[Vwdiesel] Metrified by Inchworm

[Roger Brown]

James Hansen wrote:
> 
> The thing that really gets my goat in Canada is the big box stores bringing
> in 3.8 litre US gallons of stuff, and selling them as if they were still 4.5
> litre Imperial gallons. I know we were metrificated by *spit* Trudeau, but
> not fully, and I don't see it ever taking over in people's minds for a
> couple of generations at least. Carpentry is certainly one where the metric
> system was not ever instituted other than on paper with equivalent metric
> measurements displayed.  Makes no sense to do so either...  most of our wood
> products are made for the US market, and that's inches and feet.
> -James

Of course in the US, they use metric dimensions when it is to the mfg. advantage, like rounding down to the next lower metric
value.  Some 1/2" plywood is now 12mm thick, priced like it was 1/2", too!

In college, being a EE, we were taught all the SI units in the other engineering disciplines.  But in mechanical or chemical
engineering, those majors were taught in the Imperial units (BTUs, etc.)  One thing I noticed was that in the while the SI units
made the math easier (in most cases), it was harder to do a "sanity" check on your work, especially in thermodynamics.  Working
with water and steam, using BTUs, pounds of water and degrees F sure made that sort of work easier and it was easy to check your
answer.  1 lb. of water raised 1 degree F is 1 BTU.  

My favorite "compromise" measuring system has got to be tires, you get a width in millimeters, a wheel diameter in inches and
then a dimensionless aspect ratio.  A system surely designed by a  committee!

--
   Roger