A glimmer of hope

[metric_taper]

Like most compromise solutions, trying to ease into metric by using the two systems side-by-side simply won't work. In fact, it can be downright life-threatening as Canada's Gimli glider incident proves...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider

That was a very interesting read. And one I've never heard of before. During my mentoring, and passing this on to the next generation, this incident never was brought up. Probably because there were no Collins Radio component/systems failures. Interesting that they had multiple failures, and clearly a MEL (minimum equipment list) that did not include the fuel quantity indicators. And then much statistical "luck" occurred.

Marv, did you work for Rocketdyne? Probably lots of other aerospace in the LA area, but they were attached to Rockwell International, as well Collins Radio.

[mklotz]

Marv, did you work for Rocketdyne? Probably lots of other aerospace in the LA area, but they were attached to Rockwell International, as well Collins Radio.

I started working for Space Technology Laboratories in 1964. STL was acquired by TRW. A few years after I retired in 1996 TRW sold off its aerospace business to Northrop Grumman. Both STL and TRW were good companies although things declined at the latter in the years leading up to my retirement.

[bill_h]

Australia has been miles ahead since it went metric.........

[mklotz]

Australia has been miles ahead since it went metric.........

Maybe you should have a pint to celebrate, Mr. Jefferies.

[Beoir]

G'day
I'm one who feels lucky to have benefited from Australia's metrification.

When at school I struggled with how many oranges I had to sell from a gross,
at three shillings threepence halfpenny per dozen, to buy an aspirin that would
rid me of the headache caused by trying to solve the problem

That was without getting into the quagmire of weights and measures. Please see the interesting graph below
Attachment 18192


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...nits_graph.png

I did my Machining trade during the transition though it was still heavily biased towards imperial. That was always going to be the case till the existing dinosaurs teaching made way for subsequent generations of dinosaur .

Later on I did Mech Eng and would not have made it through if it was going to involve the mathematics of, a body part (foot), time and a mass, to arrive at the number of garden pests (slugs) I have.

There are still people advocating for a numbering system based on "twelve" the wiki link below frightened me till I realised I'd probably be worm food before it is accepted to replace decimal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duodecimal

Cheers Beoir
________________________________
The early bird may get the worm, but

It's the second mouse that gets the cheese!
__________________________________

[NortonDommi]

Neat graph. I wonder how many people know that B.C. several bases were used? As to language every trade has one, usually specific to its own needs, boatbuilding for example measures are feet - inches - 1/8". Very easy to call out with no mistakes. With the exception of fine interior finishing the system works and works well.
Just fit the maths to what works easily and what you are comfortable with.
Being confined to one system can lead to things like buying a 3/8 BSP plug when the staff of a plumbing department including the recent immigrant head of department in the big shed outlet tried to sell me a 10mm plug because "10mm & 3/8" are the same".
Working on old machinery I come across all sorts of threads and it is a challenge and fun to suss things out. The brass , Copper and bicycle trades had their own standards, so did the Admiralty All for good reasons based on decades of experience with the materials and sizes they used. Very easy to refer to the appropiate standard. Metricery can be a nuisance to especially when dealing with stuff made by those damn French who started the whole mess with a metricery system that is different from everybody else.
Variety is the spice of life and could be why dementia is increasing as we homogenize everything.

[Jon]

Good first post Beoir! The unusual duodecimal advocates, whose position is perhaps not perfectly applicable to modern society, are a fascinating reminder of how our base-10 system is almost certainly based on how we evolved 10 fingers and 10 toes. It's reasonable to base a numeric system upon a calculator that is attached to everyone's body, literally just arm's length away.

We obviously have no historical record of this, but the etymological data (specifically the connection in many languages between "digits" as fingers/toes and "digits" as numeric symbols) is very strong.

[mklotz]

The Mayans used a vigesimal (base 20) system...

Mayan Mathematics - The Story of Mathematics

which, interesting for such an ancient culture, included a zero. Their calendrical computations...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_calendar

were astounding. The calendar origin point was thousands of years before the Maya ever existed. The largest interval in their calculations was an astounding 64 million years. Precise as well, they knew the year was 365.24.. days, not 365.25 as commonly accepted by the Romans.

I've never read a convincing argument concerning why they picked base 20; the obvious guess is sum of fingers and toes but who knows?

I don't think the Mayans used fractions (but there are still a lot of undecoded glyphs) but the Egyptians did...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_fraction

If you thought working with our fractions was difficult, try a few problems with Egyptian fractions. While complex, they had some valid applications that might have made them useful for their most common uses in the Egyptian culture which did not have a strong mathematical astronomy inclination as the Maya did.

[nickyd]

It's easier to type, also. Has anyone a keyboard with the Greek letter 'mu' ?

[Toolmaker51]

Variety is the spice of life and could be why dementia is increasing as we homogenize everything.

Every day I'm tasked to repair, service or just analyze components based on one system or the other. After allowing 'introducing' itself, via a few quick measurements on well finished surfaces, I decide which set of instruments to engage.
I continue by recording whatever pertinent data in the same system of measurement. Maybe 10% justify dual dimensioning.
Sure it needs a lot more tools. Which suits me in an offhanded way. Remember those of us employed deduct work tools as occupational expense; I regard that as subsidizing "He who dies with the most toys wins"! Mics, calipers, thread gauges, thread wires, thread mics, Jo Blocks, reference material... yeehaw!
Lol and thanks to the IRS.

Now I'm sitting back, smiling at thought of who and how responses of certain active posters will shower in. But that's what we're here for.