On 6/3/2012 6:47 PM, James Knott wrote:
John Hart wrote:
The Metric system is just as idiotic as the English. Metric
measurement is good for people limited to thinking terms of ten, but
it's hard for the eye to divide and a millstone around the neck of
carpenters not using CNC. So What! Please keep the left wing
political rants off the list!
Why is it harder for an eye to divide than imperial?
Not totally off topic so I'll attempt it.
Binary fractions 1/2 1/4 1/8 1/16 have marks and it's easy to
interpolate 1/32 |.i.|.i.| .i.| .i.|
Metric 0.5 0.25 have marks, 0.125 can be interpolated 0.0625 0.03125
can't |....i....|....i....|
Construction stud spacing trivial in base 12 with fractions but
difficult in base 10. Metric was designed before calculators to make
arithmetic easier for scientists, then they proceeded to force their
"preference" on everyone else. That's what this discussion is about.
Giving users an easy way to set up their preferences would be a big
improvement.
I hate having Bill Gate's operating system and applications breathing
down my neck, mandating my preferences. Almost nothing sticks, I have to
change most everything every time I do anything in Micro Soft products.
Give users an option to make AOO fit their needs and it will blow MS away.
Yeah, that makes for real easy mental arithmetic.
There is magic in a numbers base. The Metric system conditions brains to
pentagram thinking. Before binary was invented (discovered?) an old
Chinese game called NIM eluded solution after the solution was trivial.
The English system evolved to fit human needs. The Metric system was
designed to make arithmetic easier. Something far superior than
1/10,000,000 of the distance from the longitudinal line near Barcelona,
Spain/Dunkerque, France and the North Pole may be possible, stop bashing
the English system, it may depend on it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected]
For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
