measurement unit consensus.

[12VoltInstalls]

there's not many people nearly as conservative as the British.

I don’t find the British conservative at all. Traditionalist and inflexible maybe. But not conservative.

 

[Don B. Cilly]

What is currently known as "Dutch" used to be known as "Low Dutch".
What is currently known as "German" used to be known as "High Dutch". (Hence "Deutsch").
Which had more to do with altitude above sea level than anything else :·)
-

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Now the trend is to nominate the steepness as a percentage of the angle from horizontal to vertical i.e. 15%. Why anyone would want to make it more complex

After all, 15% is no where near a passing grade.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

more intuitive as freezing is 0

In my mind temperature is the only quantification where ‘metric’ makes any sense. In fact, ‘metric’ is an abortion of language: any comparative system to denote a distance or neo-linear measurement is ‘metric’ while the word itself denotes a standard more related to timing than distance.

Which is probably a lot of the historical reason it morphed into a spacial reference as it was a specific ‘standard’ (reference) and standards are established for accuracy because accuracy is only as reliable as its measurement standard.

That’s the science of it; whether 10-base or fractional ratio representations is irrelevant to any accuracy in practice. All the arguments to the contrary hold no weight whatsoever until we can all go to the dollar store and buy a ruby red laser wand lensed to exactly one “French meter” but that won’t happen because of too much cholesterol from butter.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

rode

Part of an anchoring system?!!

 

[Don B. Cilly]

Base-10 is quite good actually.
But the fact that a cubic cm. of water weighs one gram and is a 1000th of a litre (forget pressure and temperature, it does ;·) is even better.
Centigrades are not only base-10 (100) but it does make sense that 0 is freezing and 100 boiling, doesn't it.
-

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Yards are very close to metres, actually, so that wouldn't make much of a difference

And there’s the 12 again. 12 yards plus the leftover meter parts times 12 is twelvish meters LOL?

 

[justgary]

it does make sense that 0 is freezing and 100 boiling, doesn't it.

Well, if you happen to be boiling water at sea level, sure.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Well, if you happen to be boiling water at sea level, sure.

You have to boil water at sea level to have fresh mussels ?‍

 

[justgary]

And there’s the 12 again. 12 yards plus the leftover meter parts times 12 is twelvish meters LOL?

Meters are longer than yards by about 9.3%. Twelve yards is really close to eleven meters.

 

[justgary]

You have to boil water at sea level to have fresh mussels ?‍

Good point. Of course, if you exercise in the mountains, you can have fresh muscles there, too.

 

[Browneye]

Johnny was snoozing in class when Teach asked about metric measuring.

Teach - "Johnny, why don't YOU tell us what the difference is between metric and imperial measurements."
Johnny - "Well let's see...what do YOU think?"

Teach - "I don't think, I know!"
Johnny - "I don't think I know either!"

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Meters are longer than yards by about 9.3%. Twelve yards is really close to eleven meters.

39-3/8” in a meter. If they were going to make stuff up at least they could have made it measure to an even inch. 0.03125” is cumbersome to calculate with.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

|

 

[Don B. Cilly]

Well, if you happen to be boiling water at sea level, sure.

Or freezing it. In a 1013 millibar high pressure, sure.
Whereas 32 and 212F work at all altitudes

 

[rmaddy]

OK, here's a question for those if you in metric land. Do you have sane material measurements or are they as confusing in other countries like they are in the USA? For example, go to the store and buy some lumber for building a house. In the USA the most common piece of lumber used for wall studs in known as a 2x4 where that means 2 inches x 4 inches. These typically come in 8 foot lengths (but also 6, 10, and 12 feet). But here's the thing - a 2x4 is not 2 inches by 4 inches. They are actually 1.5 inches by 3.5 inches. That's just one example. When I built my trailer I made most of my cabinets using 1x2 boards. Nope, not 1 inch x 2 inch. They are really 0.75 inch by 1.5 inch.

And let's not go down the rabbit hole of how pipes are measured.

How is lumber typically designated and actually measured in other countries?

 

[camelCase]

The Canadian carpenters I've worked with did everything in imperial measurements. I'm not sure if that's consistent across Canada. 2x4 is so much easier than 35mmX90mm

 

[Ozark Tinkering]

I don’t find the British conservative at all. Traditionalist and inflexible maybe. But not conservative.

Define conservative.

 

[Don B. Cilly]

Lumber and construction belong to freemasons ;·)
They have to be cryptic.

Around here (nearly) everything but plumbing fixtures - I guess plumbers have (or wannahave) their own "guild" - is metric, though, including lumber.
-

 

[Ozark Tinkering]

OK, here's a question for those if you in metric land. Do you have sane material measurements or are they as confusing in other countries like they are in the USA? For example, go to the store and buy some lumber for building a house. In the USA the most common piece of lumber used for wall studs in known as a 2x4 where that means 2 inches x 4 inches. These typically come in 8 foot lengths (but also 6, 10, and 12 feet). But here's the thing - a 2x4 is not 2 inches by 4 inches. They are actually 1.5 inches by 3.5 inches. That's just one example. When I built my trailer I made most of my cabinets using 1x2 boards. Nope, not 1 inch x 2 inch. They are really 0.75 inch by 1.5 inch.

And let's not go down the rabbit hole of how pipes are measured.

How is lumber typically designated and actually measured in other countries?

Much of the lumber I use comes off my own land. When I bring it home from the sawmill it is full dimension. A 1"x12" black walnut board is exactly that and is rough sawn. Same with a board of eastern red cedar. That's how all lumber sold is priced, just as it came from the sawmill. Then it is planed smooth on all sides and around 1/4" of material is removed from all surfaces resutling in a 2"x4" measuring around 1.5"x3.5"

 

[brandnewb]

@brandnewb I'm really confused about what you are trying to achieve with your posts.

a good laugh, a stronger sense of unity and a great forum to also relieve some stress of the day. All in good spirit.

Now if you guys would switch to metric then I would be shocked and surprised and also that is not really what I was expecting here.

Just let's all have a laugh at each other in good fun.

respect!!

 

[brandnewb]

OK, here's a question for those if you in metric land. Do you have sane material measurements or are they as confusing in other countries like they are in the USA? For example, go to the store and buy some lumber for building a house. In the USA the most common piece of lumber used for wall studs in known as a 2x4 where that means 2 inches x 4 inches. These typically come in 8 foot lengths (but also 6, 10, and 12 feet). But here's the thing - a 2x4 is not 2 inches by 4 inches. They are actually 1.5 inches by 3.5 inches. That's just one example. When I built my trailer I made most of my cabinets using 1x2 boards. Nope, not 1 inch x 2 inch. They are really 0.75 inch by 1.5 inch.

And let's not go down the rabbit hole of how pipes are measured.

How is lumber typically designated and actually measured in other countries?

The older generation that helped me build my home did speak in 2 by 4's or things to a similar tone.

Also even until today, although it becomes less frequently, we still have to select pipe connection sizes in inches.

I will go to the city hall soon and legally add a second name to my registered one.

F. Frustrated D It's sometimes soo diffucult to figure out what pipe connections to buy.

This was for me the reason to switch over to the german system and am kind of commiting only buying from there until the rest of Europe have followed suit.

 

[brandnewb]

It's sometimes soo diffucult

did I do it incorrectly again?

it's is possessive and in the meant context make no sense?

 

[brandnewb]

ahh well I meant. It sometimes is rather difficult.

 

[rmaddy]

did I do it incorrectly again?

it's is possessive and in the meant context make no sense?

“It’s” is the contraction of “it” and “is”. “Its” is the possessive.