Not Another Metric Thread

[OverTheTop]

Ok. Somebody had to do it. Post any images or memes where measurements are presented in anything other than sensible metric or possibly tolerable imperial .

In case you wonder what I am talking about, here is an example.

 

[WillMarchant]

This was on Facebook this morning…

 

[tHoagland]

Ever hear a meteorologist talk about pea (or golf ball, etc) sized hail? Turns out, US National Weather Service has an official list of hail comparison sizes and a translation table.

https://www.weather.gov/lwx/skywarn_hail

 

[Rex R]

There was a dj who reported hail the size of mothballs... People were none too pleased when he finished his comparison.

 

[Hobie1dog]

We as a global community don't really want to progress too quickly. 5-10 years and everyone could use the Metric system.

 

[ThirstyBarbarian]

There was a dj who reported hail the size of mothballs... People were none too pleased when he finished his comparison.

When you consider the size of even a really large moth, this is not very big hail.

 

[Cape Byron]

 

[Raptor 2]

I have a vehicle 3 Carloses long. Or is that 3 Carlosi?

 

[Cape Byron]

I have a vehicle 3 Carloses long. Or is that 3 Carlosi?

How many Carlosi in a Cabanossi?

 

[Raptor 2]

My guess would be as good as Carlos’s so I’ll cut my losses and let him guesses.

 

[Sandy H.]

We used to have a saying at work that 'it would take 2 Oscars on a 20ft pipe' to torque that or similar [for reference, 3 million foot pounds of torque is not an unexpected number at times, so that would take a bunch of Oscars on some really long pipes!!!!]. He was a big boy, but a really good guy. Writing it out here makes it sound like we were a bunch of jerks making fun of a guy, but that's not at all how it was. He was one of the few people I knew who died due to complications related to COVID. I'm sure his size was a big factor, but he's missed for sure.

Sandy.

 

[bad_idea]

In baseball, the Altuve is a common unit of length.

 

[Ladykate]

We as a global community don't really want to progress too quickly. 5-10 years and everyone could use the Metric system.

In the U.S., I doubt it will be that soon unless there is an amazing change in the momentum of the 1975 act that said we should change to metric. It failed because the change was encouraged and voluntary - not mandated. Right now the U.S. is so embedded in non-metric things that it seems quite unlikely there will be a change in just one decade. For an interesting treatise on how embedded we are, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_the_United_States

 

[cls]

I was in elementary school back then. I knew metric measures from various hobbies (chemistry, rockets), so was eager to see the US convert.

Imagine my disappointment. all the old people (adults) were so confused, had no sense of units like liters vs quarts, suspicious they were getting ripped off (remember stagflation then)... And the kids hated it because the only thing the teachers knew to do is assign nonsense arithmetic conversion problems.

Sheesh, it was designed to fail. And now it's just going to be worse.

 

[ThirstyBarbarian]

I was in elementary school back then. I knew metric measures from various hobbies (chemistry, rockets), so was eager to see the US convert.

Imagine my disappointment. all the old people (adults) were so confused, had no sense of units like liters vs quarts, suspicious they were getting ripped off (remember stagflation then)... And the kids hated it because the only thing the teachers knew to do is assign nonsense arithmetic conversion problems.

Sheesh, it was designed to fail. And now it's just going to be worse.

It’s a big problem. To be precise, the problem is as big as 372.68 hippopotamuses.

 

[bad_idea]

I grew up in the US in the age of metric hopefulness with both systems of physical measurement taught in schools, but not both systems of temperature. Moved to Europe at a young age and became accustomed to Celsius temperature, yet never could make the translation easily. So I maintain two sets of temperature in my head, the one I can speak to SI speakers and the one I can speak to fellow Americans. Unfortunately I can't translate them on the fly with more than say 20-30% wiggle room, but I can speak each accurately to each cohort so long as I know said temperature in their particular reference. The brain is a strange thing.

 

[Cape Byron]

Moved to Europe at a young age and became accustomed to Celsius temperature, yet never could make the translation easily.

A seat of the pants conversion is (C x 2) + 30. So, 35 degrees C is about 100 degrees F (actually 95 F).

 

[cls]

It’s a big problem. To be precise, the problem is as big as 372.68 hippopotamuses.

football fields of blue whales, please!

 

[dr wogz]

.. is as big as 372.68 hippopotamuses.

African? or Asian?

 

[neil_w]

When you consider the size of even a really large moth, this is not very big hail.

Um...

 

[mh9162013]

In baseball, the Altuve is a common unit of length.

An "Astro" or "trash can" is also a unit of measuring the extent of a MLB baseball team's level of...dishonesty.

 

[bad_idea]

A seat of the pants conversion is (C x 2) + 30. So, 35 degrees C is about 100 degrees F (actually 95 F).

Oh I know, and I'm even pretty quick with mental math, but something about translating between C & F locks my brain up.

 

[cwbullet]

A seat of the pants conversion is (C x 2) + 30. So, 35 degrees C is about 100 degrees F (actually 95 F).

Thanks for that one. I have needed a quick on for years.

Kg to pounds is easy - X2+20%

Pounds to KG is - /2-10%

It will get you close.

 

[cautery]

F = 1.8xC+32 or C = (F-32)/1.8

Not sure what's hard about the above OR

KG ---> LBS = x 2.2
LBS ---> KG = /2.2

 

[mbeels]

When you consider the size of even a really large moth, this is not very big hail.

I had to stare at your post for 0.08 moth lifetimes time before I got it.

 

[dr wogz]

1.6km per mile

1m = 39"

 

[jd2cylman]

Thanks for that one. I have needed a quick on for years.

Kg to pounds is easy - X2+20%

Pounds to KG is - /2-10%

It will get you close.

I always use 2.2lbs to kg.
I can math multiplication easier than division or %.
All the suitcase weights (front hanging weights) for modern tractors have cast kg numbers, so I’m always converting them into pounds.

 

[jd2cylman]

The other thing I find myself converting a lot of is torque and pressure. So newton meters to foot pounds and Bar to psi.

 

[ThirstyBarbarian]

I too grew up during the failed US switchover to metric, and I think the approach was all wrong. I remember learning conversions from miles to kilometers, pounds to kilos, etc. That’s not super helpful to embracing new systems.

It’s better to develop an intuitive sense of measurements. When my wife and I did our long walk across Spain we quickly started to understand that 20km was a typical doable day, 15km was an easier day, and 25km was hard. Same thing for buying food in kilos or grams, and whether a temperature forecast was going to be comfortable, hot, or cold. That’s more useful than converting everything to familiar units.

The other thing I remember was how ridiculous the conversions got in terms of significant digits. I mostly saw it on the hiking trails in state and national parks. Someone would basically guess how long the trail was in miles, and then convert it to metric all the way down to the centimeter. The sign would say something like “Forest Loop Trail — 2 miles, 3.21869 km“. Really? That accurate? Why don’t we just call it 3km and consider it good. I don’t think all the digits after the decimal point helped anyone get past the idea that metric units were hard to understand.

 

[ThirstyBarbarian]

Um...
View attachment 567489

She’s checking between its legs to see how big thee hail is.