I stand corrected by Leonardo. In USMA 8795, I said that tapes numbered in
cumulative centimeters (which I called style 1) were most common in both the
US and Europe. But Leonardo says that a fifth style I have never seen
(described by him below) is actually most common in Europe. So it seems that
Joe's "European style" (style 1) is really the American style and his
"American style" (my style 2) is closer to Leonardo's European tapes, but
numbered in millimeters instead of centimeters. Leonardo says they also
have style 4. Joe, where did you see tapes numbered in cumulative
centimeters in Europe?
The question then arises, why do the Europeans use a numbering scheme that
we find more awkward and complicated? Perhaps it's because of the different
ways we pronounce numbers, which in turn may reflect the decimal marker
used.
We pronounce 1.83 m as "one point eight three meters" or "one hundred eighty
three" [cm], but in most European languages I believe they say "one meter
eighty-three" [in the local language] perhaps because it's less work than
"one comma eight three meters" or "one virgola eight three meters." It this
correct, Leo? Have you ever seen long tapes numbered in millimeters rather
than centimeters? Are the tapes you described of the spring-retracting steel
blade type, or are they reel type that you wind up with a crank? What are
your longest auto-retracting tapes? (Our longest are 10 m, but 8 m or 5 m
are more common. Reel type are available in 50 m and 100 m).
Ironically, the European style that Leo describes is similar to our old
narrow single-scale wombat tapes, which have small numbers repeating the
foot number, every foot or even every inch (for example, 2F11).
One advantages of SI that's easy to sell to Americans is that the tapes (if
style 1) are very simple--one continuous set of numbers, with no extra
little numbers or letters in a different color to confuse you, and no clumsy
fractions.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Leonardo Boselli
>>
> I have many meters, mostly french, but also some german, Italian
> and chinese ones.
> ALL are marked at every cm (all have the mm graduation, anyway)
> starting from 0 to 99.
> Full decimeters are marked 1m20 and so on (the meter is larger
> size than the cm figures) . Cm restart from every meter, so for a
> certain part it is more similar to your "american way"
> I have seen also tapes that have only the dm numbered (again
> m.cm - in this case these does not have the mm marks)
> I have seen the cm above 100 only on double meters (that is tape
> or rods 2 meter or less long).
>
>
>
> On 26 Oct 00, at 13:31, Joseph B. Reid wrote:
>
> > This is a correction to my USMA 8775:
> >
> > >This posting is not intended to dispute Dennis's arguments. He
> > >demonstrates that only a planned and coordinated conversion program
> > >can be successful. I only want to comment on a misconception that
> > >exists on the American measuring tapes that I have seen.
> > American style:
> > 2 m
> > . 60 70 80 90 *500* 10 20
> > 30 . | | |
> > | | | | |
> > ii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|i
> > iii|i
> >
> > European style:
> > 246 247 248 249 *250* 251 252
> > 253
> > | | | | | | |
> > |
> > .ii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|iiii|i
> > iii|i
> >
> > >I think that the European style of centimetre numbers at every
> > >centimetre is easier to read and much less subject to error in
> > >reading than the American style of millimetre numbers at each
> > >centimetre. Beyond 1 m the American tape is especialy harder to
> > >read. The metre numbers are given in small red characters every
> > >decimetre along with the 100 millimetre numbers. So, in reading an
> > >American tape one has to refer to the preceding decimetre to pick up
> > >the insignificant red metre number and the bold 100 millmetre number,
> > >and merge these two numbers with the millimetre number at the
> > >preceding centimetre.
> >
> >
>
>
> Leonardo Boselli
> nucleo informatico e telematico
> Dipartimento Ingegneria Civile
> Universita` di Firenze
> V. S. Marta 3 - I-50139 Firenze
> tel +39()0554796431 fax +39()055495333
> http://www.dicea.unifi.it/~leo
>
>
