Some imperial measurements are pretty random (1 mile = 1720 yards, 1 yard = 3 feet?), but many of the commonly used ones are just based on fractions or convenie

Some imperial measurements are pretty random (1 mile = 1720 yards, 1 yard = 3 feet?), but many of the commonly used ones are just based on fractions or convenient values instead of everything being base 10. Maybe this will help with the fluids. Looking at a table of fluid measurements, it is easy to see it is just a base 2 system. 2^-1 oz = .5 oz = 1 tablespoon 2^0 oz = 1 oz = 1 oz (2 tablespoons) 2^1 oz = 2 oz = 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) 2^2 oz = 4 oz = 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) 2^3 oz = 8 oz = 1 cup (16 tablespoons) 2^4 oz = 16 oz = 1 pint (2 cups) 2^5 oz = 32 oz = 1 quart (4 cups) 2^6 oz = 62 oz = 1/2 gallon (8 cups) 2^7 oz = 128oz = 1 gallon (16 cups) I think it is quite beautiful in a way. That doesn't explain why we have 12 oz beers though.