Below are copy and pastes from the "maginot line" thread that evolved into this thread.
Originally posted by Nighthawk62
Did the French ever do anything right?
GV
Originally posted by AThousandYoung
They invented and then spread the Metric system to everyone (but the US).
Originally posted by Nighthawk62
And how would this be a good thing? Please explain the economic and social benefits of spending millions to switch over! It's been 25 years here since we've supposedly switched and the only aspect that is truely metric is the temperature. Everything else is still imperial.
GV
Originally posted by AThousandYoung
The Imperial system is retarded? Don't go blaming France for Canada's failures (or those of the US).
Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
I would have thought it'd be easier for people who count on their fingers to use.
Originally posted by Nighthawk62
I never said that it wasn't retarded. It stems from medievel bartering and many arbitrary units were used. The metric system should theoreticaly be easier to use, however, switching over is a monumental task and I believe we have been slipping backwards towards the imperial system over the last 10 years. Consider the following:
North America was surveyed in miles - impossible to change
Buildings were built in imperial - If materials become metric reovations would be a nightmare and cause costs to rise. A dual system so as that new construction could be metric and renovations done in imperial is cost prohibative and confusing, and would need to be carried on for 100 years.
Why do France and Britain who build Airbus use imperial fasteners? Even they have found it dificult to break from the medievel system!
I don't believe the benefits of being able to do calculations on your toes outweighs the cost (two fastener systems, mechanics need two sets of tools, signage changeover, packaging changes and labeling, etc), inconvenience(units of measure and area now bear no resemblence to the way the land was surveyed, confusion over conversions, confusion which wrench you need, etc) and dangers (Gimli glider) of switching over. In my opinion the metric system was conceived by people who were poor at math and fractions and thought that everbody else was as well. How selfish on their part. Oh that's right they were french!
GV
Originally posted by Nighthawk62In my opinion the metric system was conceived by people who were poor at math and fractions and thought that everbody else was as well.
Below are copy and pastes from the "maginot line" thread that evolved into this thread.
Originally posted by Nighthawk62
Did the French ever do anything right?
GV
Originally posted by AThousandYoung
They invented and then spread the Metric system to everyone (but the US).
Originally posted by Nighthawk62
And how would this be a good thi else was as well. How selfish on their part. Oh that's right they were french!
GV
You're right. Scientists, who ALL use metric, tend to be poor at math. We'd better try to be like the more intelligent cooks and mechanics and use Imperial instead.
If we switched to metric then science and industry would be able to communicate without annoying conversions. In addition, we'd only need one set of tools.
EDIT - One set for new work anyway.
Originally posted by AThousandYoungI'd have based my measurement system on elevenths; the setup would be the same as the metric system in all structural aspects.
[b]In my opinion the metric system was conceived by people who were poor at math and fractions and thought that everbody else was as well.
You're right. Scientists, who ALL use metric, tend to be poor at math. We'd better try to be like the more intelligent cooks and mechanics and use Imperial instead.
If we switched to metric then science a ...[text shortened]... ersions. In addition, we'd only need one set of tools.
EDIT - One set for new work anyway.[/b]
The person who gets the reference also gets their choice of a rec or a hug.
Originally posted by Nighthawk62Would you like us to count in base 12, 14 or 16 also?
Below are copy and pastes from the "maginot line" thread that evolved into this thread.
Originally posted by Nighthawk62
Did the French ever do anything right?
GV
Originally posted by AThousandYoung
They invented and then spread the Metric system to everyone (but the US).
Originally posted by Nighthawk62
And how would this be a good thi ...[text shortened]... else was as well. How selfish on their part. Oh that's right they were french!
GV
Originally posted by royalchickenI agree on the eleventh system, comes in handy if you want things to be just a little bit longer. But maybe instead of "tap"ping into something like that might it not be better to implement a fortysecond system instead, i think that would be the answer to everything.
I'd have based my measurement system on elevenths; the setup would be the same as the metric system in all structural aspects.
The person who gets the reference also gets their choice of a rec or a hug.
Can i get my hug now, lol
Originally posted by coentjeNo, I'm afraid not.
I agree on the eleventh system, comes in handy if you want things to be just a little bit longer. But maybe instead of "tap"ping into something like that might it not be better to implement a fortysecond system instead, i think that would be the answer to everything.
Can i get my hug now, lol
Originally posted by CrowleyWe all don't travel on roads that were originally trals that meandered aimlessly through the country side. Here there were road allowances surveyed before there were settlers. All done in one mile grids. Looks like one big waffle from an airplane. When flying an airplane you can check ground speed by timing the time it takes to go a mile. Why would you want to then have to convert it.
Eh?
http://www.metrication.com/cgi-bin/convert.cgi?Quantity=length
GV
Originally posted by shavixmirI never said that imperial was better or easier to use. I am only stating my opinion that switching over is more trouble that it is worth. Also no body has explained to me why the partialy owned French aircraft builder, Airbus, still uses imperial fasteners.
Let's see then...
3 feet in a yard.
Quite some yards in a mile?
16 ounzes in a pound or something and 12 pounds in a stone? And what does water weigh?
Na...
Who ever thought that rubbish up should be shot.
GV
one of the reasons imperial measurement will probably never dissapear from the aerospace industry is that being a gravitational system its a breeze to work out forces due to gravitational loading. So for example if you want a margin of safety on a bit of structure that say has 10,000 lbs of tension load acting on it and it pulls say a 3g load in the direction of the tension, the calculation of that force is as simple as 10,000 lbs X 3. As they say dont try that at home with metric unless supervised.
In the meric(SI) system force is a derived unit and this leads to a lot of additional calculation, that having grown up with it, is second nature, but after doing a semester of being told to do every calc exclusively in imperial I can see why a lot of structural engineers will not readily give it up without a fight.
Originally posted by kmax87So then what you are saying then is that the metric system is not always easier and not neccessarily superior in all aspects. I would hope that AThousandYoung and his intelectialy superior scientists would take note of that!
one of the reasons imperial measurement will probably never dissapear from the aerospace industry is that being a gravitational system its a breeze to work out forces due to gravitational loading. So for example if you want a margin of safety on a bit of structure that say has 10,000 lbs of tension load acting on it and it pulls say a 3g load in the direction ...[text shortened]... mperial I can see why a lot of structural engineers will not readily give it up without a fight.
GV