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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 divi

by blhack 8y ago

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 one is half the size of the previous one. I actually like this one a lot. An eight being half of a quarter is a really easy way to work with things when you're building stuff. Think about drilling a bolt hole in the center of a piece (half the width), or drilling two bolt holes with something in the center (divide those halves in half again) etc. Fractional is really good for building stuff. For precision: thousands of an inch. Harder to visualize, but precise (has the same problems as mm imho). Millionths of an inch when you get into serious metrology. Okay temperature: In imperial units: 0 = REALLY cold. 100 = REALLY hot. 50 = somewhere in the middle. Put on a sweater, but not dangerous. 100 = about the temperature of a human body. Water boils at 212F and freezes at 32F. There are 180 degrees (degrees!) between freezing and boiling. 180 is, again, base 12. It's the 15th order of 12. I actually love imperial units. I greatly prefer them to metric (even though I do use metric very frequently, and can see the appeal). I think I just actually prefer base 12 to base 10. I also think that F is seriously superior to C.

zjaffee 8y ago
While I agree that in many ways imperial is better than metric in the way that you mention. It is absolutely atrocious when it comes to weight and volume. A gallon is still a base 10 unit of measure of water (10 pounds of water). Then only after that, is it in base 8 rather than maintaining that base 12 consistency. Then if you look at imperial units of weight, it deviates away from base 12 again. It counts upwards from a pound using base 14 with stone and ton. And then when counting downwards it uses base 16 for a little bit with ounces, followed by out of nowhere throwing in a 1/7000 for a grain unit. Even ignoring the scientific applications, none of this is easier for visualization purposes than grams or kilograms, nor is it all that useful for volumetric units either with maybe the exception of using cups instead of milliliters for cooking.
- sib 8y ago
  >> "A gallon is still a base 10 unit of measure of water (10 pounds of water)." Not sure what you are getting at here. A gallon is about 8.3 lbs (3.8kg). A gallon is 128 oz, a nice base-2 number.
  - Symbiote 8y ago
    You are arguing the difference between an imperial gallon and a US gallon. Further evidence of how stupid these measurements are.
- Cd00d 8y ago
  A gallon is NOT 10 pounds of water. Rough conversions: 1.1, 2.2, 3.3 for volume (quart to L), weight (pound to kg), length (foot to m). One gallon is: 4 quarts * (1 L / 1.1 quarts) * (1 kg / L) * (2.2 pounds / kg) = 4 * 2.2 / 1.1, so a gallon is roughly 8 pounds.
tom_ 8y ago
It's true that (for example) a third of a metre isn't expressible accurately in decimetres, but you can always just say (continuing this specific example) "a third of a metre". Nobody will be confused about what you mean. This is however perhaps a good argument in favour of non-decimal currency.
- atoav 8y ago
  It doesn’t matter. Just write 333.333 mm and if you make it evident in your construction drawing that three of these third meter-things need to fit one meter somebody might even calculate the width of the blade into it. Measurements are just a number and you will always have tolerances and chains of measurements to go with them to clarify what you expext as a end result.
  - tom_ 8y ago
    Yes, good point - I was thinking about casual, everyday uses, but if you're going to be precise then the question of divisibility becames even less relevant. Just tack on as many decimal places as you need. It's true that this applies just as much to non-metric units, of course! But then if divisibility isn't a big deal, this goes both ways - meaning that the disadvantages of the metric system's base 10 orientation may well be minor in practice, and not enough to outweigh the advantages. (Actually though I think the metric system has you more cleanly covered for this sort of case, with its consistent set of prefixes for scaling up and down by 1,000. Non-metric units tend to be a random jumble of 8s, 12s, 16s, or worse.)
naikrovek 8y ago
You are definitely (and thankfully) not the norm. Imperial units are awful. They're more ... human, maybe, in that a foot is about one human foot long, and that an inch is about one human thumb width, and how 0F feels "pretty cold" and 100F feels "pretty hot", and to me the charm of imperial units begins and ends right there. Those are literally the only redeemable qualities about imperial units, and they have nothing at all to do with their utility as a tool for measurement. I am glad that you like them. Use them all you like. I won't.
- stass 8y ago
  What are the redeamable qualities of metric units?
  - saagarjha 8y ago
    It’s based on the decimal system, which we happen to use in our primary numerical system as well?
    - blhack 8y ago
      We use the decimal system for imperial units too. Thousands of an inch, millionths of an inch, etc.
      - csihar 8y ago
        In most practical applications that I've seen fractions of imperial measurements used, it tends to be in powers of 2, i.e., 3/16 inch, 1/4 mile, etc. Decimals can certainly be used, but for most applications where you'd use something like a "millionth of an inch," it's vastly more common to use metric.
        blhack 8y ago
        What applications are you talking about? Just for a general example of the sort of thing I'm talking about: https://youtu.be/EWqThb9Z1jk?t=137 https://youtu.be/EWqThb9Z1jk?t=137 They're resurfacing a surface plate, which has to be very flat. If you listen to the exchanges between them, everything is being done in millionths of an inch.
anamexis 8y ago
For most things, I think metric makes more sense, but I fully agree about temperatures. Fahrenheit is a superior scale for humans.
- jakelazaroff 8y ago
  Co-signed! The freezing and boiling points of water are also not particularly pragmatic points of reference. I don't think "I need to lower this to 0°", I think "I need to put this in the freezer".
  - Terr_ 8y ago
    > The freezing and boiling points of water are also not particularly pragmatic points of reference. I must strongly disagree. The freezing point of water is an incredibly important and pragmatic point of reference for hundreds of millions of people around the world, who live in places where water can freeze (or thaw) on its own outdoors. Not just for transportation, but also its affect on biology in agriculture. While the boiling point is (thankfully) not important for weather-reports... Cooking! What would you do if I said to "simmer" something? You aren't supposed to go high enough to reach the obvious boiling point, so how are you supposed to know when you're close enough if you can't remember the magic number?
    - anamexis 8y ago
