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International System of Units overhauled in historic vote

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Re: International System of Units overhauled in historic vote

#421

Post by KozmoNau7 »

Just_Smith wrote: post #300
naikrovek wrote: post #287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because adding 7/16ths of an inch to 7/8ths of a mile and getting an answer in inches isn't easy for a human. Adding 1cm to 982m and getting an answer in centimeters is dead easy for a human. THAT'S why human intuition about measurement doesn't mean a damn thing. Using metric means using the system optimized for humans. Period.

Your absolutism is a bit silly. I don't think the Imperial system is good for anything beyond construction or cooking, but there's a reason it excels those areas. And it's exactly because it's more usable by humans in certain contexts (like construction or cooking). 1/3 of a meter should not be an irrational number - how is that "optimized for humans"? A scalable system that shares the divisibility of the foot would…

The imperial system is terrible for cooking, in my experience as a home cook and baker.

Measuring dry goods by volume instead of by weight? Good luck ever getting consistent results.

Base 10 math is the most intuitive for humans. Fractions are an abomination.

Re: International System of Units overhauled in historic vote

#422

Post by toasterlovin »

AmericanChopper wrote: post #406
School-Cotton wrote: post #399

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suspect that only a minority of people in metric-using countries -- those with basic chemistry knowledge fresh in their mind -- know that "one milliliter of water occupies one cubic centimeter, weighs one gram, and requires one calorie of energy to heat up by one degree centigrade". Probably a similar number of Americans know the same facts. And any of them would answer "How much energy does it take to boil a room-…

>I suspect that only a minority of people in metric-using countries -- those with basic chemistry knowledge fresh in their mind -- know that "one milliliter of water occupies one cubic centimeter, weighs one gram, and requires one calorie of energy to heat up by one degree centigrade". I wouldn’t be so certain about that. I’ve used that to conceptualize volumes and weights ever since I first learned that in school.

You comment on HN threads about measurement systems. You are not normal. None of us here are.

Re: International System of Units overhauled in historic vote

#423

Post by happymellon »

Just_Smith wrote: post #300
naikrovek wrote: post #287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because adding 7/16ths of an inch to 7/8ths of a mile and getting an answer in inches isn't easy for a human. Adding 1cm to 982m and getting an answer in centimeters is dead easy for a human. THAT'S why human intuition about measurement doesn't mean a damn thing. Using metric means using the system optimized for humans. Period.

Your absolutism is a bit silly. I don't think the Imperial system is good for anything beyond construction or cooking, but there's a reason it excels those areas. And it's exactly because it's more usable by humans in certain contexts (like construction or cooking). 1/3 of a meter should not be an irrational number - how is that "optimized for humans"? A scalable system that shares the divisibility of the foot would…

It is appalling for cooking. Don't get me started on the shitshow of using "cups" to measure weight.

Re: International System of Units overhauled in historic vote

#424

Post by stephen_g »

jameshart wrote: post #364
blhack wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm one of the weird people that actually really likes imperial units. For instance: 1 foot -- base 12. This is a superior base to 10. It can be easily divided into 4ths, 3rd, and 2nds. Base 10 can only easily be divided into 2nds. 1 inch -- an easily identifiable unit of measure for smallish things. About the width of my thumb. A pretty good unit. For low precision, inches become 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/6, 1/64, etc. Each…

You're right - imperial is far superior for precise building or manufacturing work. Take drill bits, for example. Obviously it's much easier to figure out that 11/32" is less than 3/8". Or is it more? No, I'm pretty sure I was right the first time. The metric ones with their 5.5mm, 6mm, 6.5mm sequencing are just too complicated to work with, in comparison. And half a millimeter isn't very precise - it's much bigger t…

These are problems you actually pretty much never have in actual precision manufacturing in metric... Most general machining is done to a tolerance of +/- 0.1 - what does half a millimetre have to do with anything?

As for building, that's mostly just rounded to the millimetre, centimetres aren't usually ever used.

Re: International System of Units overhauled in historic vote

#425

Post by stephen_g »

Just_Smith wrote: post #300
naikrovek wrote: post #287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because adding 7/16ths of an inch to 7/8ths of a mile and getting an answer in inches isn't easy for a human. Adding 1cm to 982m and getting an answer in centimeters is dead easy for a human. THAT'S why human intuition about measurement doesn't mean a damn thing. Using metric means using the system optimized for humans. Period.

Your absolutism is a bit silly. I don't think the Imperial system is good for anything beyond construction or cooking, but there's a reason it excels those areas. And it's exactly because it's more usable by humans in certain contexts (like construction or cooking). 1/3 of a meter should not be an irrational number - how is that "optimized for humans"? A scalable system that shares the divisibility of the foot would…

1/3 of a metre is 333mm, which is generally precise enough for construction.

