James Hodson said:
Horses for courses, IMO. Some things are more sensibly
measured in imperial units whereas others make more sense
when metric is used.Imperial works well for human measurements of height and
weight. In my case, 12.5 stones and 6'00" makes more sense
than ~=80 kg and 1.83m.
Sorry James, but I fail to see why "12.5" is intrinsically
easier to get to grips with than "80". And how is 5'8 1/4"
easier intrinsically easier to work with than 1.73m?
Quoted message said:Sometimes neither work particularly well: horses racing on
their shorter courses are best measured in furlongs rather
than by metres or multiples of 220 yards. Jet aircraft
thrusts work better in both tons or tonnes rather than
pounds or kilogrammes.
Though the Kg is the base /ISO/ unit of mass, a tonne is a
metric unit (1000 Kg or 1 Mg), so measuring jet thrust in
tonnes is perfectly acceptable if you want to use metric. I
don't see 200m is a difficult sort of number to get to grips
with. Races are run in furlongs because of tradition,
there's nothing peculiar to horse anatomy that you couldn't
measure courses in 200m chunks and not really affect the
racing, or perhaps you find the guinea is an intrinsically
easier unit of currency than the pound or euro if you happen
to be buying a horse?
Quoted message said:Lowish altitudes are better measured in feet too. A
cricket pitch's length is better understood when quoted in
yards rather than metres or a chain.
The Dutch don't have highish altitudes and manage okay in
meters. A cricket pitch is defined in yards, but I'm sure
the amount of people who actually mark them out could adjust
easily enough: there aren't /that/ many of them. Cricket is
actually played in places where yards aren't commonly used,
yet they still manage to mark out the pitches and play.
All the examples you've given of where non-metric is
"better" are actually cases of familiarity rather than
superiority. You're happier saying 12.5 stone, but OTOH
someone from continental Europe will be happier saying 80
Kg. Neither is easier, they are both acceptably easy if you
work with them. And same for the others. I have to work with
both, so I do. I'd prefer to work with just 1.
Quoted message said:To be honest, I guess it really depends on when and
where one was brought up and also on ones predilection
for the modern versus the older. A case of "if it ain't
bust ... ".
But it /is/ bust. If I tell a German I weigh 12.5 stone
they don't have a clue what I'm talking about (in fact an
American wouldn't know what I was talking about!). Why
would I want to? Well, my bike is German, and I may want to
talk about it with the manufacturer. If you're only happy
in imperial units you're pretty much snookered if you turn
up at a builders' merchants these days. They don't do Cw
bags any more.
Quoted message said:The attitudes of keeping the mile at all costs and we must
convert completely to metric are simply opposite sides of
the same coin.
Not really. One is realising we're in a backward minority
and would be better in the broader picture not to be and one
is clinging to the fact as if it's something to be proud of.
With increasing globalisation we're not doing ourselves any
favours clinging to a system that is used less and less.
Quoted message said:Let's hear it for parsec.
There are good reasons to use parallax seconds of arc if
you're an astronomer. Or AU, or Light Years. Not so much for
making stuff for export to the countries next door.
Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer Tel 44 1382 660111
ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382
640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net
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