      I'll concede that freezing is very important to a lot of people, but at the same time, I don't think it's particularly onerous to remember that the freezing point is 32 degrees. As far as boiling and cooking, I would argue that there is no magic number anyways, since boiling point is variable by elevation. At 7500 feet / ~2250 meters, water boils at 198°F.
      - evil-olive 8y ago
        > As far as boiling and cooking, I would argue that there is no magic number anyways, since boiling point is variable by elevation. At 7500 feet / ~2250 meters, water boils at 198°F. That's an excellent point, let's examine the relationship between altitude and boiling point, in both American units and everywhere-else-in-the-world units [0]: 5000 feet -> 202.97 F 7500 feet -> 198.33 10000 feet -> 193.6 F Compared to: 1000 meters -> 96.73 C 2000 meters -> 93.38 C 3000 meters -> 89.95 C In both cases, the boiling points at altitude are magic numbers. The difference is that with Celsius, you can interpret degrees as "percentage of the way from freezing to boiling". Going from 100 C at 0 meters to 90 C at 3000 meters is immediately meaningful as a 10% decrease. With degrees Fahrenheit, that same 10% drop in boiling temperature that happens at around 3000 meters / 10,000 feet is 212 F to 194 F. 0: https://www.omnicalculator.com/chemistry/boiling-point-altitude https://www.omnicalculator.com/chemistry/boiling-point-altit...
devindotcom 8y ago
I hadn't thought of some of these advantages. Some are subjective, but it's hard to deny the intuitive nature of others. I say bring back the span and the rod as well.
- deelowe 8y ago
  Go walk a job site with a tradesman and youll see why imperial is so useful and natural to them. They walk off long distancrs, use knuckles for small ones and do complex division with ease.
  - philistine 8y ago
    Because they have to since they're stuck using imperial. The imperial system does not make people better, it forces people to use fractions.
  - atoav 8y ago
    My father lays tiles for a living and he always did the same in metric, if he didn’t had something to measure things with him (which any professional should!) A meter is basically a slightly longer step. I think most tradesmen over here got a pretty good sense how to walk a meter. 0.1m or 1dm or 10cm or 100mm is basically the width of your hand. 1cm or 10mm is roundabout the width of the pinky finger
autokad 8y ago
I feel like imperial units are human units. they are units used on a human scale, where as metric are more 'computer'. example: a human really cant look at something and divide it by 10 very well, but 1/3, 1/2, 1/4, very easy to do. the sizes makes human sense, like a foot being about a human foot, etc.
- quantum_magpie 8y ago
  But they're not! My foot is 25cm, far from '1 foot'. My thumb is 1.5 cm wide, far from an inch. The metric system is actually much more human for me. And I never needed to measure 1/3rds to 0.02mm precision without a precise measurement instrument. And if exact precision doesn't matter then all these arguments about fractions are moot, too!
  - autokad 8y ago
    considering your foot is 2 standard deviations from the mean foot length, that hardly proves anything
    - kiriakasis 8y ago
      Well it proves a lot in my opinion. Feet are really non uniform in length by a lot.
      - autokad 8y ago
        go to google and type "about definition"
        Moru 8y ago
        You can't both say that meter isn't exact enough when meassuring 1/3 and also say that 25 mm wrong on a food is ok...
        autokad 8y ago
mbroncano 8y ago
Most probably because you grew up with it. I’m pretty sure you think the same about your religion, nation, race ... but be sure eveybody else in the world may think the same of their own. And they’d be right too. What I personally find disturbing is how irrational positions such as yours are commonly accepted in a supposedly advanced society. It leads to a pretty bumpy road, time and time again.
- jawns 8y ago
  > irrational positions such as yours This is, frankly, insulting. You may disagree about the merits of blhack's arguments, but that doesn't make them illogical or unreasonable. It would be one thing if you said, "Here's why I think blhack has got it wrong, and why the arguments presented don't hold water." But you just tossed an insult without bothering to refute. Bad form.
  - mbroncano 8y ago
    I don’t think he got it wrong. I said he’s biased. I think you’re too.
    - bnjms 8y ago
      And when he refuted the bias you claimed you dismissed him. Your every comment on this thread has been in bad faith and on at least one instance internally inconsistent. I’m sure you’re unaware but you’re uncharitable and not worth interacting with at any length.
- hueving 8y ago
  There isn't anything more rational about demanding base 10 systems.
  - mbroncano 8y ago
    Last time I checked base 10 was quite common for pretty much everything but the imperial system.
ape4 8y ago
I see you're not liking how many feet are in a mile (and many other silly things).
- blhack 8y ago
  Well I also don't particularly care about how many feet are in a kilometer, since they are different units. A mile is...a mile. A half a mile, a quarter of a mile, an eighth of a mile, etc. Yeah, there are 5280 feet in a mile. There are also 25.8 or something like that mm in a inch, some other arbitrary unit of conversion that we all have to memorize.
  - terragon 8y ago
    Your second example is disingenuous. Mm to inch is going to be a weird conversion because they are between different unit systems. Feet to miles is unacceptable considering they're both imperial units.
  - atoav 8y ago
    These differences get important if you do any type calculation in engineering or physics. Then it suddenly starts to matter if the result is Nm, Nmn or a Newton times a inch Example: a Volt – which also the US uses with its metric prefixes – is defined as a Joule or a Wattsecond or a Newtonmeter.
megablast 8y ago
No matter what is suggested, no matter how much better the alternative, there will always be a group of contrary people. Look at flat earthers. Look at anti-vaxers.
- kbenson 8y ago
  There are actual benefits to some imperial units when working in small amounts. They can often be subdivided much more easily into amounts that are harder to handle (or at least require going to another order of magnitude to do accurately). For example, dividing a foot into thirds or fourths is trivial, but for a meter it requires either going two orders of magnitude (25/100ths for a quarter) or simply cannot perfectly represent the amount (1/3). Now, not all imperial units have sane definitions, and they don't even all follow similar rules (8 fluid oz. to a cup, 16 fluid ozz to a pint, you lose thirds but can still easily do fourths). In a lot of ways, base 10 is really substandard to base 12, we just used base 10 because it's physically easy and socially ingrained. Who knows, maybe 100 years from now we'll teach in base 12 and have a new system that's base 12, and all the metric die-hards will been seen as backwards yokels that cling to a clearly substandard system because of history and it's what they know? I mean, I really, really doubt it, but it would be better than the metric system as long as most people could easily think in base 12 (which would require a massive social upheaval).
