bits of wood as "3 feet, 2 and 3/16th of an inch" lol "Now I guess I'll sit back and watch people misinterpret what I just said......" Christian Graus At The Soapbox
-
If you are taught those and only those systems at school then everything else is wrong. I was brought up with inches and miles and pounds and stones and farenheit and shillings and pence (okay I got past that but still remember it and can happily converse in base12/20 :laugh:). Whilst I can appreciate and use the metric system it still does not quite do it for me. I can easily visualise a mile or a yard. But a kilometer? No chance. 14 Centigrade? Duh? 45 farenheit? Ah, tee-shirt weather. 100kmph? What? 100mph? Ah, now that is zippy. Besides, I think there are probably as many people who still use these old systems as don't including the US. You, too, have a jolly nice Imperial weekend. www.merrens.com
www.bkmrx.com You can ignore relatives but the neighbours live next doorOf course - being brought up with the "Imperial style" makes you think like that. I know that. But it's just terms. I mean, a yard ? what is that ? around the lenght of my car, or from here to the next city ? And when you get that into your head - you still have NO idea what mile is. You have to "learn" (ie. memorize) that as well, whereas 1 meter and 1 kilometer makes sense... :) Ah well... Do you know why it's important to make fast decisions? Because you give yourself more time to correct your mistakes, when you find out that you made the wrong one. Chris Meech on deciding whether to go to his daughters graduation or a Neil Young concert
-
digital man wrote:
can easily visualise a mile or a yard. But a kilometer? No chance
That's kinda the point for me too....although I was brought up to use metric....in fact, was never even taught about imperial measurements etc, but still measure bits of wood as "3 feet, 2 and 3/16th of an inch" lol "Now I guess I'll sit back and watch people misinterpret what I just said......" Christian Graus At The Soapbox
and there you have it ! 3/16 of an inch ????? argh... 1 meter, 22 centimeter and 45 millimeter : 1,2234 meter 122,45 cm 12245 mm ahhh.... :-D Do you know why it's important to make fast decisions? Because you give yourself more time to correct your mistakes, when you find out that you made the wrong one. Chris Meech on deciding whether to go to his daughters graduation or a Neil Young concert
-
and there you have it ! 3/16 of an inch ????? argh... 1 meter, 22 centimeter and 45 millimeter : 1,2234 meter 122,45 cm 12245 mm ahhh.... :-D Do you know why it's important to make fast decisions? Because you give yourself more time to correct your mistakes, when you find out that you made the wrong one. Chris Meech on deciding whether to go to his daughters graduation or a Neil Young concert
-
Of course - being brought up with the "Imperial style" makes you think like that. I know that. But it's just terms. I mean, a yard ? what is that ? around the lenght of my car, or from here to the next city ? And when you get that into your head - you still have NO idea what mile is. You have to "learn" (ie. memorize) that as well, whereas 1 meter and 1 kilometer makes sense... :) Ah well... Do you know why it's important to make fast decisions? Because you give yourself more time to correct your mistakes, when you find out that you made the wrong one. Chris Meech on deciding whether to go to his daughters graduation or a Neil Young concert
Jan R Hansen wrote:
You have to "learn" (ie. memorize) that as well, whereas 1 meter and 1 kilometer makes sense
Without wishing to be rude you are talking nonsense. It's precisly the same. You still had to learn the metric system as a means to measure the difference between two points, for instance. Just knowing that there are 1000 meters in a kilometer does not give you the mental tools to visualise a kilometer just as I had to learn how long a mile is or how long a yard is or why that pot looks like it has about a pint of liquid in it or that htis hammer wieghs about 2lbs. home
bookmarks You can ignore relatives but the neighbours live next door -
lbs... ? stone.. ? X| - why are these ancient scales still in use ? The metric system makes sense, dammit ! :-D Seriously, as a european having used the metric system all my life I cannot see why anyone would NOT use it. A friend of mine who is half british explained the "old" british - what do you call it - "monetary system" ? You know, shilling, pence etc. It was completely impossible for me to understand that people just don't see the beuatiful simplicity of having 1 euro consisting of 100 cent and thats it. But then again, I voted for Denmark entering the EU monetary union, effectively ditching the danish money and introducing euro instead. But no. 52% or so thought that it was more important to have "our own coins and notes" that to measure prices with the same scale as all our european neighbours. I heard someone say it was more or less the same battle at the times where the metric system was introduced in europe. "oh no - measure stuff the same way as everybody else ? no - too dangerous for me I think..." grrr..... Was that a bit OT ? Maybe. But its friday, so its allowed :-D Have a nice weekend everybody ! /Jan Do you know why it's important to make fast decisions? Because you give yourself more time to correct your mistakes, when you find out that you made the wrong one. Chris Meech on deciding whether to go to his daughters graduation or a Neil Young concert
I agree with you 100% :) Whenever I see anything imperial I try to mentally work it into metric, only then can I imagine what's being talked about. Down with the imperials! :cool: Paul
Where a pointless picture of song titles once resided only blank space now remains.
