NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Units and area. was: gipsy moth iv
From: Robert Eno
Date: 2006 Jul 17, 09:23 -0500
George Huxtable writes:
> This refers to Red's recent posting on the subject of units and
> area,
> in which he wrote-
>
> | ...Which is why
> | metric will never be really popular here, you folks are always
> counting huge
> | numbers with tiny measures and no one seems to remember the
> decimeter exists.
> | (Even then, two feet still seems like a more basic concept than "six
> |decimeters".)
> .
>
> It ill becomes an American, from the last bastion of the inch and
> the
> pound and the (US) gallon, to lecture "you folks" (by which,
> presumably, he means the rest of the World) about the illogicality
> of
> their measurement systems. Though I agree with him about the under-
> use
> of the decimetre.
Robert comments:
George, while I am always impressed by your keen intellect and erudite comments, I have to side with Red on the issue of metric vs. Imperial.
Canada converted to the metric system back in the 1970's and while it is the "official" system of the Dominion, the unofficial parallel system remains Imperial. Perhaps because I grew up with the Imperial system, my view of its utility over the metric system is skewed by familiarity and comfort.
To provide an example, in determining depth under keel, I can much more readily envision how much room I have when the depth is reckoned in feet as opposed to meters or decimals of meters. I will take an inch over a centimeter any day; again, I can envision an inch much more readily. When I calculate my fuel consumption, it is in gallons. It is also intesting to note that, near as I can reckon, the nautical mile has never been abandoned by the aviation and marine industries in favour of the kilometer.
But it is not just old codgers like me who have failed to fully embrace the new world order: even the youngsters in Canada will quote figures in gallons, inches, feet, miles and pounds. Outboard motors are still reckoned in Horsepower. Shoe sizes are still quoted in the "American" system. About the only aspect of the metric system that has been fully embraced to the complete exclusion of Imperial measurements is the reckoning of temperature (celsius). Even a Luddite like me has abandoned Fahrenheit in favour of Celsius.
It is not my intention to slag the metric system nor to suggest that we go back in time, but to point out that even in counties where the metric system has been officially adopted, it has not been a resounding success in terms of getting the public fully onside. I may be wrong about this, but I seem to recall reading somewhere that even the United States officially adopted the metric system some years ago, but it has never taken off.
Finally, what irritates me the most is the apparent disdain with which metric converts look upon those of us who still employ and embrace the Imperial system. Certainly the the metric system is much more sensible and has many alluring features: it is a base 10 system; many of the units are interrelated (grams of water vs. volume in centimetres being one example). It is an easy and logical system to use.
The Imperial system on the other hand, is illogical, cumbersome and requires one to memorize a series of oddball figures: 12 inches to a foot, 5280 feet to the mile and my all time favourite, 54 gallons to a hogshead (beer; 63 gallons for wine). Despite this, the Imperial system is still hanging on. There must be a good reason for this and while I have many notions as to why, I cannot exactly put my finger on it.
On that note, I shall end my metric rant.
Robert
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From: Robert Eno
Date: 2006 Jul 17, 09:23 -0500
George Huxtable writes:
> This refers to Red's recent posting on the subject of units and
> area,
> in which he wrote-
>
> | ...Which is why
> | metric will never be really popular here, you folks are always
> counting huge
> | numbers with tiny measures and no one seems to remember the
> decimeter exists.
> | (Even then, two feet still seems like a more basic concept than "six
> |decimeters".)
> .
>
> It ill becomes an American, from the last bastion of the inch and
> the
> pound and the (US) gallon, to lecture "you folks" (by which,
> presumably, he means the rest of the World) about the illogicality
> of
> their measurement systems. Though I agree with him about the under-
> use
> of the decimetre.
Robert comments:
George, while I am always impressed by your keen intellect and erudite comments, I have to side with Red on the issue of metric vs. Imperial.
Canada converted to the metric system back in the 1970's and while it is the "official" system of the Dominion, the unofficial parallel system remains Imperial. Perhaps because I grew up with the Imperial system, my view of its utility over the metric system is skewed by familiarity and comfort.
To provide an example, in determining depth under keel, I can much more readily envision how much room I have when the depth is reckoned in feet as opposed to meters or decimals of meters. I will take an inch over a centimeter any day; again, I can envision an inch much more readily. When I calculate my fuel consumption, it is in gallons. It is also intesting to note that, near as I can reckon, the nautical mile has never been abandoned by the aviation and marine industries in favour of the kilometer.
But it is not just old codgers like me who have failed to fully embrace the new world order: even the youngsters in Canada will quote figures in gallons, inches, feet, miles and pounds. Outboard motors are still reckoned in Horsepower. Shoe sizes are still quoted in the "American" system. About the only aspect of the metric system that has been fully embraced to the complete exclusion of Imperial measurements is the reckoning of temperature (celsius). Even a Luddite like me has abandoned Fahrenheit in favour of Celsius.
It is not my intention to slag the metric system nor to suggest that we go back in time, but to point out that even in counties where the metric system has been officially adopted, it has not been a resounding success in terms of getting the public fully onside. I may be wrong about this, but I seem to recall reading somewhere that even the United States officially adopted the metric system some years ago, but it has never taken off.
Finally, what irritates me the most is the apparent disdain with which metric converts look upon those of us who still employ and embrace the Imperial system. Certainly the the metric system is much more sensible and has many alluring features: it is a base 10 system; many of the units are interrelated (grams of water vs. volume in centimetres being one example). It is an easy and logical system to use.
The Imperial system on the other hand, is illogical, cumbersome and requires one to memorize a series of oddball figures: 12 inches to a foot, 5280 feet to the mile and my all time favourite, 54 gallons to a hogshead (beer; 63 gallons for wine). Despite this, the Imperial system is still hanging on. There must be a good reason for this and while I have many notions as to why, I cannot exactly put my finger on it.
On that note, I shall end my metric rant.
Robert
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
To post to this group, send email to NavList@fer3.com
To , send email to NavList-@fer3.com
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
