Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 23:27:41 -0600
Reply-To: John Rodgers <inua@SCOTT.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <inua@SCOTT.NET>
Subject: Re: vanagon Digest - 14 Dec 1999 - Special issue
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
I always thought the metric system was a snap, with everything based on 10. No
halves, quarters, 8ths, 16ths, 32nds, etc. The problem arises in the conversions
from one system to the other and having to remember all the dad-blame constants
to make those conversions.....or having to make conversions in the first place.
Obviously if the world was on one standard it would surely simplifiy matters. So
far as the world scientific community is concerned they are on one
system......metric. So when they have a get-together to discuss scientific
matters when it comes to weights and measures they are all on common ground.
Makes life easier.
Once in a while the ball gets dropped, however. I heard/read somewhere fairly
recently that one of the NASA projects went to hell in a hand basket because
some engineer somewhere forgot to convert from US Standards to Metric Standards,
and the subsequent parties didn't know so their calculations were totally wrong.
When you have a $165 million project on the line, you don't make that kind of
mistake.
BTW, in Alaska a new bridge has been built on the Seward Highway over Canyon
Creek on the Kenai Peninsula. The bridge has a huge central piling for support,
and the bridge extends out in a sweeping arc from its abuttments, rising from a
low point to a high point as you cross the bridge. First in Alaska to bedesigned
and built so as to be earthquake proof(ha!) And also, as I understand it, to be
the first major bridge in the state...maybe the nation , to use the metric
system exclusively in it's design and construction.
John Rodgers
"88GL Driver
Joel Walker wrote:
> > >The silliest thing of all is that the US still does not use metric.
> > >
> > Excusse meee....
> > We do use metric...
> >
> > It fills up the other side of the ruler. It's on almost every package of
> > anything sold in the US. We just don't rely upon it.
> > At least our gallons are the correct size.
>
> what i've never understood about all this is: it's all just names ...
> quarts, liters, miles, kilometers. big deal.
> so why not redo the names for the English side of things if people are so
> uncomfortable with the metric stuff?
> like a liter is just about a quart. so we rename a liter to be a "quart" and
> now a gallon is 4 liters/quarts. simple. :)
> only problem is, old recipes and documents and plans. :(
>
> the way i'd do it is:
> Capacity
> New Fluidounce (nFluidounce) = 50 milliliters (about twice as big as a
> current sae fluidounce)
> New Pint (nPint) = 10 nFluidounces = 0.5 liter (a tad bigger than a current
> pint)
> New Quart (nQuart) = 2 nPints = 1 liter. (just a tad bigger than a current
> quart)
> New Gallon (nGallon) = 4 nQuarts = 4 liters. (just a tad bigger than a
> current gallon)
> or make it 5 liters. i'm not picky. ;)
>
> Weight
> New Ounce (noz or nOunce) = 20 grams. (a tad smaller than a current ounce)
> New Pound (nlb or nPound) = 100 noz = 2 kilograms.(a couple of tenths
> smaller than a current pound)
>
> Length
> New Inch (nInch) = 25 millimeters (0.4 shorter than a current inch)
> New Foot (nFoot) = 10 New Inches = 250 millimeters
> New Yard (nYard) = 40 New Inches = 4 New Feet = 1 meter
> New Mile (nMile) = 8000 New Feet = 2000 New Yards = 2 kilometers
>
> and so forth. this would put us on a metric basis, but with the old common
> names for just about the same size/lengths. etc. if the UK can do it with
> their money, why can't we do it with our rulers! :)
>
> but it'll never happen. :) engineers and such love the sae system cause
> there are so many factors that cancel out with all the 60's (in times) and
> 12's (in length) and so forth. hell, i'd like to have 20 hours a day (so any
> 2-digit time was in the "afternoon") with 100 minutes per hour and 100
> seconds per minute. :)
>
> but it's still all just definitions. like one fellow i knew who used to talk
> about his car going "furlongs per fortnights". ;)
>
> and then i'd want to work on getting all the countries driving on the same
> side of the road, so all the car makers could just make one version of the
> steering ...!!!
>
> unca joel
> (is it friday YET!??)
| 