-
lbs... ? stone.. ? X| - why are these ancient scales still in use ? The metric system makes sense, dammit ! :-D Seriously, as a european having used the metric system all my life I cannot see why anyone would NOT use it. A friend of mine who is half british explained the "old" british - what do you call it - "monetary system" ? You know, shilling, pence etc. It was completely impossible for me to understand that people just don't see the beuatiful simplicity of having 1 euro consisting of 100 cent and thats it. But then again, I voted for Denmark entering the EU monetary union, effectively ditching the danish money and introducing euro instead. But no. 52% or so thought that it was more important to have "our own coins and notes" that to measure prices with the same scale as all our european neighbours. I heard someone say it was more or less the same battle at the times where the metric system was introduced in europe. "oh no - measure stuff the same way as everybody else ? no - too dangerous for me I think..." grrr..... Was that a bit OT ? Maybe. But its friday, so its allowed :-D Have a nice weekend everybody ! /Jan Do you know why it's important to make fast decisions? Because you give yourself more time to correct your mistakes, when you find out that you made the wrong one. Chris Meech on deciding whether to go to his daughters graduation or a Neil Young concert
Jan R Hansen wrote:
why are these ancient scales still in use ? The metric system makes sense, dammit !
I know what you mean. I worked in coninental Europe for 18 months and I'm almost all metric now. The only thin I still measure in imperial units are road distances (because I don't really have a choice). * My scales are set to kg and I'll talk about weights in kg * I irritate the staff at Tesco by demanding a half kilo of this and a kilo of that. (EU law says they have to use kilos - their signs are all in imperial except for a tiny 8pt conversion in metric to satisfy the law) * I confused the salesman at the local carpet warehouse by fronting up with measurements in square metres. ColinMackay.net Scottish Developers are looking for speakers for user group sessions over the next few months. Do you want to know more?
-
Jan R Hansen wrote:
You have to "learn" (ie. memorize) that as well, whereas 1 meter and 1 kilometer makes sense
Without wishing to be rude you are talking nonsense. It's precisly the same. You still had to learn the metric system as a means to measure the difference between two points, for instance. Just knowing that there are 1000 meters in a kilometer does not give you the mental tools to visualise a kilometer just as I had to learn how long a mile is or how long a yard is or why that pot looks like it has about a pint of liquid in it or that htis hammer wieghs about 2lbs. home
bookmarks You can ignore relatives but the neighbours live next doorPersonally I think it mainly has to do with the 'simplicity' of the metric system (as far as I'm concerned). The fact that I know that 500m = 0,5km (which is incredibly simple mental calculation compared to imperial) makes it easy to visualize. Then again, I guess it's all about what you're used to. Paul
Where a pointless picture of song titles once resided only blank space now remains.
-
lbs... ? stone.. ? X| - why are these ancient scales still in use ? The metric system makes sense, dammit ! :-D Seriously, as a european having used the metric system all my life I cannot see why anyone would NOT use it. A friend of mine who is half british explained the "old" british - what do you call it - "monetary system" ? You know, shilling, pence etc. It was completely impossible for me to understand that people just don't see the beuatiful simplicity of having 1 euro consisting of 100 cent and thats it. But then again, I voted for Denmark entering the EU monetary union, effectively ditching the danish money and introducing euro instead. But no. 52% or so thought that it was more important to have "our own coins and notes" that to measure prices with the same scale as all our european neighbours. I heard someone say it was more or less the same battle at the times where the metric system was introduced in europe. "oh no - measure stuff the same way as everybody else ? no - too dangerous for me I think..." grrr..... Was that a bit OT ? Maybe. But its friday, so its allowed :-D Have a nice weekend everybody ! /Jan Do you know why it's important to make fast decisions? Because you give yourself more time to correct your mistakes, when you find out that you made the wrong one. Chris Meech on deciding whether to go to his daughters graduation or a Neil Young concert
Jan R Hansen wrote:
- why are these ancient scales still in use ? The metric system makes sense, dammit !
