Earrings!
Re: Earrings!
I was reminded of an incident when I was in Italy when Sinned mentioned the 80 Kilometers versus 50 Miles thing. We had a day off of work there and decided to go to see Mount Vesuvius which is about 25 miles outside of Naples. We had gotten to the top and walked a bit of the trail around the rim of the main crater and had started back down to the bus area. I was about 1/4 of the way back down when a couple going up asked how much farther it was. I stood there trying to say it was about another 500 feet or so up the trail to get to the top and mentally trying to convert that into meters for them. I gave up and told them it wasn't to much farther.
Personally the whole metric versus imperial thing is a bogus argument anyway. The argument for using the metric system says that it's easier because it's based on the decimal system and while that may be true for temperature which has it's base that freezing is at 0 degrees and boiling water is 100 degrees, the rest is based on an arbitrary and theoretical value, which is to say the length of an X-ray wave. As far as that goes X-Rays occupy a range of frequencies on the Electro-Magnetic spectrum, and further they are invisible to the human eye anyway so they cannot be seen, merely calculated. For that matter why not based the measurements on the length of an Ultraviolet Wave. Still it has become a standard but is always compared to the Imperial system so as to provide a way to convert from one to the other. At least that's my thinking, I may be wrong but I grew up with the imperial system so I'm used to it, and 90 degrees sounds hot while 32 degrees sounds cold to me. (90 Degrees F = 32 Degrees C)
Personally the whole metric versus imperial thing is a bogus argument anyway. The argument for using the metric system says that it's easier because it's based on the decimal system and while that may be true for temperature which has it's base that freezing is at 0 degrees and boiling water is 100 degrees, the rest is based on an arbitrary and theoretical value, which is to say the length of an X-ray wave. As far as that goes X-Rays occupy a range of frequencies on the Electro-Magnetic spectrum, and further they are invisible to the human eye anyway so they cannot be seen, merely calculated. For that matter why not based the measurements on the length of an Ultraviolet Wave. Still it has become a standard but is always compared to the Imperial system so as to provide a way to convert from one to the other. At least that's my thinking, I may be wrong but I grew up with the imperial system so I'm used to it, and 90 degrees sounds hot while 32 degrees sounds cold to me. (90 Degrees F = 32 Degrees C)
Re: Earrings!
Abstractly, the metric system is easier and more rational. for example:hoborob wrote:...I grew up with the imperial system so I'm used to it, and 90 degrees sounds hot while 32 degrees sounds cold to me. (90 Degrees F = 32 Degrees C)
How much does nine ounces of water weigh?
What's 3-3/16" plus 5-7/8"?
How many acres is a plot 1000 feet on a side?
Even if you can do these in your head, they're much harder than the comparable calculations in metric. But as to what's intuitive, then as you say, it depends on what you're used to.
Courage, conviction, nerve, verve, dash, panache, guts, nuts, balls, gall, élan, stones, whatever. Get some and get skirted.
caultron
caultron
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Re: Earrings!
Q1: nine ounces.
I'll leave the easy questions for someone else to answer.
I'll leave the easy questions for someone else to answer.
Keep on skirting,
Alastair
Alastair
Re: Earrings!
Got me. I meant how many pounds.skirtyscot wrote:Q1: nine ounces.
I'll leave the easy questions for someone else to answer.
Courage, conviction, nerve, verve, dash, panache, guts, nuts, balls, gall, élan, stones, whatever. Get some and get skirted.
caultron
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Re: Earrings!
The US space agency NASA, lost a very expensive Mars lander because their engineers had to convert forces and distances from metric to imperial and botched it.
Ronald Reagan cost US industry a ton of money by reversing Pres. Carter's effort to get the US in line with the rest of the world.
Btw, Napoleon initiated the metric system by asking his scientists to come up with a decimal measurement system based on the circumference of the Earth. Undoubtedly to make artillery calculations easier. The standard is now based on atomic measurements to make the calibration of measuring devices a more certain process.
Ronald Reagan cost US industry a ton of money by reversing Pres. Carter's effort to get the US in line with the rest of the world.
Btw, Napoleon initiated the metric system by asking his scientists to come up with a decimal measurement system based on the circumference of the Earth. Undoubtedly to make artillery calculations easier. The standard is now based on atomic measurements to make the calibration of measuring devices a more certain process.
David, the PDX Fashion Pioneer
Social norms aren't changed by Congress or Parliament; they're changed by a sufficient number of people ignoring the existing ones and publicly practicing new ones.
Social norms aren't changed by Congress or Parliament; they're changed by a sufficient number of people ignoring the existing ones and publicly practicing new ones.
Re: Earrings!
AFAIK it was a mistake on the part of the contractor that built the spacecraft, NASA specifications were in metric but the contractor thought it was imperial.Pdxfashionpioneer wrote:The US space agency NASA, lost a very expensive Mars lander because their engineers had to convert forces and distances from metric to imperial and botched it.
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Re: Earrings!
