i'm giving up metric

[Shultzy]

"In 1959 the length of the inch was shortened slightly to its present definition of 2.540 000 000 centimeters. "

That must mean that any tapes made before 1959 are longer than those of today, has anbody got one :lol: :lol:

 

[engineer one]

but what it really means is that 6inches is not what it was :twisted: :lol:

paul :wink:

 

[Dewy]

I always wondered why the inch was exactly 2.54cm. :?

I always thought it was 25.4mm lol

 

[MikeW]

I probably shouldn't mention I mostly use metric when I build furniture :lol:

At least when not working off of other's plans, which is rare. I find metric for building furniture much easier/quicker.

Building on larger scale like carpentry et al I use imperial. But I suspect that's because my longer tapes are all imperial...

Take care, Mike

 

[engineer one]

so we are saying that 6 inches ain't what it was, and miles are still longer :lol:

paul :wink:

 

[Shivers]

"In 1959 the length of the inch was shortened slightly to its present definition of 2.540 000 000 centimeters. "

That must mean that any tapes made before 1959 are longer than those of today, has anbody got one :lol: :lol:

yes i saw that earlier--but i resisted,---is it a matter of the cm getting lengthened ?--how can one be adjusted & not the other--what was the reasoning behind this.What alien influence would cause the inch to be diminished--- it's not a male member thing again is it.


shivers

 

[Shadowfax]

metres are the SI unit of length. Both cm, mm, km just apply standard multiples to that base unit. And they are all perfectly acceptable.
Cheers
Gidon

Surely the standard multiple is 1000 so where does the cm fit in?
This little unit, which is not part of the SI system is the one thing that causes the most confusion, in my opinion. There is no need for the centimetre at all.
And I wasn't even going to join this thread! Damn!!

Cheers

SF

 

[wrightclan]

Surely the standard multiple is 1000 so where does the cm fit in?
This little unit, which is not part of the SI system is the one thing that causes the most confusion, in my opinion. There is no need for the centimetre at all...

SF

Eh? Where does this myth come from that the centimetre is not part of the SI system? SI prefixes

Brad

 

[Shadowfax]

I knew this would get me into trouble!
All the prefixes are in the SI system - they have to be - but the basic multiple should always 1000 for everyday measurements.
I was taught that to use anything else would lead to confusion. This is for woodwork. The cm is just not necessary. It seems to be used because it is liked, perhaps for the reason that it is "close" to other units in the imperial system.
You don't need to use cm to measure in metric. Millimetres and metres are all you need for woodwork. Simple and possibly less confusing for some. But if you like imperial measurement, that's fine.
When is this thread going to die? It seems to be set for a record.

Me? I use whatever is convenient, but mostly metric. I hate fractions!
A rod is the way to go for most projects, for me, anyway.
So, measure twice, use whatever measuring system floats your boat, and if you have to cut more than once, make sure you made it too long the first time!
Cheers.

SF

 

[Paul Barrett]

As a child of the sixties, I too am 'ambidextrous' but it has to be said that in many cases imperial is easier to use, and provides more redily recordable units. A third = 1/3 or .333333333333333333333333(shall I go on?)3333333333333(more?)3333333333333(ok I'll stop now).

And how about pi? 22/7 or 3.14however far you want to go

BTW, I can't recall the exact date and title, but under a law passed in about 1984, the US formally adopted the metric system for commercial purposes. But everyone just ignored it.

 

[Dewy]

under a law passed in about 1984, the US formally adopted the metric system for commercial purposes. But everyone just ignored it.

Which is why one of the Nasa Mars shots failed. The calculations had been done in Europe using kilometres and the Nasa mathematicians who worked on the rest used miles.