Simviation Forums

I was scrolling through comments under a Yahoo news article and this little gem piped up! She is my kind of girl!


                  

Something that is puzzling about the whole metric vs english debate: In the aeronautical engineering program, we use english frequently. You have no idea just how horrible the english system can be until you start messing a lot with slugs, lbf, lbm, etc. Personally I love the metric system.

Something that is puzzling about the whole metric vs english debate: In the aeronautical engineering program, we use english frequently. You have no idea just how horrible the english system can be until you start messing a lot with slugs, lbf, lbm, etc. Personally I love the metric system.

Metric vs Imperial. I get along quite well with metric but this poor girl made me laugh!

I mean, really?


I believe it isn't hard to understand which one is simpler to use...

3 feet=roughly 1m.
Thats all I need to know.

1 Yard = Roughly 1 m.

1 Rod = 16.5 ft.

metric vs english

You Americans use the Imperial System to. Don't blame it on the English.

The english invented the imperial system.

The english invented the imperial system.

That's true but the old English system (pre-1824) is different from Imperial. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_units

US units of measurement can be different from Imperial used in the UK, for example 1 Imperial Gallon = 1.201 US Gallons.

The english invented the imperial system.

They did, but it can't be blamed entirely on the English. The Americans adopted the Imperial System as well & they even changed it a bit.

Having been taught the Imperial System of Measurement since my School days in the 1930's, and used it throughout the whole of my working life. as an engineer and design draughtsman, together with all my working colleagues, the Metric system is obviously unfamiliar to me, and I constantly have to convert from Metric back to Imperial, to make any sense of it.

Daily Supermarket shopping, involving Metric weights and length are a nightmare for me.

I will be buried in an Imperial-sized box, and clutching a picture of Queen Victoria close to my breast.... [smiley=engel017.gif]...!

One 304,8 mm (foot) in the grave doesn't sound quite the same ...!

Paul.... [smiley=vrolijk_1.gif]...!

..Oh...and did I mention, the measurement of distance/length is the Metre...NOT the Meter. (A Meter is an instrument for measuring).

They did, but it can't be blamed entirely on the English. The Americans adopted the Imperial System as well & they even changed it a bit.

I believe it was us (the Brits) who changed it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_customary_units#History

Having been taught the Imperial System of Measurement since my School days in the 1930's, and used it throughout the whole of my working life. as an engineer and design draughtsman, together with all my working colleagues, the Metric system is obviously unfamiliar to me, and I constantly have to convert from Metric back to Imperial, to make any sense of it.

I'm in a similar position Paul. I have no problem working with metric units but I naturally think in Imperial. I can visualise exactly what a pound weight, foot or even a mile is but kilograms or kilometres make no sense to me at all. :-? 

I imagine the opposite is true for anyone brought up using the Metric system.

My self-employed builder Son mentions that he often has problems fitting modern Metric-sized windows and doors into Imperial-sized holes in the walls of (older) buildings!

My 1960's house has Imperial-sized, windows and doors, holes in its walls, which often give problems with windows and door replacements...big surrounding gaps to create, or fill in!

Paul...Life is far too short to learn new; "things".... ...!

This is what all teachers should do.
Anyway online comments are not known for being the brightest bulbs in the box.

..Oh...and did I mention, the measurement of distance/length is the Metre...NOT the Meter. (A Meter is an instrument for measuring).

From wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metre ):

" The metre (meter in the US), symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole (at sea level), its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology. Since 1983, it has been defined as "the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of 1 [ch8260] 299,792,458 of a second."

Basically it means that 1 meters is equal to (1/c)*c, being c the speed of light

Rednecks like me use the English (imperial) system its eas for me