32 ms·

I don't think objections to US customary units are because of base-12 vs base-10. I think it's because it's 12 inches to 1 foot, 3 feet to 1 yard, 1760 yards to

I don't think objections to US customary units are because of base-12 vs base-10. I think it's because it's 12 inches to 1 foot, 3 feet to 1 yard, 1760 yards to 1 mile, 3 tsp to 1 tbsp, 2 tbbsp to 1 fl. oz, 40 fl. oz per quart, 2 quarts per pint, 4 quarts per gallon, 31.5 gallons per barrel (or 42 if oil), 16 ounces per pound, 2000 pounds per ton (or 2240 if long ton), 1000 mil per inch, and so on. It's not just a base-12 system, it's pretty random across the board. And even just for "workshop" purposes, things like screw diameter (or sheet metal gauge, etc) are only listed in fractions-of-an-inch above certain sizes; below that it switches to a completely different numbering system, so you end up needing a reference chart anyway, which often just displays a decimal-inch figure like '#6 screw = 0.138 inch', and now you're looking up which fractional-markings that lies between on your ruler...

bee_rider 2y ago
This makes me wonder about an alternate universe where a mile has 2310 yards. At least we’d get a bunch of prime factors out of it. Although guess being able to repeatedly halve a mile is useful for splitting up properties?
JoeAltmaier 2y ago
Those conversions varied all over the place. But they originated in a system of doubling. Used to be two quarts per pottle, two pottles per gallon, and so on from there (peck, kenning, bushel, strike, coomb)
davidgay 2y ago
> 40 fl. oz per quart, That's the imperial quart. The US quart is 32 fl. oz. And, of course, the US fl. oz is slightly different from the imperial one. And neither is 1 (weight) oz of water (but at least the weight ozes are the same in US and imperial...).
- deleted 2y ago
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- saalweachter 2y ago
  The imperial fl. oz is 1 weight oz, at least within the margin of error of 1824. It's a shame that everyone broke the "a pint is a pound, the whole world 'round" relationship. The US standardized its pint too big, the UK switched from a 16 to 20 oz pint.

bee_rider 2y ago

This makes me wonder about an alternate universe where a mile has 2310 yards. At least we’d get a bunch of prime factors out of it. Although guess being able to repeatedly halve a mile is useful for splitting up properties?

JoeAltmaier 2y ago

Those conversions varied all over the place. But they originated in a system of doubling. Used to be two quarts per pottle, two pottles per gallon, and so on from there (peck, kenning, bushel, strike, coomb)

davidgay 2y ago

> 40 fl. oz per quart, That's the imperial quart. The US quart is 32 fl. oz. And, of course, the US fl. oz is slightly different from the imperial one. And neither is 1 (weight) oz of water (but at least the weight ozes are the same in US and imperial...).

deleted 2y ago
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saalweachter 2y ago
The imperial fl. oz is 1 weight oz, at least within the margin of error of 1824. It's a shame that everyone broke the "a pint is a pound, the whole world 'round" relationship. The US standardized its pint too big, the UK switched from a 16 to 20 oz pint.