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Does anyone else pronounce "Soldering" as "Saudering"?

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SiliconWizard:

--- Quote from: Zero999 on November 16, 2023, 11:17:08 am ---I do find it odd the way the US has still been somewhat reluctant to change to metric units, in terms of everyday usage. I suppose peope prefer to stick with what they know and it's often not worth the trouble. The UK hasn't completely changed to metric either. Milk is still sold by he imperial pint and road signs are in miles and yards.

I can't see it changing any time soon, as it's even easier to convert than ever. Digital speedo's in cars can easilly be configured to work in either unit and it's easy to lookup the conversion online. I still remember the most common converstions to three significant figures: a pint is 568ml (imperial) or 473ml (US), a pound = 454g, an inch = 25.4mm, a mile = 1.61km, which I still find useful.

--- End quote ---

Agreed on both points. But rationality aside, it all has a very strong cultural, and even political aspect to it. So after the usual rational arguments, it's pretty pointless to discuss.
"Politically" speaking, since the metric system didn't come from the US, I don't really see how they would have switched to it. They have just merely been tolerating it ever since they had no choice due its wide adoption in science.
And I'm not saying that it's good or bad. Just how it is. And while I too find it somewhat "odd", none of us would probably want others to dictate which language we should speak in our own country, so this is kind of similar.

pdenisowski:

--- Quote from: tooki on November 16, 2023, 02:49:04 pm ---And indeed, the big soda bottles (the “to share at the table at home” size) in USA have been 2 liters (and the less common 1 and 3 liter sizes) for as long as I’ve been alive (>40 years).

--- End quote ---

I remember buying (and returning for the deposit) Pepsi in glass quart bottles that didn't even have metric equivalents on them :)

But yeah, I think the very first everyday item I remember seeing in metric units was soft drink containers.  And frankly, I think that's still the only everyday item I still see in metric units 50+ years later.

Biggest inconvenience for me of having two systems:  needing two sets of tools to work on cars.  (And keeping the metric and "standard" sockets and wrenches separate in the tool box / bag)

pdenisowski:

--- Quote from: tooki on November 16, 2023, 02:49:04 pm ---That’s the thing: for many applications the units of measurement are functionally irrelevant.

--- End quote ---

I feel somewhat unpatriotic every time I speak ill of our (almost) uniquely American measurement units, but working with fractional inches is a real challenge sometimes.

- This 9/16 wrench is a little too big, maybe I need 17/32 or a 1/2
- This board is 5 and 7/8 inches long, so if I want to cut it in half, each piece will be 2 and 15/16 inches

(Mentally, I would do the second problem as either 40/8 + 7/8 = 47/8 ... divide by 2 ... 47/16 inches, or alternatively, 1/16 less than 3 inches)

eutectique:
An oddity: Belgium, being an all-metric country, uses mile, half-mile, and quarter-mile (though disguised as metres) to display distances on motorway signs:

one mile:
here
here
here

half-mile:
here
here
here

quarter-mile:
here
here
here

Zero999:

--- Quote from: pdenisowski on November 17, 2023, 11:26:10 am ---
--- Quote from: tooki on November 16, 2023, 02:49:04 pm ---That’s the thing: for many applications the units of measurement are functionally irrelevant.

--- End quote ---

I feel somewhat unpatriotic every time I speak ill of our (almost) uniquely American measurement units, but working with fractional inches is a real challenge sometimes.

- This 9/16 wrench is a little too big, maybe I need 17/32 or a 1/2
- This board is 5 and 7/8 inches long, so if I want to cut it in half, each piece will be 2 and 15/16 inches

(Mentally, I would do the second problem as either 40/8 + 7/8 = 47/8 ... divide by 2 ... 47/16 inches, or alternatively, 1/16 less than 3 inches)

--- End quote ---
I thought you just use 1/1000 of an inch, rather than small fractions. I have some calipers which measure in increments of 0.0005", in imperial mode. What's confusing is Americans call 1/1000, a mil, yet us Brits will often say mil as an abbreviation for millimetre. We say thou for 1/1000.

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