  - jodrellblank 8y ago
    "It cannot perfectly represent the amount" you say, and then perfectly represent the amount. You represent a quarter as the fraction 25/100ths to show how impractical it is, instead of writing 1/4. Would it be so hard to build a ruler with thirds measured on it, so you don't need to try and guess 0.333333 from mm readings? Like http://teaching.monster.com/nfs/teaching/attachment_images/0000/2590/fractioncity_crop380w.gif?1212554245 http://teaching.monster.com/nfs/teaching/attachment_images/0... but made of metal
    - kbenson 8y ago
      > "It cannot perfectly represent the amount" you say, and then perfectly represent the amount. Actually, I said "It cannot perfectly represent the amount (1/3)", so I specifically game an example immediately after the statement of exactly what I was talking about, which you then ignored and used an example for a different item to represent erroneously. What's up with that? > You represent a quarter as the fraction 25/100ths to show how impractical it is, instead of writing 1/4. No, I represent a quarter as 25/100's to show how it would be accurately represented in metric. 1/4 meter is not pure metric, it's applying a non-metric modifuer to a metric amount. The metric representation of 1/4 meters is 25 centimeters, which is 25/100. Let me lay it out side by side: - 1 and 1/2 units Imperial: 1 foot 6 inches or 18 inches Metric: 1 meter 50 centimeters or 15 decimeters or 150 centimeters - 1 and 1/3 units Imperial: 1 foot four inches or 16 inches Metric: 1 meter 33 centimetersa and 3 millimeters and... or 133.33... centimeters - 1 and 1/4 units Imperial: 1 foot 3 inches or 15 inches. Metric: 1 meter 25 centimeters or 125 centimeters That's not to say imperial units are good. They are hard to use for most things because they change across types of things measures, and counting in twelfths when needed is much more painful than in tenths. But, if we were taught in a 12 base system we would be able to use it easily, and base 12 has more cases where it can be used easily than base 10. Everything else would be the same except than our sense of scale would be a little different and we would have an easier tome subdividing things in many cases. Metric isn't an optimal system, it's just the optimal system for right now and the world we currently live in. But for a few historical turns of fate, it might have been very different. > Would it be so hard to build a ruler with thirds measured on it, so you don't need to try and guess 0.333333 from mm readings? Like http://teaching.monster.com/nfs/teaching/attachment_images/0.. http://teaching.monster.com/nfs/teaching/attachment_images/0.... but made of metal Then it's not metric. That's the point. We use these values anyway, yet you have to step outside the metric system to represent them easily. Adding extra marks that don't correspond to the regular intervals is confusing, so it's avoided. That's why most rulers in the united states show metric on one side and imperial on the other.[1] 1: http://cdn.dickblick.com/items/554/27/55427-1012-3ww-l.jpg http://cdn.dickblick.com/items/554/27/55427-1012-3ww-l.jpg
hrasyid 8y ago
I understand some of what you say, but the point of standard unit is not so that people can choose which unit they like. It's to make sure everyone uses the same ones. If all but a few countries used imperial as their standard measure then I'd go for it. But right now it's the odd one out. Itu mostly survived only thanks to being associated with an economic superpower, so international companies can't afford to ignore it.
- happymellon 8y ago
  Hate to break it to you, but international companies do ignore it unless they need to print something out for an American to read.
  - hrasyid 8y ago
    Yes, but I suspect they bother to print anything at all is because the US is a big market. Unfortunately, this helps perpetuate those legacy units.
jodrellblank 8y ago
Next you'll be promoting "a better way to count" by Conlang Critic Jan Misali - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qID2B4MK7Y0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qID2B4MK7Y0
yedpodtrzitko 8y ago
Divisibility by 12 could have benefits when working with small numbers, but on the other hand multiplying by 12 doesnt sound like operation you can do easily from top of your head...
- eslaught 8y ago
  Presumably, you'd also adopt a base 12 number system, so that decimal 12 becomes 10, and decimal 36 becomes 30, etc.
  - kiriakasis 8y ago
    Good luck with that
EricBurnett 8y ago
Hmm, good for usage you say. Ok, let's stick to "standard" imperial units. How many feet in a yard? Yards in a mile? What the hell is a quart? And since base 12 is great, what is 12 feet called? 144 feet? A 12th of an inch? Or, ounces: How many ounces in a gallon? A pound? And how many _kinds_ of ounces are there, anyways? Fun fact: The term “ounce” is of Latin origin from the word “uncia” which means “a twelfth part.” http://www.differencebetween.net/science/mathematics-statistics/difference-between-fluid-ounces-and-ounces/ http://www.differencebetween.net/science/mathematics-statist... So...what's an ounce a twelfth of? Or, say, a pint. What's the definition of a pint?
- nhebb 8y ago
  A pint is what British people drink in pubs while chastising the US for not adopting the metric system.
  - Brybry 8y ago
    And then complain about gaining a stone?
  - dsego 8y ago
    The metric pint?
    - fuzzfactor 8y ago
      When they pour 500 mL into your 1 pint (473 mL) glass.
  - Nursie 8y ago
    568ml, as god intended. Not some 450ml abomination! We don't really use pints for measuring anything else these days.
    - bunderbunder 8y ago
      If only US pints were a 450ml abomination. That's about 50ml more than I'm used to getting when I order a "pint".
AngryData 8y ago
0 degrees Farenheit is also the temperature salt stops freezing water. It is a good thing to remember when you are wondering about driving on snowy and icy roads.
int_19h 8y ago
Base 12 is more convenient than base 10. But that argument really only works if numbers were written in base 12. They're not, though, and that isn't changing any time soon. As a result, Imperial has to deal with two bases - the units themselves are defined base 12 (more or less; it's not really consistent e.g. with volume), but then you still have to do arithmetic in base 10. So, until such time as we switch to base 12 for all numbers, metric is superior, because it is simpler.
jameshart 8y ago
