Metric vs. other measurement systems - chart

[bruce.desertrat]

Wow, I didn't know there was a standard washing machine. How many scall bananas are they?

(also some wag has started making standardized scale bananas, https://hackaday.com/2014/11/17/sand...e-is-so-metal/ )

[FEM2008]

....Mr. Thoburn had English and metric scales available, customers were charged accordingly [and equally] to their preference.

Looking at it from the other side, which scale should the state certify? Keeping both system certifications increases the cost to taxpayers as well.
Go uncertified one might say.... buyer beware. Wasn't that one of the triggers for french revolution?!

[MeJasonT]

We are looking for a mattress for our spare room, its 1 and a half washing machine by 3 and a half washing machine. Or 0.1375 Sq ropes + a scroat
perhaps even a nano doubloon in cost
Im really liking this new measurement system, its making math really easy to understand
E=mc^2 to bucket loads of washing machines, why didn’t they say that at school it would have made loads more sense.
I mean I get the Empire State building is 59 London busses long
That’s like 5th avenue – I have seen 50 busses on one street in NYC, I totally get it.

[MeJasonT]

Call me Cindy but i do on occasion visit the washing machine, I know it has one function that cleans my cloths - fast coloureds cleans everything fek knows what the other things do. Must be ME-2 functions.

[MeJasonT]

Bruce
The euro-nation made standard sized bananas law, they had to be straight as well.
you think we are crazy wanting to leave.

It came from one of Yunkers flippent remarks to take the p**s i think, but was he - im not sure he was ever sober to be honest.

[FEM2008]

I was taught that awkward system in grade school. I soon purged it from my memory bank. There's a much simpler way to find roots using Newton's method.

Consider this iterative equation...

x2 = (x1 + N / x1) / 2

where:

N = number whose root is to be found
x1 = initial estimate of root
x2 = improved estimate of root

We make a guess of the root, x1, plug it into this equation and get an improved estimate, x2. If this estimate isn't good enough for out purposes, we set x1 = x2 and repeat the process to get an even better estimate. This iterative procedure is repeated until x2 squared is close enough to N to satisfy our requirements.

@mklotz . BTW. I brought this up recently and my son informed me this is Babylonian method, not Newtonian. I looked ut up. This method is also known as Heron's method. His detailed deccription goes back to 60 AD.

[mklotz]

@mklotz . BTW. I brought this up recently and my son informed me this is Babylonian method, not Newtonian. I looked ut up. This method is also known as Heron's method. His detailed deccription goes back to 60 AD.

The derivation of Newton's method is generally done by using the definition of a derivative. Since Newton (and Leibniz) developed calculus the method probably came to be known by Newton's name.

The Babylonians and Heron had nothing like calculus so it's not clear how they stumbled upon the iteration. My guess was by trying various numerical methods or by numerically extending something that works without iteration for perfect squares.

Example:

Let 'n' be the square root of 'N'. Then N/n = n and (n + N/n) = 2 * n so:

n = (n + N/n) / 2

It's not a huge intellectual leap to think that, if n is close to the square root, then the result of the above calculation should produce a number closer to the true root, iow an iterator...

n2 = (n1 + N/n1) / 2

[MeJasonT]

holy crap, the worlds round - when were you going to tell me. Next you will say Pluto isnt a planet.

In the famous song title by Jellybean - im just visiting this planet

I missed the Apollo bus coming back from the moon so i had to wait for the next one, nobody said it ws the last bloody bus.

[Frank S]

When it comes to drill bits I prefer two size numerations well possibly a 3rd
Imperial decimal for smaller or critical sizes higher end millimeter grades since those you can buy in tenths of a MM from the tiny through as large as you want, and lastly a fractional set in 64ths You can forget those 1,2,3s and A,B,C sizes I have no use for them although I do have a set of both

[hemmjo]

snip.... You can forget those 1,2,3s and A,B,C sizes I have no use for them although I do have a set of both

I think we need to be careful here. I have no use for lots of things that others find useful, but that is no reason to forget them or dismiss their usefulness for others.

It is the, "I have no use for ....." mentality that makes some people (especially legislators) think that "if I don't need it, no one needs it".

I would have hoped that this discussion would have help us be more open with our thoughts.