I, too, believe that's the case, but it remains a standing joke in the technical and scientific domains.Judah14 wrote:AFAIK it was a mistake on the part of the contractor that built the spacecraft, NASA specifications were in metric but the contractor thought it was imperial.
However, NASA did successfully put the Juno probe into orbit around Jupiter slightly before midnight (EDT), so that's good. I think everybody's learnt their lesson now about spacecraft, and that simpler is better, and it's best to use standard units of measurement and not try to fiddle with conversion in the middle of a project.
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Re: Earrings!
Let's face it folks. There have been numerous attempts to makeup a universal system of measurements for everyone to use throughout the history of our planet. Everyone who has done so has said that their system is better than everyone else's and is easier to use for this reason or that reason. In some cases we cannot convert the measurements of some systems into any other simply because we do not know what the standard was any more. Imperial versus Metric can be done simply because we have standards for each system and there are known conversion amounts.
Now just try to convert either into the Biblical system...Can't be done we don't know exactly what a Cubit was we only know approximately what it was, about 18 inches plus or minus.
How about to the Egyptian system. We don't even know what the base measurement was, and we still can't figure out how they built the pyramids.
Stonehenge, we don't even know were to start with that one.
I have heard in the past that there was even an attempt at one time to change the 7 day week into a 10 day week with the months being 3 weeks long each. The attempt was an absolute failure and without the Biblical account there is no reason whatsoever that can be found to explain why we have a 7 day week much less a 24 hour day. The Lunar month is easily explained but then that is 30 days plus or minus. Even the 365 day calendar isn't exactly right because we have to add a day once every 4 years and even that's not exactly right either.
The point is that no matter what system we use, it's all based on someone's arbitrary base standard and we all think and believe that our standard is the best one to use. I may not be an expert on the metric system but so long as I can go from one system to the other I'll stay with what I am used to.
Now just try to convert either into the Biblical system...Can't be done we don't know exactly what a Cubit was we only know approximately what it was, about 18 inches plus or minus.
How about to the Egyptian system. We don't even know what the base measurement was, and we still can't figure out how they built the pyramids.
Stonehenge, we don't even know were to start with that one.
I have heard in the past that there was even an attempt at one time to change the 7 day week into a 10 day week with the months being 3 weeks long each. The attempt was an absolute failure and without the Biblical account there is no reason whatsoever that can be found to explain why we have a 7 day week much less a 24 hour day. The Lunar month is easily explained but then that is 30 days plus or minus. Even the 365 day calendar isn't exactly right because we have to add a day once every 4 years and even that's not exactly right either.
The point is that no matter what system we use, it's all based on someone's arbitrary base standard and we all think and believe that our standard is the best one to use. I may not be an expert on the metric system but so long as I can go from one system to the other I'll stay with what I am used to.
Re: Earrings!
Personally, I don't think what measurement system is better really matters, as long as you can convert units to those you feel comfortable using there should be no problem.
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Re: Earrings!
Well, yeah, until you try to thread an imperial nut onto a metric bolt.Judah14 wrote:Personally, I don't think what measurement system is better really matters, as long as you can convert units to those you feel comfortable using there should be no problem.
I'm not sure what this has to do with earrings, though. Pushing metric studs through an imperial piercing really isn't a problem.
Courage, conviction, nerve, verve, dash, panache, guts, nuts, balls, gall, élan, stones, whatever. Get some and get skirted.
caultron
caultron
Re: Earrings!
Speaking of metric Bolts, I would like an answer to a question that I run into. The same size bolt will often appear to have several different thread pitches, I've seen as many as 4 for the same size, and every thread appears to be a very fine thread. Am I missing something or what, also in the imperial system once you go below a 3/16 diameter we switch to a numbered size, are these the same as the metric sizes?
Re: Earrings!
I believe the early Japanese metric threads were finer for the same diameter bolt- now standard. I found this out working on old Jap bikes- a German or French 8mm nut wasn't quite right for a Japanese bolt. Same spanner size though.
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Re: Earrings!
I'm a nostalgic sort, usually, so I guess I prefer the weather in Farenheit, but I have to say, car mechanics is much simpler with metric bolt sizes; especially if you run into those old "Ford Motors" sizes, like 11/16 and 19/32...Caultron wrote:Well, yeah, until you try to thread an imperial nut onto a metric bolt.Judah14 wrote:Personally, I don't think what measurement system is better really matters, as long as you can convert units to those you feel comfortable using there should be no problem.
I'm not sure what this has to do with earrings, though. Pushing metric studs through an imperial piercing really isn't a problem.
As a matter of fact, the sun DOES shine out of my ...
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Re: Earrings!
There are standard coarse and fine metric threads to optimise the strength for soft and hard materials.Gregg1100 wrote:I believe the early Japanese metric threads were finer for the same diameter bolt- now standard. I found this out working on old Jap bikes- a German or French 8mm nut wasn't quite right for a Japanese bolt. Same spanner size though.
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Re: Earrings!
Not really an expert but I remember from the time I used to do my own car repairs that I had a socket set with metric, whitworth and another imperial type sockets in it. I believe that many thread types were used over the years but only two or three of these were common.
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