EPTFor people studying math/science a lot this might seem really trivial but for the general population trust me it isn't. I'm probably fucking up the math terminology but I hope what I said makes sense. It's a lot easier to multiply something by 10 in your head than by 8, there's less numbers involved you just add a zero infact you don't even need to do calculations in your head at all
Do you use Imperial or Metric? - Page 7
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DoctorHelvetica
United States15034 Posts
For people studying math/science a lot this might seem really trivial but for the general population trust me it isn't. I'm probably fucking up the math terminology but I hope what I said makes sense. It's a lot easier to multiply something by 10 in your head than by 8, there's less numbers involved you just add a zero infact you don't even need to do calculations in your head at all | ||
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Meta
United States6225 Posts
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peekn
United States1152 Posts
I want the metric system  | ||
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kingcoyote
United States546 Posts
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Fontong
United States6454 Posts
On December 09 2011 15:21 DoctorHelvetica wrote: I don't think ten fingers is the only reason why a base 10 system is easier to understand. A base ten system can only be represented by two numbers in the conversions (1 and 0) right so it would seem much easier to do conversions this way then using base 8 or 12 which has more complex multiplication tables. For people studying math/science a lot this might seem really trivial but for the general population trust me it isn't. I'm probably fucking up the math terminology but I hope what I said makes sense. It's a lot easier to multiply something by 10 in your head than by 8, there's less numbers involved you just add a zero infact you don't even need to do calculations in your head at all I think he meant that if we actually used a system of counting based in 8 or 12 that would be easier. Of course multiplying things by 10 is easy in a base 10 system. If I used the base 12 system 1234567890ab, all I would have to do to multiply something by 12 would be tack on a 'b' at the end, just like you would do with a zero in base 10. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duodecimal If you take a look, the multiplication table is not at all awkward. | ||
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DoctorHelvetica
United States15034 Posts
On December 09 2011 15:23 peekn wrote: Ugh... I really with that the US would just switch over to the metric system, it is easier to teach, understand, and use. The standard system is just archaic and dumb I hate it... And those pros to the Standard system really don't apply, I applaud you for attempting to make the Standard system look good, but you can apply those to any system of measurement. I want the metric system Is it worth the cost and political resistance though? It would be a pretty big endeavor and it's definitely low on the list of concerns for the government right now. If this was the early 1900s it would have been pretty easy to do it gradually at the state level but because of interstate highways and the influence of national corporations it would be pretty much impossible to do it in that manner now. | ||
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lachy89
Australia264 Posts
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DoctorHelvetica
United States15034 Posts
On December 09 2011 15:25 Fontong wrote: I think he meant that if we actually used a system of counting based in 8 or 12 that would be easier. Of course multiplying things by 10 is easy in a base 10 system. If I used the base 12 system 1234567890ab, all I would have to do to multiply something by 12 would be tack on a 'b' at the end, just like you would do with a zero in base 10. i don't understand math well enough to see how that works or why that works or wrap my head around the idea of anything but 0-9 but i'll take your word for it i was going to ask why base 8 or 12 would be better but if i can't comprehend the existence of it in the first place i doubt i'll understand the reasons behind why it would be better than 10 | ||
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Mazer
Canada1086 Posts
On December 09 2011 15:06 semantics wrote: fyi technically the US standard is not a carbon copy of imperial imperial became standardized after the US became a sovereign state so it will differ from states that became independent from the British empire after. The easy example is that a pint in US is 16fl oz in imperial it's 20fl oz also the fl oz are different slighly And they both omit uses of certain obscure measurement names. again how is 10 logical? speaking in terms of math something that is base 8 or base 12 ideally would be better. only reason why we use 10 is becuase we have 10 fingers. Not all cultures math systems throughout the ages used base 10 Maybe logical wasn't the right word. But it's fair to say that base 10 is the standard around the world, even in the States and in that regard it makes a lot more sense than using 12 inches for a foot, 3 feet for a yard, and so on (as Fontong mentioned). | ||
Falling
Canada11472 Posts
I'm convinced we're still a bit of both simply because America refuses to switch. The older generation still uses Fahrenheit whereas those numbers mean nothing to me. Has to be in Celsius for me to 'get' how cold it is. Our tool boxes contain both Imperial and Metric tools as do our kitchen measurements. Personal body weight is in pounds, but all the pricing in the stores is metric. I drive Kilometers/hour and fill up gas by the litre, but I measure my height in feet and inches (although it's metric on my drivers license.) Construction uses 2x4's, but I'll pick up 4L of milk at the store (I've never seen a drink in ounce). While height may be in feet and property size maybe in acres, and distance is metric. Perhaps the only time I've heard the term quartz was when my mom used to can fruit and jam. Never heard it outside that context. So yeah, basically a complicated mix and match of Imperial and Metric. Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure those clothing size measurements are also Imperial, but I so rarely hear the units that I could be wrong. | ||
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eFonSG
United States255 Posts