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 than 1/64". Well, a bit bigger. Let's not get into tenths of millimeters. And at larger scales, of course, base 12 is much easier when it comes to dividing distances. Taking a distance of 2'7" and dividing it by three in your head is much easier than dividing 79cm by three, because... well, 2' divided by three is 8", obviously. If you need to be sure, just tap it into a calculator. That supports base 12... Anyway, you'll quickly determine that it's 10 1/3", which is much more precise than 26.3333cm. Now I just need to subtract the radii of these two 5/16" holes from that, which is easy - imagine trying to subtract 8mm from 26.3333cm! What folly.
- umanwizard 8y ago
  Whether decimals or fractions are used is not necessarily related to metric vs. customary units. I just weighed myself on my bathroom scale -- 191.2 pounds.
  - wolf550e 8y ago
    People use "stones" for weight of humans. As if 14 pounds is a convenient amount.
- stephen_g 8y ago
  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.
  - stavros 8y ago
    The gp was being sarcastic.
zmix 8y ago
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 of water occupies one cubic centimeter, weighs one gram, and requires one calorie of energy to heat up by one degree centigrade -- which is 1 percent of the difference between its freezing point and its boiling point. An amount of hydrogen weighing the same amount has exactly one mole of atoms in it. Whereas in the American system, the answer to 'How much energy does it take to boil a room-temperature gallon of water?' is 'Go fuck yourself', because you can't directly relate any of those quantities." From: "Wild Thing" by [Josh Bazell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Bazell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Bazell).
- eadmund 8y ago
  Actually, assuming room temperature is 60° and you’re at sea level, it’d take 1,216 BTUs to bring a gallon of water to a boil. A BTU is the amount of heat (which is energy) required to heat one pound of water one Fahrenheit degree; a pound of water is a pint; there are 8 pints in a gallon (2 pints in a quart, 2 quarts in a pottle, 2 pottles in a gallon). So, 8 * (212-60) = 1,216.
  - fyfy18 8y ago
    1 US liquid pint is defined as the volume of 1.041 lb of water at 62F. The British imperial system is a bit cleaner where 1 imperial pint is defined as 20 oz or 1.25 lbs, at 62F.
  - jdhzzz 8y ago
    "A pint's a pound the world around." I never knew whether that came from the fact that both are 16 ounces or because a pint of water weighs a pound (approximately). I prefer to think it's the latter. Makes it so I can remember that a gallon of water is approximately 8 pounds. 5 gallon pail mostly full, probably 35 pounds. Nice.
MattRix 8y ago
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. 0-10 cool. -10 to 0: cold
- philliphaydon 8y ago
  For me. 26+ scorching. 25 perfect. 24- freezing. Haha.
  - batrat 8y ago
    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.
stephen_g 8y ago
You're just familiar with it - as somebody who has grown up with the metric system, I feel exactly the same affection about it, and to me imperial units feel stupid, unworkable and old fashioned. I think this is the biggest problem with metric/imperial arguments - most of it is actually based on emotional attachment deep down.
raverbashing 8y ago
> 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.
jetzzz 8y ago
> I also think that F is seriously superior to C. Both are not metric though. Metric unit for temperature is kelvin.
- gpderetta 8y ago
  True although C is just an offset from K, i.e. only absolute values change, temperature deltas are the same in C and K.
analog31 8y ago
Just as a side note, the US system gets worse and worse when you look beyond the everyday units of measure. Sure, inches are great, but below 1/4", screws are in a numbered system (higher number is larger) while the corresponding drill bits are in a different numbered system (higher number is smaller) or lettered (A to Z). Wire and sheet metal gage numbers are still different. An #8-32 thread takes a #29 tap drill... https://www.lincolnmachine.com/tap_drill_chart.html https://www.lincolnmachine.com/tap_drill_chart.html
bonzini 8y ago
0 C = frozen, be careful 10 C = you need a jacket 15-25 C = great outdoors temperatures 20 C = good house temperature in the winter 25 C = good house temperature in the summer 30 C = too hot to go out doing physical activity, good for a picnic or a day at the beach 35 C = too hot to go out, period 40 C = hot bath 100 C = boiling water
gilbetron 8y ago
I'm glad you made this point, because I am the one that usually does and gets hammered for daring to even hint that imperial might not be totally insane! The temperature one I've always found compelling. Most humans only rarely experience temperatures outside of 0-100F. That makes sense to me. Celsius makes little sense, except for 0 being when water freezes. It compacts the scale too much for everyday use. However, beyond basic human usage, I quickly switch to metric for anything involving actual math: simulation, science, finance, etc. A "cup" is about what a normal drink is. A liter is an insane amount of liquid for everyday use. I don't sit down and drink a liter of wine, I have a cup of wine.
- njarboe 8y ago
  A popular unit for a large beer is the "40" which is what a 40 ounce bottle of beer is called. About 1.2 liters, but not a size found in "respectable" households.
- Moru 8y ago
  The last couple of years we have had between -36 F to 97 F. Or -38 to +36 C. I like to be able to tell when the roads might get slippery (below +3 C or so), when the car will get problems starting if you forgot to plug in the heater (about -25 C), When it's time for the shorts (+18 C?). Also handy to know that I need 3-6-3 ammounts to make pancakes. 3 eggs, 6 litres of milk and 3 dl flour (that will be meassured with grams because easier, can just pour everything into the bucket and press "tara"). Flour weighs 60 g per dl. Put bowl on scale, start it. Pour flour in the bowl until it reads 180 g. Reset and pour in milk until it says 300 g. Mix until perfect. Add eggs. Reset scale and pour another 300 g and mix again. Start frying!
emilfihlman 8y ago
10 can easily be divided by into fifths.
amyjess 8y ago
Thank you. I'm glad I'm not the only person who thinks this way.
Iv 8y ago
The strength of the metric system shows when you need several different scales. nano- micro- milli- kilo- mega- giga- The number of inches in a mile is harder to get than the number of millimeters in a kilometer or grams in a ton.
zzo38computer 8y ago
Celsius and Fahrenheit may be use for some thing, but I think kelvin is a good system, even if others are use for other purposes sometimes (such as Fahrenheit for oven temperatures).
thefringthing 8y ago
You should be careful about the term "imperial". US customary units do not always match the old British "imperial" units. A US fluid pint is significantly smaller than an Imperial pint, for example.

