[USMA:32972] cm and mm

[Harry Wyeth]

On this biz on mm or cm, in Australia or elsewhere, it just seems to me that it is a lot easier to talk in cm if, for example, you are telling someone how high your kitchen countertops are.  If I were talking to a non-metric person, it would go over much better if I said it was (say) 95 cm rather than 950 mm; I think he would have a better idea of what I was talking about.   For me, I can visualize 95 little units stacked up.  But 950 really tiny units--that's more difficult.  But if it works Down Under or for other folks, that's OK with me.   When I was in New Zealand I overheard a customer who came  into a window glass shop tell the owner that he needed a new window pane of "xx by yy", and they were two digit numbers only.   HARRY WYETH