On December 09 2011 15:26 DoctorHelvetica wrote: Is it worth the cost and political resistance though? It would be a pretty big endeavor and it's definitely low on the list of concerns for the government right now. If this was the early 1900s it would have been pretty easy to do it gradually at the state level but because of interstate highways and the influence of national corporations it would be pretty much impossible to do it in that manner now. Its odd, I live in tucson and once you get 5 - 10 miles out of town on the highways they randomly convert to metric and stay that way for miles ( probably into mexico ). I remember the first time i drove on it, it caught me off guard when all the exits switched from miles to kilometers. | ||
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DoctorHelvetica
United States15034 Posts
On December 09 2011 15:33 eFonSG wrote: Its odd, I live in tucson and once you get 5 - 10 miles out of town on the highways they randomly convert to metric and stay that way for miles ( probably into mexico ). I remember the first time i drove on it, it caught me off guard when all the exits switched from miles to kilometers. Interesting, do you know a reason for that? Edit - "Interstate 19 is unique among US Interstates, because signed distances are given in meters (hundreds or thousands as distance-to-exit indications) or kilometers (as distance-to-destination indications), and not miles. However, the speed limit signs give speeds in miles per hour. According to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), metric signs were originally placed because of the push toward the metric system in the United States at the time of the original construction of the highway." | ||
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emythrel
United Kingdom2599 Posts
On December 09 2011 15:25 Fontong wrote: I think he meant that if we actually used a system of counting based in 8 or 12 that would be easier. Of course multiplying things by 10 is easy in a base 10 system. If I used the base 12 system 1234567890ab, all I would have to do to multiply something by 12 would be tack on a 'b' at the end, just like you would do with a zero in base 10. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duodecimal If you take a look, the multiplication table is not at all awkward. The babylonians used a base 12 system, our clocks run on a base 12 system too. The decimal system is used mainly because its easier to do mathematics using a decimal system and since the entire modern would is founded upon maths done with this system... changing it might be tricky. We could go to using binary, but our brains don't cope as well with it as a computer lol. In the UK, at least when i was a child, we did height and weight in imperial and most other things in metric. However we still measure distance on a road in miles and speed in a car in mph. p.s try representing 7x4 in a base 12 system....... its not so easy as = 28 ... in fact in base 12 it would be 24. That just confuses me more! | ||
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3clipse
Canada2555 Posts
I wonder if Republicans would decry a switch to the metric system as a communist plot to poison children's minds. | ||
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therockmanxx
Peru1174 Posts
Lol | ||
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DoctorHelvetica
United States15034 Posts
On December 09 2011 15:37 emythrel wrote: The babylonians used a base 12 system, our clocks run on a base 12 system too. The decimal system is used mainly because its easier to do mathematics using a decimal system and since the entire modern would is founded upon maths done with this system... changing it might be tricky. We could go to using binary, but our brains don't cope as well with it as a computer lol. In the UK, at least when i was a child, we did height and weight in imperial and most other things in metric. However we still measure distance on a road in miles and speed in a car in mph. p.s try representing 7x4 in a base 12 system....... its not so easy as = 28 Ok, I understand this duodecimal thing, that's quite a bit different than what I was imagining. I understand what you mean with the ab thing now it seems pretty simple, at least I think. I'm gonna stay away from anything to do with math now. | ||
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killa_robot
Canada1884 Posts
On December 09 2011 13:32 Keyboard Warrior wrote: Advantages of Standard 1. Standard goes more naturally with fractions - quarter of a pint, half foot, etc. Technically, you don't say half meter but rather 50 centimeters or 500 millimeters. 2. Standard units are more practical and convenient. No one goes to the grocery to buy 400ml drink, instead, they buy it in 12 ounces. No one buys 5 meters of wood, instead, they buy it is 1x1x12, all in feet. What do you use? What do you think are the pros and cons of both system of measurement? Do you have specific examples in your country or personally where one is better than the other? Poll: Standard or Metric Metric (meter, centimeter, kilometer) (3360) Standard (inches, feet, yards) (581) 3941 total votes Your vote: Standard or Metric (Vote): Standard (inches, feet, yards) Standard: 1. Only reason it works better with fractions is because the amounts to convert are so arbitrary that no one would get what you mean right away. 2. Lol, no they are not. This is just an extremely biased opinion. Face it, Metric is better in every way, the U.S is just too stubborn to change. Also, being Canadian I measure in both. | ||
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Falling
Canada11472 Posts
On December 09 2011 15:26 DoctorHelvetica wrote: Is it worth the cost and political resistance though? It would be a pretty big endeavor and it's definitely low on the list of concerns for the government right now. If this was the early 1900s it would have been pretty easy to do it gradually at the state level but because of interstate highways and the influence of national corporations it would be pretty much impossible to do it in that manner now. Thing is a lot of the Commonwealth countries only went metric in the 70's. I imagine it was a big switch, but it seemed to work for the most part. America is bigger I know, but I think it could be done. Perhaps not during your current economic downturn, but within the next decade. Of course it won't because status quo is easiest. But Imperial really is an inconvenient system (Stones and thou's and whatever else you have.) Base 10 is much more straight forward. | ||
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SocialisT
Sweden160 Posts
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Cubu
1171 Posts
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