by blhack 8y ago

zjaffee 8y ago

While I agree that in many ways imperial is better than metric in the way that you mention. It is absolutely atrocious when it comes to weight and volume. A gallon is still a base 10 unit of measure of water (10 pounds of water). Then only after that, is it in base 8 rather than maintaining that base 12 consistency. Then if you look at imperial units of weight, it deviates away from base 12 again. It counts upwards from a pound using base 14 with stone and ton. And then when counting downwards it uses base 16 for a little bit with ounces, followed by out of nowhere throwing in a 1/7000 for a grain unit. Even ignoring the scientific applications, none of this is easier for visualization purposes than grams or kilograms, nor is it all that useful for volumetric units either with maybe the exception of using cups instead of milliliters for cooking.

sib 8y ago
>> "A gallon is still a base 10 unit of measure of water (10 pounds of water)." Not sure what you are getting at here. A gallon is about 8.3 lbs (3.8kg). A gallon is 128 oz, a nice base-2 number.
- Symbiote 8y ago
  You are arguing the difference between an imperial gallon and a US gallon. Further evidence of how stupid these measurements are.
Cd00d 8y ago
A gallon is NOT 10 pounds of water. Rough conversions: 1.1, 2.2, 3.3 for volume (quart to L), weight (pound to kg), length (foot to m). One gallon is: 4 quarts * (1 L / 1.1 quarts) * (1 kg / L) * (2.2 pounds / kg) = 4 * 2.2 / 1.1, so a gallon is roughly 8 pounds.

tom_ 8y ago

It's true that (for example) a third of a metre isn't expressible accurately in decimetres, but you can always just say (continuing this specific example) "a third of a metre". Nobody will be confused about what you mean. This is however perhaps a good argument in favour of non-decimal currency.

atoav 8y ago
It doesn’t matter. Just write 333.333 mm and if you make it evident in your construction drawing that three of these third meter-things need to fit one meter somebody might even calculate the width of the blade into it. Measurements are just a number and you will always have tolerances and chains of measurements to go with them to clarify what you expext as a end result.
- tom_ 8y ago
  Yes, good point - I was thinking about casual, everyday uses, but if you're going to be precise then the question of divisibility becames even less relevant. Just tack on as many decimal places as you need. It's true that this applies just as much to non-metric units, of course! But then if divisibility isn't a big deal, this goes both ways - meaning that the disadvantages of the metric system's base 10 orientation may well be minor in practice, and not enough to outweigh the advantages. (Actually though I think the metric system has you more cleanly covered for this sort of case, with its consistent set of prefixes for scaling up and down by 1,000. Non-metric units tend to be a random jumble of 8s, 12s, 16s, or worse.)

naikrovek 8y ago

You are definitely (and thankfully) not the norm. Imperial units are awful. They're more ... human, maybe, in that a foot is about one human foot long, and that an inch is about one human thumb width, and how 0F feels "pretty cold" and 100F feels "pretty hot", and to me the charm of imperial units begins and ends right there. Those are literally the only redeemable qualities about imperial units, and they have nothing at all to do with their utility as a tool for measurement. I am glad that you like them. Use them all you like. I won't.

stass 8y ago
What are the redeamable qualities of metric units?
- saagarjha 8y ago
  It’s based on the decimal system, which we happen to use in our primary numerical system as well?
  - blhack 8y ago
    We use the decimal system for imperial units too. Thousands of an inch, millionths of an inch, etc.
    - csihar 8y ago
      In most practical applications that I've seen fractions of imperial measurements used, it tends to be in powers of 2, i.e., 3/16 inch, 1/4 mile, etc. Decimals can certainly be used, but for most applications where you'd use something like a "millionth of an inch," it's vastly more common to use metric.
      - blhack 8y ago
        What applications are you talking about? Just for a general example of the sort of thing I'm talking about: https://youtu.be/EWqThb9Z1jk?t=137 https://youtu.be/EWqThb9Z1jk?t=137 They're resurfacing a surface plate, which has to be very flat. If you listen to the exchanges between them, everything is being done in millionths of an inch.

anamexis 8y ago

For most things, I think metric makes more sense, but I fully agree about temperatures. Fahrenheit is a superior scale for humans.

jakelazaroff 8y ago
Co-signed! The freezing and boiling points of water are also not particularly pragmatic points of reference. I don't think "I need to lower this to 0°", I think "I need to put this in the freezer".
- Terr_ 8y ago
  > The freezing and boiling points of water are also not particularly pragmatic points of reference. I must strongly disagree. The freezing point of water is an incredibly important and pragmatic point of reference for hundreds of millions of people around the world, who live in places where water can freeze (or thaw) on its own outdoors. Not just for transportation, but also its affect on biology in agriculture. While the boiling point is (thankfully) not important for weather-reports... Cooking! What would you do if I said to "simmer" something? You aren't supposed to go high enough to reach the obvious boiling point, so how are you supposed to know when you're close enough if you can't remember the magic number?
  - anamexis 8y ago
    I'll concede that freezing is very important to a lot of people, but at the same time, I don't think it's particularly onerous to remember that the freezing point is 32 degrees. As far as boiling and cooking, I would argue that there is no magic number anyways, since boiling point is variable by elevation. At 7500 feet / ~2250 meters, water boils at 198°F.
    - evil-olive 8y ago
      > As far as boiling and cooking, I would argue that there is no magic number anyways, since boiling point is variable by elevation. At 7500 feet / ~2250 meters, water boils at 198°F. That's an excellent point, let's examine the relationship between altitude and boiling point, in both American units and everywhere-else-in-the-world units [0]: 5000 feet -> 202.97 F 7500 feet -> 198.33 10000 feet -> 193.6 F Compared to: 1000 meters -> 96.73 C 2000 meters -> 93.38 C 3000 meters -> 89.95 C In both cases, the boiling points at altitude are magic numbers. The difference is that with Celsius, you can interpret degrees as "percentage of the way from freezing to boiling". Going from 100 C at 0 meters to 90 C at 3000 meters is immediately meaningful as a 10% decrease. With degrees Fahrenheit, that same 10% drop in boiling temperature that happens at around 3000 meters / 10,000 feet is 212 F to 194 F. 0: https://www.omnicalculator.com/chemistry/boiling-point-altitude https://www.omnicalculator.com/chemistry/boiling-point-altit...

