5 ms·

Sometimes, american measuring systems make me want to slap myself

doublerabbit 3y ago
I bought a new tape measure for DIY, it still has millimetres as a measurement. Sure. I am totally going to measure my new bookshelf in mm.
- AlecSchueler 3y ago
  Aren't the marked in between the centimetres? And aren't they useful if you're working with something that was originally measured in inches and you're doing a lot of cuts of 2.54cm etc.?
- askvictor 3y ago
  If you're going to pick one unit for unambiguous measurements for most day-to-day use, you could do a lot worse than mm.
- mulmen 3y ago
  I have never seen a tape measure in the US without both scales.
- freetime2 3y ago
  I have a tape measure in mm and have absolutely no issue using it to measure things up to 5m in length. It’s trivial to convert in your head between mm, cm, and meters and record whatever unit makes the most sense. Or it’s also fine to just work in mm for largish objects - anyone with any experience with metric units should have no trouble visualizing a car, for example, that is 4,555 mm long. And car dimensions are routinely given in mm by manufacturers on websites, pamphlets, etc for use by the general public. So I think mm should be just fine for a bookshelf, unless it’s 10+ meters long. BTW I am an American who grew up using feet/inches, and am now a total metric system convert. I too grow tired of the endless snarky remarks every time someone uses a non-SI unit on the internet, but let’s not delude ourselves into thinking the US way (and other countries who still use non-SI units for certain applications, the US isn’t the only one although it is perhaps the worst offender) of doing things is somehow better. It’s just the convention that people are familiar with in the US.
ChatGTP 3y ago
I think if America went metric it would be a boon for the economy and trade. Buying American tools is such a pain in the ass, for example.
- mulmen 3y ago
  You can't multiply by two? The fractional scale is based on reciprocal powers of two. Would it be easier for you if they were denoted in binary? It's the same idea, with the same benefits. You are conflating two ideas. The fractional scale could be applied to metric units just as well as US customary units. Like how Americans use thousandths of inches in some cases. Buying "American" tools is no different than buying metric tools. They come in sets with common sizes. The metric system is in widespread use in the US and has been for decades. You can choose to interpret the continued use of US Customary units as stubbornness or ignorance but that says more about you than Americans. I choose to view it as Americans being comfortable using the right tool for the job instead of swinging the same old hammer at every new screw.
  - VincentEvans 3y ago
    Quickly, how many feet in a mile? What about quarter of a mile? Eighth of a mile? How many inches is a half of a mile? Now try with kilometers, meters, and centimeters. I think this is the point that is being made.
    - mulmen 3y ago
      Irrelevant but: 5280. 1320. 660. 2640*12 is 26400+5280 so 31680 inches. Since we are playing games tell me the last time it was important for you to know that something was 768,342 millimeters away? Or do you just call that 750 meters? You use the appropriate unit for the task. I know HN commenters get irrationally angry about the US customary system but you missed the entire point here. Fractions aren't unique to US customary units and powers of 10 aren't unique to the metric system. You fell back into that same trap of "everything is powers of 10!" like that's the only thing that matters. But if powers of 10 are so great why isn't everything base 10? How many degrees are in a circle? How many hours in a day? Seconds per minute? Days per month? Months per year? How many letters in the alphabet? How many bits per byte? We all use different bases all the time, without really thinking about it. It's just not a big deal.

I bought a new tape measure for DIY, it still has millimetres as a measurement. Sure. I am totally going to measure my new bookshelf in mm.

AlecSchueler 3y ago
Aren't the marked in between the centimetres? And aren't they useful if you're working with something that was originally measured in inches and you're doing a lot of cuts of 2.54cm etc.?
askvictor 3y ago
If you're going to pick one unit for unambiguous measurements for most day-to-day use, you could do a lot worse than mm.
mulmen 3y ago
I have never seen a tape measure in the US without both scales.
freetime2 3y ago
I have a tape measure in mm and have absolutely no issue using it to measure things up to 5m in length. It’s trivial to convert in your head between mm, cm, and meters and record whatever unit makes the most sense. Or it’s also fine to just work in mm for largish objects - anyone with any experience with metric units should have no trouble visualizing a car, for example, that is 4,555 mm long. And car dimensions are routinely given in mm by manufacturers on websites, pamphlets, etc for use by the general public. So I think mm should be just fine for a bookshelf, unless it’s 10+ meters long. BTW I am an American who grew up using feet/inches, and am now a total metric system convert. I too grow tired of the endless snarky remarks every time someone uses a non-SI unit on the internet, but let’s not delude ourselves into thinking the US way (and other countries who still use non-SI units for certain applications, the US isn’t the only one although it is perhaps the worst offender) of doing things is somehow better. It’s just the convention that people are familiar with in the US.

ChatGTP 3y ago

I think if America went metric it would be a boon for the economy and trade. Buying American tools is such a pain in the ass, for example.

mulmen 3y ago
You can't multiply by two? The fractional scale is based on reciprocal powers of two. Would it be easier for you if they were denoted in binary? It's the same idea, with the same benefits. You are conflating two ideas. The fractional scale could be applied to metric units just as well as US customary units. Like how Americans use thousandths of inches in some cases. Buying "American" tools is no different than buying metric tools. They come in sets with common sizes. The metric system is in widespread use in the US and has been for decades. You can choose to interpret the continued use of US Customary units as stubbornness or ignorance but that says more about you than Americans. I choose to view it as Americans being comfortable using the right tool for the job instead of swinging the same old hammer at every new screw.
- VincentEvans 3y ago
  Quickly, how many feet in a mile? What about quarter of a mile? Eighth of a mile? How many inches is a half of a mile? Now try with kilometers, meters, and centimeters. I think this is the point that is being made.
  - mulmen 3y ago
    Irrelevant but: 5280. 1320. 660. 2640*12 is 26400+5280 so 31680 inches. Since we are playing games tell me the last time it was important for you to know that something was 768,342 millimeters away? Or do you just call that 750 meters? You use the appropriate unit for the task. I know HN commenters get irrationally angry about the US customary system but you missed the entire point here. Fractions aren't unique to US customary units and powers of 10 aren't unique to the metric system. You fell back into that same trap of "everything is powers of 10!" like that's the only thing that matters. But if powers of 10 are so great why isn't everything base 10? How many degrees are in a circle? How many hours in a day? Seconds per minute? Days per month? Months per year? How many letters in the alphabet? How many bits per byte? We all use different bases all the time, without really thinking about it. It's just not a big deal.