• frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.ml
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    6 months ago

    It’s easier for handling real things.

    Try doing woodwork in feet and inches for a day. Try it in metric for a day. You’ll see what I mean.

    It was crafted for the human-scale, whereas metric was worked out on paper by French philosophers.

    • Zerush@lemmy.mlOP
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      6 months ago

      Human scale? Not yours or mines, measures of the ffoot, thumbs and random desires of a dead British King in the far past. No problem in metrics, at least if I don’t build a hut in the wood with an axe, then maybe using parts of the body for measures are usefull. Not the first furniture I made, also working in metal. Also in mathematic and physic the metric system is way better (Even NASA now uses the metric system since 2 probes crashed on Marte due to calculation errors in the imperial system)

      • Shareni@programming.dev
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        6 months ago

        Just wait for an American to tell you how it’s easier to use fractions with imperial. I’ve legit seen them say shit like 3/8 of an inch is easier to think about than 9.5mm.

          • Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
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            6 months ago

            2/3 is not a valid fraction of inches.

            Valid denominators are 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32. Technically, 64, 128, and 256 are also acceptable, but they are never actually used. For precision greater than 1/32nd, we switch to thousandths, or tenths of thousandths.

            3/8 + 5/16 is 11/16ths.

      • frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.ml
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        6 months ago

        I doubt it had much to do with kings, as they didn’t do handicrafts or have to measure things like grocers/traders do.

        That image is really stupid, too much wrong with it to go thru.

    • Beemo Dinosaurierfuß@feddit.de
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      6 months ago

      I am willing to bet that you are simply more used to the imperial system.

      I am not convinced that it has any objective advantage over the metric system.

      My foot is about 50% larger than my SO’s, but I can perfectly invision 30cm whenever I want or need to.

      • frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.ml
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        6 months ago

        Cooking too. Try baking a cake in the two.

        Pounds-and-ounces is all like “two eights is sixteen”, “three threes is nine”. Nice and handy multiples is what it’s made on.

        I’m about equally familiar with the two.

    • MossyHabitat@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Woodworker in US here, and I prefer metric. Also consider the thickness of plywood is actually in metric now - “3/4” is actually 18 mm but they have to market it as 23/32.

      I’ve chosen to join the other 8 billion people on earth.

    • silliewous@feddit.nl
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      6 months ago

      Are you telling us that you are actually making, say a box, by measuring it with your hands and feet? That’s barbaric! I’m guessing you actually use a tape measure like the rest of us.

      • frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.ml
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        6 months ago

        You and @Zerush both resorted to this fake idea that [not using the metric convention] = [measuring things with your body-parts]

        Very weird lie. I’ll take it as an admission you’re out of sensible points.

        • silliewous@feddit.nl
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          6 months ago

          That is what you’re implying by saying that imperial is more intuitive. But if you’re measuring with normal measurement equipment that argument is moot. At that point using imperial is easier for you just because you’re used to it. When normal people have to use imperial for things, all intuition is out the door and it will be hell.

          You’re failing to externalise your own experience from the situation. Maybe you should practice that a bit more.

    • dellish@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Woodworking, sure. You have a piece of wood 2’ 5 5/8“ long that you need to cut into quarters. Can you calculate that in your head? Metric is SOOOO much easier.

      • bloodfart@lemmy.ml
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        6 months ago

        here’s how i did: 2’/4=6", 5 5/8"/4=1 13/32, so it’s 7 13/32"

        smart to pick a prime numerator!

        • dellish@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Alternatively, the same measurement is 752.5mm / 4 = 188.1mm, to a practical number of significant figures. No convertions between feet and inches (or ridiculous fractions of inches), and only one calculation.

          • bloodfart@lemmy.ml
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            6 months ago

            Yes but my measuring tape actually has 32nds on it. The meter side only has whole divisions, not tenth graduations.

            So the sae “ridiculous fraction” is a measurement I can easily make with tools I have on hand to the tools own limit of precision and double check in my head with five seconds of fifth grade level mathematics while the metric one can’t be actually measured without a set of calipers and honestly would merit long division or a calculator to double check and still needs rounding off a vile eighth of millimeter to hit what is in your own words “a practical number of significant figures”.

            Imma throw something out there and I hope the earnest admission that I can’t divide 752.5 by four in my head with the level of confidence required to cut materials by is enough to recognize it not as an attack but as a real grasp at understanding:

            People who make posts like yours either don’t measure things in any meaningful way (cutting, dividing, scribing lines, etc) or don’t know how to work with fractions.

            Like I said: it’s not an attack, I just can’t see how someone would suggest that the metric equivalent to 13/32 is easier to work with unless they didn’t intend to actually measure it or couldn’t do fractions.

    • lightnsfw@reddthat.com
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      6 months ago

      I like imperial for big things. like you said it’s easier. For small things like 3d printing and such I prefer metric (basically anything with increments smaller than 1/16"). It just depends on what scale you need to work on.