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Post by quinkgirl on Nov 29, 2013 15:59:52 GMT
Well, poop. Math talk. Um... I know all the art supplies and stuff is still in imperial measurements. Like how my sketch book is always 9x12, though I live where we use metric.
Oh, and grade 2 metric cards. Required me to make my own meter stick out of paper and spend 20min on the ground trying to accurately measure the length of the classroom, going around shelves and other kids.
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Post by Señor Goose on Nov 29, 2013 16:25:17 GMT
I am so glad I could cause this thread to spiral off topic.
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temnoc
Junior Member
Posts: 70
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Post by temnoc on Nov 29, 2013 16:26:30 GMT
I'm expecting a crowning moment of heartwarming between Kat and Renard, either on Friday or next Monday. I'm expecting Kat x Rey shippers within the week  Yikes. Love 'em both to death, but not like that. |
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Post by Señor Goose on Nov 29, 2013 16:28:39 GMT
Well, poop. Math talk. Um... I know all the art supplies and stuff is still in imperial measurements. Like how my sketch book is always 9x12, though I live where we use metric. Oh, and grade 2 metric cards. Required me to make my own meter stick out of paper and spend 20min on the ground trying to accurately measure the length of the classroom, going around shelves and other kids. Now I understand that a lot of countries in the Anglosphere still like to use imperial or customary units, due to their use by the British Empire. This is definitely true for America, and apparently it's true in Canada then. Can any Aussies or Kiwis relate to us how it works in Oz and Middle Earth? |
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Post by GK Sierra on Nov 29, 2013 17:03:48 GMT
"There are 10 kinds of people: those who understand binary and those who don't"?  I enjoyed the math-trolling, but there are some sociologists in the next thread, and all that.  So, it's time for... socio-trolling? That can get VERY heated. We should leave it to the buttzone. I like our sudden fascination with math better, actually. You cheeky devil you  |
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Post by zimmyzims on Nov 29, 2013 21:39:32 GMT
while this is one of its obvious advantages as more scientific system, when we discuss the only flaw, that is, 10 instead of 12, would it be practically the same whatever was the basis of the system? And it may really be that it is just because we are used to decimal system that the results of 12-based system seem so bad, but come on: 174 12 is the nice round number of 2088. Maybe we would call it otherwise then, but still the units would seem to work a bit difficulty. Maybe that's just because I'm used to that system. Maybe. Maybe it was just the bloody Romans who got us to this, really. Who knows? That was not rhetorical, I bet someone does. I think you misunderstood what I was saying... I agree that we only find metric easier because that's how we were brought up and educated (or imperial easier if you were brought up in the US). But given the industrial revolution started and was continued for a century or more by people using the imperial system, and the roman empire was built by engineers using the roman numerals, I don't think the system of units matters to a great extent when you have the education for it. I'm first to admit that I didn't quite understand you. I still am unsure if I do. The way I understand you, I think I completely agreed with you already. As I don't have time and energy to do more with that, I wish to leave it to that from my part. We have used base 10 since most of the world adopted the arabic numeral system, which has 10 digits following the invention of 0: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 and 0. All our numbering systems, metric and imperial, are both base 10. Metric system makes the most sense given our numeral system. If we had adopted a numeral system with 12 digits then 12 would be written as 10, and we would probably find a metric system of base 12 as the most convenient. I don't know if the arabic system adopted 10 because of the finger counting, but it wouldn't surprise me. Other cultures use other digits, but with our numeral system, metric makes the most sense. EDIT: I also think I've gone round in circles a little bit so not sure how much I'm making sense... Okay. I actually thought out the 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,X,E,0 system. You're right, there's nothing except habit that would make it lose the "power of tens" as GK Sierra put it. I buy your explanation as to why 0 is attached to decimal system in particular: it was coincidentally invented in a culture that used the decimal system. So, my new more enlightened guess as to why we found it the best is that we learned from a culture that used the decimal system. It can be as simple and accidental as that. Obviously. |
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Post by snipertom on Nov 29, 2013 21:41:26 GMT
Well, poop. Math talk. Um... I know all the art supplies and stuff is still in imperial measurements. Like how my sketch book is always 9x12, though I live where we use metric. Oh, and grade 2 metric cards. Required me to make my own meter stick out of paper and spend 20min on the ground trying to accurately measure the length of the classroom, going around shelves and other kids. Now I understand that a lot of countries in the Anglosphere still like to use imperial or customary units, due to their use by the British Empire. This is definitely true for America, and apparently it's true in Canada then. Can any Aussies or Kiwis relate to us how it works in Oz and Middle Earth? We (we = both Australia and NZ, I've lived in both) converted to metric at the same time as the rest, in the 60s or 70s. Unlike the UK we do not use miles and it's been a very very long time since you could buy anything in imperial pounds as opposed to kg. Similarly, I was born in Hong Kong which was a British colony at the time and it very much used metric units, including on the roads. You could buy things at the market in catties (pronounced 'cutty') which is a Chinese unit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_units_of_measurement#Hong_Kong_and_Macau_mass_unitsBasically the US is in a unique position of imperial throwback units  Given that the rest of the world uses the metric system and SI units I just don't understand the insistence on sticking with a bizarre and outdated system. It's even caused spaceship problems! |
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Post by Señor Goose on Nov 29, 2013 21:52:19 GMT
Now I understand that a lot of countries in the Anglosphere still like to use imperial or customary units, due to their use by the British Empire. This is definitely true for America, and apparently it's true in Canada then. Can any Aussies or Kiwis relate to us how it works in Oz and Middle Earth? We (we = both Australia and NZ, I've lived in both) converted to metric at the same time as the rest, in the 60s or 70s. Unlike the UK we do not use miles and it's been a very very long time since you could buy anything in imperial pounds as opposed to kg. Similarly, I was born in Hong Kong which was a British colony at the time and it very much used metric units, including on the roads. You could buy things at the market in catties (pronounced 'cutty') which is a Chinese unit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_units_of_measurement#Hong_Kong_and_Macau_mass_unitsBasically the US is in a unique position of imperial throwback units Given that the rest of the world uses the metric system and SI units I just don't understand the insistence on sticking with a bizarre and outdated system. It's even caused spaceship problems! I see, so I was wrong. Yes, the Mars Climate Orbiter: our secret shame. We've gotten better. At least we don't have the track record the Soviets had! |
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