2.54 cM to the Inch

[Roger Key <roger.key@onet.co.uk>]

HI ALL,
Rip wrote - on a completly different subject....

>As in Gresham's law, it's apparently harder to change the tables than to
>continue using them. It's sort of an American tradition, like using inches
>and yards when centimeters and meters are actually easier and more
>universally recognized.

Well it could be worse, you could live in a country where both systems are
used.  True our goverenment are trying to make us use the Metric system
through threat of law...  Interesting how "competition improves the breed"
or not.

Of a side interest I like having my tape marked off in inches and
centimetres it allows me to measure that I need to cut a panel of wood 1
foot 6 and 3/8 by 47 cM.

As to the metric system being easier, how do we define easy?  True you only
need to be able to work in base 10 so that is easy.  However the beauty of
the imperial system is how easy the parts split up.  IN the metric system
if I want a third of a metre I need 333.3333333333333333333333333 mM  In
iImperial if I want 1/3 of a yard it is a foot!.  Third of a foot - 4
inches.  A lot more numbers devide into 12 than 10 (1,2,3,4,6 Vs 1,2,5) so
subdivision is easier.  SImulaly on inches.  You do not get hung up on only
having 10mM - which can be sub divided I know.  With an inch we can use any
fraction we wish, 37/64, 17/16.  It is harder to learn the Imperial system
but to my mind (as a person who happily mixes and matches from both
systems) the imperial system is far more useful that the Metric.  NOw how
do I get the rest of Europe to start doing things properly?  (Just joking
Jean-Marie)

By the way to all of you in the US.  The unit of measure is the Metre not
Meter and there are 20 fluid oz in a pint not 16!

---------------------------------oooOOOooo--------------------------------------
Roger C. Key 				 mailto:roger.key@onet.co.uk
Prescient - The Whole as One
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