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why is the US not Metric
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themadhippy:
The Americans cant even get there imperial units correct,why are there pints  smaller?
Simon:

--- Quote from: boffin on October 25, 2019, 04:38:32 pm ---
--- Quote from: Ranayna on October 25, 2019, 04:10:06 pm ---What i find interesting in this debate is how the imperial units are handled in Germany.
In many things computer related, the inch as a unit is still very common. Harddisk and screen sizes are the current examples, floppy disk sizes where a thing in the past.
Then came the law some years ago, that you at first also had to include the size in centimeters, but could still primarily use inches. Then you had to priorizise centimeters, but still could include inches, and supposedly at some point inches where not to be used anymore...
As far as i know everyone still uses inches for harddisk and screen sizes  ;D
Similar story with horsepower for cars.

So even i a country that has been metric for who knows how long, the tradition of old units is very very hard to beat.

--- End quote ---

What's even more fun are screws.   a 3½ hard disk uses #6/32 (US) screws, whereas a 3½" floppy drive uses M3 screws




--- End quote ---

Standards change. At work we started to convert some obscure imperial screw to metric on projects as we got orders as the imperial ones while still available are expensive and directly replaced by M4 screws.
AG6QR:
It's not just the US.

Virtually every Japanese camera made in the past 40 years has a tripod socket with a 1/4-20 thread.  That's 1/4 inch, 20 threads per inch. 

Why?  So they can fit on Italian and French tripods, which use 1/4-20 threads.

These same cameras generally have the focal lengths of their lenses measured it mm, so both systems are represented in most cameras.
Simon:

--- Quote from: AG6QR on October 25, 2019, 05:40:40 pm ---It's not just the US.

Virtually every Japanese camera made in the past 40 years has a tripod socket with a 1/4-20 thread.  That's 1/4 inch, 20 threads per inch. 

Why?  So they can fit on Italian and French tripods, which use 1/4-20 threads.

These same cameras generally have the focal lengths of their lenses measured it mm, so both systems are represented in most cameras.


--- End quote ---

You can change what you measure focal lenght with at any time with no impact. But all acmera's and tripods have to be compatible so they have kept them the same as they always were. And the thread was probably devised before metric was widespread or the manufacture of metric threads was widespread. Thread manufacture would have changed after the countriues went metric.

there is a difference between wanting to continue to operate in an oudated system out of vanity and retaining things that are pointless changing but using a better system for the future. that is how things do slowly change for the better.
Simon:
In the same vain pentax never changed their camera lens mounts, others did. Some people select the camera brand because they have an old lens that would cost a fortune to replace and is still seviceable. No one will buy a new camera for even a few thousand if it means changing a whole lens kit worth more than the camera body. Good telephoto lenses can cost more than the camera body.
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