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why is the US not Metric

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KL27x:

--- Quote from: Tepe on November 30, 2019, 12:04:38 am ---
--- Quote from: KL27x on November 27, 2019, 07:35:15 pm ---A ruler with 1/16th digit markings might be harder to use than the one with 1/16th inches. Maybe the digit was more common only used down to 1/8ths, for practical purposes. Or something like that.

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That’s all fine and dandy except some countries’ inches were not divided into 1/8ths or 1/16ths. They were divided into 1/12ths which again were divided into 1/12ths.

For example:
 1 fod = 12 tommer = 144 linjer = 1728 skrupler
or with symbols:
 1I = 12II = 144III = 1728IV

The origin of the prime and double prime for foot and inch is simply superscripted roman numerals  :)

--- End quote ---

No matter if you divide into 12th or 16th, it would still makes sense. However you divide it, the division on the digit ruler might be considered too small compared to the ones on an inch ruler. Going to inches might make it easier to take the next quantum step to the next smaller division.

And if you superimpose digits onto an ruler marked in fractions of inches, the digit integers will line up as long as you have marks on every quarter inch. Which you would have even if you divided the inches into 12ths. So if you lived in the time and place where both digit and inch were still in usage, your inch ruler could have digit markings on it, but your digit ruler might have lines that don't jive with inches.

Well, unless you divided the digits into 12ths. In fact, if you divide the inches into 16ths, then each 1/16th an inch marking is also 1/12th of a digit. So I think this might be one of the reasons why/where we got rulers marked in powers 2^-1 inches, today. Maybe inches were invented (when there were formerly digits) for the people who wanted to work in 16th's rather than 12's. So this one ruler gave them both options, just by changing base unit between digits and inches. They meet back up at the foot, so no other worries. Back then people didn't express distances like 2.0 x10^7 inches. They didn't like big numbers.

So the inch might have been invented because of different camps arguing that 12ths are better than 16ths, and vice versa. We have that same thing going on with regular oz and troy oz. And to do a conversion, all the ancient Sumerian/Roman would have to do is look at a ruler to get the other number, and then count the divisions.

Of course other civilizations might not have cared or known about digits or whatnot and just inherited the inch. And they maybe divided their inches into twelfths cuz they liked 12th's. Maybe it was easier to express 12th's in their language-slash-number system. It might have been short and sweet, like saying "a tommer" vs "a hindiglufendagnish." Or their number system might have worked way easier with 12ths. Or they just liked 12th's because there are 12 inches in a foot, and they were super annoyed by the asymmetry of subdividing 12ths of a foot into 16th's.

Ironic that America's evil imperial is from Arabia/Asia/Africa well back before recorded history.

bsfeechannel:

--- Quote from: tooki on November 29, 2019, 11:45:28 pm ---YouTube just recommended this to me. Interesting historical aspects of metrication. In particular, I like the concluding comment that the citizens in all the metric countries only changed under duress, sometimes even revolting against metric!



--- End quote ---

This video is old and is the spark of last year's discussion about the (lack of) metrication in the US. The History Guy concludes that people in the US still use imperial because they have been given that choice. Duh! Truism galore. He seems to convey the idea that metrication is the work of oppressive governments. What motivation would such governments have to impose metric over their citizens? What kind of gain would those governments have? The recent move towards metrication in Guyana can give us some clue:

"In the foregoing year it was observed that generally businesses are willing to change over to the use of the metric system, but the consumers are the driving force behind the use of the imperial system."

It's clear that those who benefit the most with the metric system are those who drive the economy, and it is precisely this segment of society who pushes for metrication, not the government. But as any government knows, "it's the economy, stupid!". So...

As it has been pointed out repeatedly along this thread, for the common citizen the exact system of units is irrelevant as long as it is standard. If the metric system was so abject as THG paints it, there would be a worldwide movement to restore imperial or customary units. What we see is the opposite. With each passing day the last bastions of the imperial system fall one after another.

Steve Jobs didn't conduct any marketing research because he realized that consumers don't know what they need until you show them. The common citizen doesn't know they need the metric system, and since a system of units is not something that can be sold, it is necessary that its adoption become compulsory for the benefit of the whole economy.

Metrication in the US will happen exactly as it did in all other countries. Eventually the common citizen's resistance will be seen as a whim and the economic forces will win out.

KL27x:
bsfeechannel:
--- Quote ---As it has been pointed out repeatedly along this thread, for the common citizen the exact system of units is irrelevant as long as it is standard.
--- End quote ---

bsfeechannel:

--- Quote from: KL27x on November 30, 2019, 03:18:39 am ---bsfeechannel:
--- Quote ---As it has been pointed out repeatedly along this thread, for the common citizen the exact system of units is irrelevant as long as it is standard.
--- End quote ---

--- End quote ---

Good luck.

Cubdriver:

--- Quote from: KL27x on November 30, 2019, 03:18:39 am ---bsfeechannel:
--- Quote ---As it has been pointed out repeatedly along this thread, for the common citizen the exact system of units is irrelevant as long as it is standard.
--- End quote ---

--- End quote ---

Exactly.  He still hasn't presented a good argument to change highway signage in the U. S.  What we have works and is a standard.  I'm not seeing economic forces pressuring us to change road signs.

-Pat

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