because people refuse to change.... because they refuse to change they also demand others adapt to their way, as others learn from them the process continues. Some of us refuse to adapt. All my software runs metric internally, but my external interface must provide both English and Metric options, or only offer English. I choose both because I prefer Metric. I believe I am the only person who leaves it in metric mode. What is your average speed to work in furlongs per fortnight? :laugh: _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
-
digital man wrote:
I have no idea what 12245mm looks like.
About the width of my house. ColinMackay.net Scottish Developers are looking for speakers for user group sessions over the next few months. Do you want to know more?
-
digital man wrote:
But I can 'see' 3/16 of an inch. I have no idea what 12245mm looks like.
Indeed...... Anyone know the origins of the Imperial system then, and why it splits things down in a rather odd way? "Now I guess I'll sit back and watch people misinterpret what I just said......" Christian Graus At The Soapbox
-
Personally I think it mainly has to do with the 'simplicity' of the metric system (as far as I'm concerned). The fact that I know that 500m = 0,5km (which is incredibly simple mental calculation compared to imperial) makes it easy to visualize. Then again, I guess it's all about what you're used to. Paul
Where a pointless picture of song titles once resided only blank space now remains.
Personally I think it mainly has to do with the 'simplicity' of the imperial system (as far as I'm concerned). The fact that I know that 880yards = 1/2 mile(which is incredibly simple mental calculation compared to metric) makes it easy to visualize. Then again, I guess it's all about what you're used to. You don't visualize 500 meters, you just see the 0/5 kiometer. home
bookmarks You can ignore relatives but the neighbours live next door -
digital man wrote:
But I can 'see' 3/16 of an inch. I have no idea what 12245mm looks like.
Indeed...... Anyone know the origins of the Imperial system then, and why it splits things down in a rather odd way? "Now I guess I'll sit back and watch people misinterpret what I just said......" Christian Graus At The Soapbox
It roughly equates with various parts of the body (or this is the version I've heard). A foot, strangely enough is about the length of a grown mans foot. A thumb is give or take an inch. Obviously this is from the time when everything was very rough and ready. However if you're a sports fan you'll know that the yard and meter are pretty much interchangable, and when the when ref needs the opposition to retreat ten yards, he'll pace out ten steps. When they superimpose the measure on TV it's remarkably accurate. (Yes, yes, I know the TV measure isn't that accurate...)
-
digital man wrote:
But I can 'see' 3/16 of an inch. I have no idea what 12245mm looks like.
Indeed...... Anyone know the origins of the Imperial system then, and why it splits things down in a rather odd way? "Now I guess I'll sit back and watch people misinterpret what I just said......" Christian Graus At The Soapbox
RichardGrimmer wrote:
Anyone know the origins of the Imperial system then, and why it splits things down in a rather odd way?
for the same reason that days do not exactly fit a year... they were based upon observable objects. This could be body parts, or daily motion. An acre based on how much you could plow for example. When standards were enforced inches grew or shrunk to an equal devision of a larger measurement. http://www.cftech.com/BrainBank/OTHERREFERENCE/WEIGHTSandMEASURES/MetricHistory.html[^] _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
-
and there you have it ! 3/16 of an inch ????? argh... 1 meter, 22 centimeter and 45 millimeter : 1,2234 meter 122,45 cm 12245 mm ahhh.... :-D Do you know why it's important to make fast decisions? Because you give yourself more time to correct your mistakes, when you find out that you made the wrong one. Chris Meech on deciding whether to go to his daughters graduation or a Neil Young concert
At least if you're going to extol the virtues of the metric system, use it correctly!!! A centimetre only has 10 milimetres in it!!! :P
-
Jan R Hansen wrote:
- why are these ancient scales still in use ? The metric system makes sense, dammit !
