English/metric measurement error in the Mars Climate Orbiter

[MeJasonT]

don't forget sheafs and bushels

some sad person has to look up on wiki leaks what we are missing from our obscure list, i am that person
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...of_measurement

Its also nice to see the lack of dementia amongst us all

[olderdan]

And then there were Gold Sovereigns, how could I forget those I had seven of them once handed down three generations. My X sold them behind my back.
On a lighter note I once overheard my two boys refer to me as Wallet.

[mklotz]

And then there are chains. An acre (the amount of land a man can plow in a day) is a chain wide and ten chains long. A chain is 66 feet long, a tenth of a furlong.

But wait, chains are composed of links. Some demented individual had heard of decimalization but didn't quite get the concept so he divided the chain into 100 links. This makes the link a super convenient 7.92 inches. Considering that math education back in that day was even worse than it is today, one would think they would have gone for something more integerial like say 66 links.

[tonyfoale]

And then there are chains. An acre (the amount of land a man can plow in a day) is a chain wide and ten chains long. A chain is 66 feet long, a tenth of a furlong.

I mentioned before that we have to keep chains. Otherwise we would have to stop playing cricket.

[12bolts]

For those not sure why we would bother to measure insects in chains.

....Otherwise we would have to stop playing cricket.

Cricket, explained
You have 2 sides, 1 out in the field; and 1 in.
Each man that’s in the in side, goes out, until he’s out and then he comes in, and the next man goes in until he’s out.
When the in side have all gone in and out, the side that was out comes in, and the side that’s been in and got out, goes out and tries to the side coming in, out.
Sometimes you even get a man still in, and not out.
When both sides have been in and out, including the not outs, that’s the end of the game

[olderdan]

For those not sure why we would bother to measure insects in chains.

Cricket, explained
You have 2 sides, 1 out in the field; and 1 in.
Each man that’s in the in side, goes out, until he’s out and then he comes in, and the next man goes in until he’s out.
When the in side have all gone in and out, the side that was out comes in, and the side that’s been in and got out, goes out and tries to the side coming in, out.
Sometimes you even get a man still in, and not out.
When both sides have been in and out, including the not outs, that’s the end of the game

That is amusing and just about sums up my understanding of the game of cricket but then I have never been interested in any sport that is just based on a ball.
However the scene of cricket played on a village green on a summer afternoon is a pleasing sight, so british don't you know.

[Tonyg]

Thank you for this post Jon, it certainly grew legs.
However it is sad that in this relatively advanced world that we now live in we still can not agree on one measurement system.

[Jon]

Asimov did a good job on this topic in Realm of Measure.

[mklotz]

Robin Williams had a more compact definition of the sport, "Cricket is baseball on valium." Considering that baseball is highly compacted tedium, that's quite an insult.

[Frank S]

Robin Williams had a more compact definition of the sport, "Cricket is baseball on valium." Considering that baseball is highly compacted tedium, that's quite an insult.

I don't know about cricket being baseball on valium, I've been to a lot of professional baseball games and I found that the only reason the huge pipe organ plays so loudly is to keep you awake while the catcher plays finger talk and the pitcher has to stare as the guys junk and nod or shake his head.