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why is the US not Metric

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Cerebus:

--- Quote from: bsfeechannel on November 02, 2019, 03:33:34 pm ---4' 11" and 1/16 is exactly 1.5 m. 3/8" is approximately 10 cm. Piece of cake: 1.7 m - wide minimum blind.

--- End quote ---

Want to try that again?  :)

You're trying to work out: 4' 11 1/16" - (2 x 3/8").  3/8" is approximately 1 cm, not 10 cm and the talk of clearance ought to make it clear that the blind is meant to be narrower than the window (recess) not (considerably) wider.

The exact answer is 4' 10 5/16". It's remarkably easy to do in your head as long as one knows 1" = 16/16" and 3/8" = 6/16"; just re-cast it as:
 4' 11 1/16" - (2 x 3/8")
=> 4' 10 17/16" - (2 x 6/16")
=> 4' 10 17/16" - 12/16".

Junior school 'fractions' practice basically.

.

Simon:

--- Quote from: Simon on November 02, 2019, 03:52:05 pm ---In fact to be more precise 4' 11" is 1.499 m

--- End quote ---

I forgot the 1/16 so its 1.5m or 1500mm exactly

bsfeechannel:

--- Quote from: Cerebus on November 02, 2019, 04:12:55 pm ---
--- Quote from: bsfeechannel on November 02, 2019, 03:33:34 pm ---4' 11" and 1/16 is exactly 1.5 m. 3/8" is approximately 10 cm. Piece of cake: 1.7 m - wide minimum blind.

--- End quote ---

Want to try that again?  :)

You're trying to work out: 4' 11 1/16" - (2 x 3/8").  3/8" is approximately 1 cm, not 10 cm and the talk of clearance ought to make it clear that the blind is meant to be narrower than the window (recess) not (considerably) wider.

The exact answer is 4' 10 5/16". It's remarkably easy to do in your head as long as one knows 1" = 16/16" and 3/8" = 6/16"; just re-cast it as:
 4' 11 1/16" - (2 x 3/8")
=> 4' 10 17/16" - (2 x 6/16")
=> 4' 10 17/16" - 12/16".

Junior school 'fractions' practice basically.

.

--- End quote ---

You see? You prove my point. Imperial is error-prone. Ditch that rubbish.

bsfeechannel:

--- Quote from: Simon on November 02, 2019, 04:16:27 pm ---
--- Quote from: Simon on November 02, 2019, 03:52:05 pm ---In fact to be more precise 4' 11" is 1.499 m

--- End quote ---

I forgot the 1/16 so its 1.5m or 1500mm exactly

--- End quote ---

Case closed.

mansaxel:

--- Quote from: Simon on November 02, 2019, 03:52:05 pm ---In fact to be more precise 4' 11" is 1.499 m

--- End quote ---

Edit: I also forgot that 1/16".

--- Code: ---(((4*12+11 )+1/16) - (2*3/8) )* 25.4
1481.1375000000000000000

--- End code ---

End edit.


--- Code: ---treize:Avo mansaxel$ bc -l
bc 1.06
Copyright 1991-1994, 1997, 1998, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
For details type `warranty'.
(4*12+11 ) * 25.4
1498.6
.- (2*3/8)*25.4
1479.5500000000000000000

--- End code ---

I spent more time than healthy calculating the result in fractions, but as soon as I understood to convert everything to metric it became quite easy. QED.

OTOH, now that we've got calculators that can do more than one thing in sequence, we can elect to stay in fractions one more step:

--- Code: ---
((4*12+11 ) - (2*3/8))* 25.4
1479.5500000000000000000


--- End code ---

But staying in fractions is only sensible for math challenged people like me once we get user-friendly tools like bc or dc.

Also, I have a fundamental understanding how wide a ~150cm window is, but 4' 12"? That requires calculation. Proving that neither system is more natural, it only feels so when you're used to it.  But metric is used by more people, and it is systematic, which means that conversations between for instance distances and volumes are obvious. And base 10 is pretty handy.

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