devindotcom 8y ago

I hadn't thought of some of these advantages. Some are subjective, but it's hard to deny the intuitive nature of others. I say bring back the span and the rod as well.

deelowe 8y ago
Go walk a job site with a tradesman and youll see why imperial is so useful and natural to them. They walk off long distancrs, use knuckles for small ones and do complex division with ease.
- philistine 8y ago
  Because they have to since they're stuck using imperial. The imperial system does not make people better, it forces people to use fractions.
- atoav 8y ago
  My father lays tiles for a living and he always did the same in metric, if he didn’t had something to measure things with him (which any professional should!) A meter is basically a slightly longer step. I think most tradesmen over here got a pretty good sense how to walk a meter. 0.1m or 1dm or 10cm or 100mm is basically the width of your hand. 1cm or 10mm is roundabout the width of the pinky finger

autokad 8y ago

I feel like imperial units are human units. they are units used on a human scale, where as metric are more 'computer'. example: a human really cant look at something and divide it by 10 very well, but 1/3, 1/2, 1/4, very easy to do. the sizes makes human sense, like a foot being about a human foot, etc.

quantum_magpie 8y ago
But they're not! My foot is 25cm, far from '1 foot'. My thumb is 1.5 cm wide, far from an inch. The metric system is actually much more human for me. And I never needed to measure 1/3rds to 0.02mm precision without a precise measurement instrument. And if exact precision doesn't matter then all these arguments about fractions are moot, too!
- autokad 8y ago
  considering your foot is 2 standard deviations from the mean foot length, that hardly proves anything
  - kiriakasis 8y ago
    Well it proves a lot in my opinion. Feet are really non uniform in length by a lot.
    - autokad 8y ago
      go to google and type "about definition"
      - Moru 8y ago
        You can't both say that meter isn't exact enough when meassuring 1/3 and also say that 25 mm wrong on a food is ok...
        autokad 8y ago

mbroncano 8y ago

Most probably because you grew up with it. I’m pretty sure you think the same about your religion, nation, race ... but be sure eveybody else in the world may think the same of their own. And they’d be right too. What I personally find disturbing is how irrational positions such as yours are commonly accepted in a supposedly advanced society. It leads to a pretty bumpy road, time and time again.

jawns 8y ago
> irrational positions such as yours This is, frankly, insulting. You may disagree about the merits of blhack's arguments, but that doesn't make them illogical or unreasonable. It would be one thing if you said, "Here's why I think blhack has got it wrong, and why the arguments presented don't hold water." But you just tossed an insult without bothering to refute. Bad form.
- mbroncano 8y ago
  I don’t think he got it wrong. I said he’s biased. I think you’re too.
  - bnjms 8y ago
    And when he refuted the bias you claimed you dismissed him. Your every comment on this thread has been in bad faith and on at least one instance internally inconsistent. I’m sure you’re unaware but you’re uncharitable and not worth interacting with at any length.
hueving 8y ago
There isn't anything more rational about demanding base 10 systems.
- mbroncano 8y ago
  Last time I checked base 10 was quite common for pretty much everything but the imperial system.

ape4 8y ago

I see you're not liking how many feet are in a mile (and many other silly things).

blhack 8y ago
Well I also don't particularly care about how many feet are in a kilometer, since they are different units. A mile is...a mile. A half a mile, a quarter of a mile, an eighth of a mile, etc. Yeah, there are 5280 feet in a mile. There are also 25.8 or something like that mm in a inch, some other arbitrary unit of conversion that we all have to memorize.
- terragon 8y ago
  Your second example is disingenuous. Mm to inch is going to be a weird conversion because they are between different unit systems. Feet to miles is unacceptable considering they're both imperial units.
- atoav 8y ago
  These differences get important if you do any type calculation in engineering or physics. Then it suddenly starts to matter if the result is Nm, Nmn or a Newton times a inch Example: a Volt – which also the US uses with its metric prefixes – is defined as a Joule or a Wattsecond or a Newtonmeter.

megablast 8y ago

No matter what is suggested, no matter how much better the alternative, there will always be a group of contrary people. Look at flat earthers. Look at anti-vaxers.

