On Aug 14 , at 6:31 AM, STANLEY DOORE wrote:
I should think that most people are aware of the metric system since most people watch and listen and read reporting about the Olympics. The Olympics is virtually all metric.
With a notable exception or two. Does anyone know why the hight of the nets in beach volleyball is reported in feet and inches? Or is it hard metric dumbed down by the commentators? The claim that the height for women's matches is "seven, four and a quarter", which is standard shorthand for 7 feet plus 4.25 inches. I tried converting to centimetres and got 224.155 cm. I guess that might be 225 cm converted into ft-in form.
However, the men's nets were reported to be 9 feet (or maybe they said 8 feet, I'm not sure). That is equivalent to 274.32 cm, which could have been 275 cm converted back into ft-in. (8 feet converts to 243.84 cm which does not seem to be close to any simple, round number.)
Could it be that the heights are 225 cm for women and 275 cm for men? Or am I just wishfully thinking?
If the "true" value for the women's net is 225 cm, then when it is converted to ft-in one gets 7 feet 4.58 in, which could NOT reasonably be rounded to the stated 7 feet, 4 and 1/4 inches. It is actually closer to (and a littel MORE than) 7 feet, 4 and 1/2 inches.
If the true value for the men is 275 cm, then when it is converted to ft-in one gets 9.022 ft which would round to 9 feet 0.268 inches, which is close to 9 feet, 1/4 inch. Perhaps they would have ignored the quarter inch and called it "exactly" 9 feet, but one would have to wonder why they ignored the quarter inch here but did not ignore it in the women's value, stated as 7 feet, 4 and 1/4 inches.
Bill Hooper 1810 mm tall Fernandina Beach, Florida, USA ========================== SImplification Begins With SI. ==========================
