I am sure you are right. But respectfully I ask, if you have trouble with fractions of an inch, did you study fractions at all when growing up? Absolutely no disrespect is intended with that question. In the US we are taught fractions early in school, that may be why we prefer fractions of a measurement rather than a whole number portion of a measurement.
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In the times that I use metric and inches I just "round" 25 mm to the inch,
4" ~ 100mm.
1/2 inch ~ 12.5 mm or 6 1/2 mm
1/4 inch ~ 6.25mm or 6 1/4 mm
1/8 inch ~ 3.125mm or 3 1/8 mm
A N D I can live with metric also. But the only ones that seem so concerned about the US still using inches are the ones that use the "easier" metric system. Easier is not always the best path to take.
"J. Clarke" snipped-for-privacy@cox.net wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news5.newsguy.com:
The trouble really isn't the origin of the system, but the fact that the old one still works perfectly well. When you get past 1/32", you might as well switch the decimal representation of the value, it'll be difficult any way.
Between feet, inches, and miles, just about every distance most people want expressed is expressed. It's not broken, it's just not always easy to convert between magnitudes... but points where one magnitude is equal to another in use are few. (And at points where the math is relatively easy.)
"Leon" snipped-for-privacy@swbell.dotnet wrote in news:daCdnZieKpezmTrXnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:
I'll answer honestly. YES!!! I was taught fractions. Ad nauseam. But it was more esoteric and academic then woodworking practicality. There were no woodworking classes in first through 4th grade in Holland. Certainly after that you were supposed to be able to do all the fractions "in your head". Getting rusty now ...
But that really is not your question. For me the problem is whether 5/16 is bigger or smaller than 1/4. Or similar problems, and I have to always back calculate that to identical denominators, and that isn't (anymore) automagical!!
notbob snipped-for-privacy@nothome.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@myvai2.notbob.com:
Fahrenheit, centigrade, it's the same. I like Fahrenheit because "tomorrow it'll be in the high sixties" is more (im)precise than saying it'll be 17 to 21 degrees. I like centigrade because -40 is -40. Because zero is freezing, and 100 boiling, 36.8 is body temp, 42 a rather high fever.
Well ther was no wood working in 4th grade here either. LOL.. But it was fractions fractions fractions. I suppose it helps to learn fractions when every measurement is done in fractions.
Is 5/16 bigger than 4/16? Granted I have to think a bit to deal with 64ths and smaller increments.
Well fractions can be tough to recognize as a specific amount. In school I studied Mechanical and Archetectural drafting with a scale, no pocket calculators or computers back then. Fractions became second nature.
I see you now understand my point, the answer to why we still use fractions of an inch originated by the OP. I have a couple of Bridge City rules that are in 64 th graduations. Half way between those graduations is 128 ths of an inch. That measurement is much easier to mark than 2.65 mm. Thanks for helping me better understand why I perfer fractions of an inch over metric measurements. Apparently you need much more sufisticated measuring devices than a rule to measure sizes smaller than 1 mm. 1/64" is easily marked with a rule.
Well, I think it is pretty complicated stuff to move from Imperial to metric. Here's one small example.
I used to work for Oregon DOT (retired now). While I was with ODOT, there were 2 times where we and other DOT's were mandated by the Federal government to move from Imperial to metric with respect to our construction projects - which effectively meant for all our work.
All standards for measurements, materials, legal documents, etc, were to be changed to use the metric system.
The first time, the mandate was rescinded before we completed the change. This was part of the effort that was going to switch the entire US system to metric, but was abandoned before it really got going. Making that kind of switch would pay in the long run, but short term it is difficult.
The second time, the mandate was for DOT's and I imagine other related agencies. The mandate started out, um, mandatory but was made optional before we completed the change... ODOT went ahead and finished that work and became "metrified". We maintained our work in metric for several years. It took several years to make that transition, you can't believe the amount of things that have to be redone. I believe a few other state DOT's did the same, but most DOT's never completed the change to metric.
This was not popular with contractors. All work and materials they did for us had to also be in metric, , but for anything else they would use Imperial. I am sure that was awkward and increased overhead costs.
Eventually the contractors lobbied the legislature and, I assume, the Governor's office, to switch back to Imperial. Which we did.
As I understand it, all the DOT's that made the changeover to metric eventually switched back. Not because the DOT wanted to change; changing such standards is an exhaustive and expensive process. They changed because of outside (read: political) pressure.
"Leon" snipped-for-privacy@swbell.dotnet wrote in news:soSdnQOHKrVntjrXnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:
Leon, that is a good description of the need for finer graduations on your metric rulers. Has nothing to do with whether metric or US measurements are more convenient (except, what you're used to fits best, of course!).
Oh, I think the US has adopted the metric system more than we realize, given the success of the 9mm bullet. (Call me old-fashioned, but I still prefer the .45.)
I read somewhere that Thomas Jefferson was initially responsible for rejection of the metric system. He wanted the meter to be the length of a pendulum with a period of one second at sea level.
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