kbenson 8y ago
There are actual benefits to some imperial units when working in small amounts. They can often be subdivided much more easily into amounts that are harder to handle (or at least require going to another order of magnitude to do accurately). For example, dividing a foot into thirds or fourths is trivial, but for a meter it requires either going two orders of magnitude (25/100ths for a quarter) or simply cannot perfectly represent the amount (1/3). Now, not all imperial units have sane definitions, and they don't even all follow similar rules (8 fluid oz. to a cup, 16 fluid ozz to a pint, you lose thirds but can still easily do fourths). In a lot of ways, base 10 is really substandard to base 12, we just used base 10 because it's physically easy and socially ingrained. Who knows, maybe 100 years from now we'll teach in base 12 and have a new system that's base 12, and all the metric die-hards will been seen as backwards yokels that cling to a clearly substandard system because of history and it's what they know? I mean, I really, really doubt it, but it would be better than the metric system as long as most people could easily think in base 12 (which would require a massive social upheaval).
- jodrellblank 8y ago
  "It cannot perfectly represent the amount" you say, and then perfectly represent the amount. You represent a quarter as the fraction 25/100ths to show how impractical it is, instead of writing 1/4. Would it be so hard to build a ruler with thirds measured on it, so you don't need to try and guess 0.333333 from mm readings? Like http://teaching.monster.com/nfs/teaching/attachment_images/0000/2590/fractioncity_crop380w.gif?1212554245 http://teaching.monster.com/nfs/teaching/attachment_images/0... but made of metal
  - kbenson 8y ago
    > "It cannot perfectly represent the amount" you say, and then perfectly represent the amount. Actually, I said "It cannot perfectly represent the amount (1/3)", so I specifically game an example immediately after the statement of exactly what I was talking about, which you then ignored and used an example for a different item to represent erroneously. What's up with that? > You represent a quarter as the fraction 25/100ths to show how impractical it is, instead of writing 1/4. No, I represent a quarter as 25/100's to show how it would be accurately represented in metric. 1/4 meter is not pure metric, it's applying a non-metric modifuer to a metric amount. The metric representation of 1/4 meters is 25 centimeters, which is 25/100. Let me lay it out side by side: - 1 and 1/2 units Imperial: 1 foot 6 inches or 18 inches Metric: 1 meter 50 centimeters or 15 decimeters or 150 centimeters - 1 and 1/3 units Imperial: 1 foot four inches or 16 inches Metric: 1 meter 33 centimetersa and 3 millimeters and... or 133.33... centimeters - 1 and 1/4 units Imperial: 1 foot 3 inches or 15 inches. Metric: 1 meter 25 centimeters or 125 centimeters That's not to say imperial units are good. They are hard to use for most things because they change across types of things measures, and counting in twelfths when needed is much more painful than in tenths. But, if we were taught in a 12 base system we would be able to use it easily, and base 12 has more cases where it can be used easily than base 10. Everything else would be the same except than our sense of scale would be a little different and we would have an easier tome subdividing things in many cases. Metric isn't an optimal system, it's just the optimal system for right now and the world we currently live in. But for a few historical turns of fate, it might have been very different. > Would it be so hard to build a ruler with thirds measured on it, so you don't need to try and guess 0.333333 from mm readings? Like http://teaching.monster.com/nfs/teaching/attachment_images/0.. http://teaching.monster.com/nfs/teaching/attachment_images/0.... but made of metal Then it's not metric. That's the point. We use these values anyway, yet you have to step outside the metric system to represent them easily. Adding extra marks that don't correspond to the regular intervals is confusing, so it's avoided. That's why most rulers in the united states show metric on one side and imperial on the other.[1] 1: http://cdn.dickblick.com/items/554/27/55427-1012-3ww-l.jpg http://cdn.dickblick.com/items/554/27/55427-1012-3ww-l.jpg

hrasyid 8y ago

I understand some of what you say, but the point of standard unit is not so that people can choose which unit they like. It's to make sure everyone uses the same ones. If all but a few countries used imperial as their standard measure then I'd go for it. But right now it's the odd one out. Itu mostly survived only thanks to being associated with an economic superpower, so international companies can't afford to ignore it.

happymellon 8y ago
Hate to break it to you, but international companies do ignore it unless they need to print something out for an American to read.
- hrasyid 8y ago
  Yes, but I suspect they bother to print anything at all is because the US is a big market. Unfortunately, this helps perpetuate those legacy units.

jodrellblank 8y ago

Next you'll be promoting "a better way to count" by Conlang Critic Jan Misali - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qID2B4MK7Y0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qID2B4MK7Y0

yedpodtrzitko 8y ago

Divisibility by 12 could have benefits when working with small numbers, but on the other hand multiplying by 12 doesnt sound like operation you can do easily from top of your head...

eslaught 8y ago
Presumably, you'd also adopt a base 12 number system, so that decimal 12 becomes 10, and decimal 36 becomes 30, etc.
- kiriakasis 8y ago
  Good luck with that

EricBurnett 8y ago

Hmm, good for usage you say. Ok, let's stick to "standard" imperial units. How many feet in a yard? Yards in a mile? What the hell is a quart? And since base 12 is great, what is 12 feet called? 144 feet? A 12th of an inch? Or, ounces: How many ounces in a gallon? A pound? And how many _kinds_ of ounces are there, anyways? Fun fact: The term “ounce” is of Latin origin from the word “uncia” which means “a twelfth part.” http://www.differencebetween.net/science/mathematics-statistics/difference-between-fluid-ounces-and-ounces/ http://www.differencebetween.net/science/mathematics-statist... So...what's an ounce a twelfth of? Or, say, a pint. What's the definition of a pint?

nhebb 8y ago
A pint is what British people drink in pubs while chastising the US for not adopting the metric system.
- Brybry 8y ago
  And then complain about gaining a stone?
- dsego 8y ago
  The metric pint?
  - fuzzfactor 8y ago
    When they pour 500 mL into your 1 pint (473 mL) glass.
- Nursie 8y ago
  568ml, as god intended. Not some 450ml abomination! We don't really use pints for measuring anything else these days.
  - bunderbunder 8y ago
    If only US pints were a 450ml abomination. That's about 50ml more than I'm used to getting when I order a "pint".