because people refuse to change.... because they refuse to change they also demand others adapt to their way, as others learn from them the process continues. Some of us refuse to adapt. All my software runs metric internally, but my external interface must provide both English and Metric options, or only offer English. I choose both because I prefer Metric. I believe I am the only person who leaves it in metric mode. What is your average speed to work in furlongs per fortnight? :laugh: _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
I am 5' 9" tall and weigh 13st 3lb (I like to think it's all muscle :)) NOT 175cm and 84kg. This metric stuff does keep the brain agile though as I have to do simultaneous conversion from metric to Imperial in order to communicate with my children who only deal in "the dark side". I still remember having to write your own code in FORTRAN rather than be a cut and paste merchant being pampered by colour coded Intellisense - ahh proper programming - those were the days :)
-
Personally I think it mainly has to do with the 'simplicity' of the imperial system (as far as I'm concerned). The fact that I know that 880yards = 1/2 mile(which is incredibly simple mental calculation compared to metric) makes it easy to visualize. Then again, I guess it's all about what you're used to. You don't visualize 500 meters, you just see the 0/5 kiometer. home
bookmarks You can ignore relatives but the neighbours live next doordigital man wrote:
You don't visualize 500 meters, you just see the 0/5 kiometer.
This is what I'm getting at - the calculations for the metric system are much simpler, which makes it easy to work something into something else you can visualize. Paul
Where a pointless picture of song titles once resided only blank space now remains.
-
Personally I think it mainly has to do with the 'simplicity' of the imperial system (as far as I'm concerned). The fact that I know that 880yards = 1/2 mile(which is incredibly simple mental calculation compared to metric) makes it easy to visualize. Then again, I guess it's all about what you're used to. You don't visualize 500 meters, you just see the 0/5 kiometer. home
bookmarks You can ignore relatives but the neighbours live next doordigital man wrote:
which is incredibly simple mental calculation compared to metric
This is perhaps the first time I have heard of base 10 as being difficult. The problem is not that the metric system is more difficult, it is that you learned the imperial system. The teachers will teach the imperial system and the employers will push the imperial system. So the imperial system will simply be used because it was always used. Is the English language more difficult than say... Japanese? if you were born in the country of the example, you learn it, you live it, and it is easy. Adding Japanese as a second language is difficult, just as adding English as a second language is difficult. Simply because your language is English does not mean that Japanese is necessarily confusing and illogical, it is because it does not adapt well to what you already know. So you are still basing the assumption on a narcissistic view, because you know the imperial system, metric is confusing. No, metric is confusing to you. Metric is easy if you were taught metric, adding a second standard is confusing whether you are trying to learn imperial when taught metric or vice versa.
digital man wrote:
Then again, I guess it's all about what you're used to.
exactly. _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
-
digital man wrote:
But I can 'see' 3/16 of an inch. I have no idea what 12245mm looks like.
Indeed...... Anyone know the origins of the Imperial system then, and why it splits things down in a rather odd way? "Now I guess I'll sit back and watch people misinterpret what I just said......" Christian Graus At The Soapbox
RichardGrimmer wrote:
why it splits things down in a rather odd way?
So you think hexadecimal/binary is odd? ;)
Using the GridView is like trying to explain to someone else how to move a third person's hands in order to tie your shoelaces for you. -Chris Maunder
-
I am 5' 9" tall and weigh 13st 3lb (I like to think it's all muscle :)) NOT 175cm and 84kg. This metric stuff does keep the brain agile though as I have to do simultaneous conversion from metric to Imperial in order to communicate with my children who only deal in "the dark side". I still remember having to write your own code in FORTRAN rather than be a cut and paste merchant being pampered by colour coded Intellisense - ahh proper programming - those were the days :)
Baconbutty wrote:
175cm and 84kg.
You are 1.75 meters which is extremely easy to visualize. I have to deal with nautical miles, statutary miles as well as mach numbers, latitude and longitudal references (UTM anyone?), and even the fact that the "meter" is one size in Clarke1866 world reference, and another in WGS84. Even the meter has changed since it was developed as a division of earth surface (as a nautical mile is), as accurate measurement became possible the definition of a meter stayed and the measurement was adapted. Similarly the imperial system adapted independantly in the states and in England. Although you can easily visualize an inch in the USA and it looks similar to an inch in England, the two were not equal and if you measured cloth in the USA and sold it in the UK (or vice versa) basing on your measurements and not theirs you will end up in a lawsuit for shorting your customers, or giving out more to your customer than they expect. _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)