Re: International System of Units overhauled in historic vote

#426

Post by radicalbyte »

School-Cotton wrote: post #399
zmix wrote: post #366

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand, that you know the metric system, and, judging by your reasoning for your love for the imperial system, I understand, that you know what you are talking about (better than me). So, please, do not understand my comment as wanting to advise you! It's just, that I found this (on the web, one day) to express so much the way I (having grown up with the metric system) feel about it: "In metric, one milliliter…

I suspect that only a minority of people in metric-using countries -- those with basic chemistry knowledge fresh in their mind -- know that "one milliliter of water occupies one cubic centimeter, weighs one gram, and requires one calorie of energy to heat up by one degree centigrade". Probably a similar number of Americans know the same facts. And any of them would answer "How much energy does it take to boil a room-…

It's common knowledge here; in the UK I was taught it in two classes at school: Science and Cooking.

We are taught to use the scales for measuring ingredients - and thanks to this trick you can weigh water (and milk) and vegetable oil (using 5-10% less) if you don't have a measuring jug.

Re: International System of Units overhauled in historic vote

#427

Post by stephen_g »

bnjms wrote: post #387
evil-olive wrote: post #372

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just think about it by 10s, as you do with the metric system: 20 C - a bit less than room temperature (68 F) 30 C - pretty hot (86 F) 40 C - very hot (104 F) And going the other way: 10 C - a bit chilly (50 F) 0 C - cold (32 F) -10 C - real cold (14 F) -20 C - really really cold (-4 F) When you hear a temperature in Celsius, don't try to convert it to Fahrenheit, just think in Celsius. 15 degrees is halfway between "…

This is the right answer for Americans. The reason I prefer Fahrenheit is because it is the one I know what degrees feel like and because Celsius isn’t reported in enough resolution. If it was always reported to the half point I think we would be able to relate to Celsius better. And if I was making a population wide change I’d ensure reporting was always to the half degree.

We just report it to the degree (high of 34 tomorrow, 32 the next day). That's really plenty of resolution for non-scientific measurement.

Re: International System of Units overhauled in historic vote

#428

Post by batrat »

philliphaydon wrote: post #397
MattRix wrote: post #390

Earlier quoted context omitted.

F is not superior to C, your argument for it makes very little sense, even from a plain human "everyday" (non-scientific) point of view. Can anyone sense when the temperature changes by a single degree in F? I doubt it. With C you have a chance. With C when it's below zero you know there could be snow and ice. Each set of 10 degrees in C is a pretty clear temperature range. 30-40 scorching. 20-30 hot. 10-20 warm. 0-1…

For me. 26+ scorching. 25 perfect. 24- freezing. Haha.

I feel almost the same lol. Without looking at my "smart" thermometer (is set at 24), I know what temperature is in the house. If it's 23,9 i'm already cold and I have to put something on. But if it's 24,1 I can stay with my shirt on.

Re: International System of Units overhauled in historic vote

#429

Post by raverbashing »

blhack wrote: post #232
kibwen wrote: post #188

See, the US wasn't being stubborn in not adopting metric, it was just waiting patiently for it to progress from beta to 1.0. :) (Fun fact: all the US customary units have been officially defined in terms of their metric counterparts since 1893: https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/files/documents/pml/wmd/m... )

I'm one of the weird people that actually really likes imperial units. For instance: 1 foot -- base 12. This is a superior base to 10. It can be easily divided into 4ths, 3rd, and 2nds. Base 10 can only easily be divided into 2nds. 1 inch -- an easily identifiable unit of measure for smallish things. About the width of my thumb. A pretty good unit. For low precision, inches become 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/6, 1/64, etc. Each…

> I also think that F is seriously superior to C.

Yeah, no. You're just suffering from Stockholm Syndrome or being thinly ironic.

People have absolutely no problem associating numbers to temperature sensations in C. And actually people can objectively feel temperature differences from around 2C/5F so in that way C is superior to F, 1F difference is meaningless.

Re: International System of Units overhauled in historic vote

#430

Post by stephen_g »

ajb1 wrote: post #413

Something I've considered recently is the case of estimating heighth (or any length) in customary vs. metric. In the US, if I'm describing someone, perhaps to a police officer, I can fairly easily conceptualize the difference between 5ft, 5ft 6in, 6ft, or even smaller degrees of difference. Though I'm certain this is likely just a result of me having grown up with the customary system, it seems like it would be more…

If you use appropriate units, sure. Height of people is commonly measured in centimetres, not metres. Yes, one can easily estimate 150, 155, 160 etc. to within ten centimetres or so.
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