AngryData 8y ago

0 degrees Farenheit is also the temperature salt stops freezing water. It is a good thing to remember when you are wondering about driving on snowy and icy roads.

int_19h 8y ago

Base 12 is more convenient than base 10. But that argument really only works if numbers were written in base 12. They're not, though, and that isn't changing any time soon. As a result, Imperial has to deal with two bases - the units themselves are defined base 12 (more or less; it's not really consistent e.g. with volume), but then you still have to do arithmetic in base 10. So, until such time as we switch to base 12 for all numbers, metric is superior, because it is simpler.

jameshart 8y ago

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 than 1/64". Well, a bit bigger. Let's not get into tenths of millimeters. And at larger scales, of course, base 12 is much easier when it comes to dividing distances. Taking a distance of 2'7" and dividing it by three in your head is much easier than dividing 79cm by three, because... well, 2' divided by three is 8", obviously. If you need to be sure, just tap it into a calculator. That supports base 12... Anyway, you'll quickly determine that it's 10 1/3", which is much more precise than 26.3333cm. Now I just need to subtract the radii of these two 5/16" holes from that, which is easy - imagine trying to subtract 8mm from 26.3333cm! What folly.

umanwizard 8y ago
Whether decimals or fractions are used is not necessarily related to metric vs. customary units. I just weighed myself on my bathroom scale -- 191.2 pounds.
- wolf550e 8y ago
  People use "stones" for weight of humans. As if 14 pounds is a convenient amount.
stephen_g 8y ago
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.
- stavros 8y ago
  The gp was being sarcastic.

zmix 8y ago

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 of water occupies one cubic centimeter, weighs one gram, and requires one calorie of energy to heat up by one degree centigrade -- which is 1 percent of the difference between its freezing point and its boiling point. An amount of hydrogen weighing the same amount has exactly one mole of atoms in it. Whereas in the American system, the answer to 'How much energy does it take to boil a room-temperature gallon of water?' is 'Go fuck yourself', because you can't directly relate any of those quantities." From: "Wild Thing" by [Josh Bazell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Bazell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Bazell).

eadmund 8y ago
Actually, assuming room temperature is 60° and you’re at sea level, it’d take 1,216 BTUs to bring a gallon of water to a boil. A BTU is the amount of heat (which is energy) required to heat one pound of water one Fahrenheit degree; a pound of water is a pint; there are 8 pints in a gallon (2 pints in a quart, 2 quarts in a pottle, 2 pottles in a gallon). So, 8 * (212-60) = 1,216.
- fyfy18 8y ago
  1 US liquid pint is defined as the volume of 1.041 lb of water at 62F. The British imperial system is a bit cleaner where 1 imperial pint is defined as 20 oz or 1.25 lbs, at 62F.
- jdhzzz 8y ago
  "A pint's a pound the world around." I never knew whether that came from the fact that both are 16 ounces or because a pint of water weighs a pound (approximately). I prefer to think it's the latter. Makes it so I can remember that a gallon of water is approximately 8 pounds. 5 gallon pail mostly full, probably 35 pounds. Nice.

MattRix 8y ago

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. 0-10 cool. -10 to 0: cold

philliphaydon 8y ago
For me. 26+ scorching. 25 perfect. 24- freezing. Haha.
- batrat 8y ago
  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.

stephen_g 8y ago

You're just familiar with it - as somebody who has grown up with the metric system, I feel exactly the same affection about it, and to me imperial units feel stupid, unworkable and old fashioned. I think this is the biggest problem with metric/imperial arguments - most of it is actually based on emotional attachment deep down.

raverbashing 8y ago

> 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.

jetzzz 8y ago

> I also think that F is seriously superior to C. Both are not metric though. Metric unit for temperature is kelvin.

gpderetta 8y ago
True although C is just an offset from K, i.e. only absolute values change, temperature deltas are the same in C and K.

analog31 8y ago

Just as a side note, the US system gets worse and worse when you look beyond the everyday units of measure. Sure, inches are great, but below 1/4", screws are in a numbered system (higher number is larger) while the corresponding drill bits are in a different numbered system (higher number is smaller) or lettered (A to Z). Wire and sheet metal gage numbers are still different. An #8-32 thread takes a #29 tap drill... https://www.lincolnmachine.com/tap_drill_chart.html https://www.lincolnmachine.com/tap_drill_chart.html

bonzini 8y ago

0 C = frozen, be careful 10 C = you need a jacket 15-25 C = great outdoors temperatures 20 C = good house temperature in the winter 25 C = good house temperature in the summer 30 C = too hot to go out doing physical activity, good for a picnic or a day at the beach 35 C = too hot to go out, period 40 C = hot bath 100 C = boiling water

gilbetron 8y ago

I'm glad you made this point, because I am the one that usually does and gets hammered for daring to even hint that imperial might not be totally insane! The temperature one I've always found compelling. Most humans only rarely experience temperatures outside of 0-100F. That makes sense to me. Celsius makes little sense, except for 0 being when water freezes. It compacts the scale too much for everyday use. However, beyond basic human usage, I quickly switch to metric for anything involving actual math: simulation, science, finance, etc. A "cup" is about what a normal drink is. A liter is an insane amount of liquid for everyday use. I don't sit down and drink a liter of wine, I have a cup of wine.

njarboe 8y ago
A popular unit for a large beer is the "40" which is what a 40 ounce bottle of beer is called. About 1.2 liters, but not a size found in "respectable" households.
Moru 8y ago
The last couple of years we have had between -36 F to 97 F. Or -38 to +36 C. I like to be able to tell when the roads might get slippery (below +3 C or so), when the car will get problems starting if you forgot to plug in the heater (about -25 C), When it's time for the shorts (+18 C?). Also handy to know that I need 3-6-3 ammounts to make pancakes. 3 eggs, 6 litres of milk and 3 dl flour (that will be meassured with grams because easier, can just pour everything into the bucket and press "tara"). Flour weighs 60 g per dl. Put bowl on scale, start it. Pour flour in the bowl until it reads 180 g. Reset and pour in milk until it says 300 g. Mix until perfect. Add eggs. Reset scale and pour another 300 g and mix again. Start frying!

emilfihlman 8y ago

10 can easily be divided by into fifths.

amyjess 8y ago

Thank you. I'm glad I'm not the only person who thinks this way.

Iv 8y ago

The strength of the metric system shows when you need several different scales. nano- micro- milli- kilo- mega- giga- The number of inches in a mile is harder to get than the number of millimeters in a kilometer or grams in a ton.

zzo38computer 8y ago

Celsius and Fahrenheit may be use for some thing, but I think kelvin is a good system, even if others are use for other purposes sometimes (such as Fahrenheit for oven temperatures).

thefringthing 8y ago

You should be careful about the term "imperial". US customary units do not always match the old British "imperial" units. A US fluid pint is significantly smaller than an Imperial pint, for example.