• morriscox@lemmy.world
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    28 days ago

    For example, I can tell someone that the length between their knuckles of their index finger is about an inch or that a foot is literally based on the length of the human foot without having to have a ruler present. The metric system has no easy references. The history of the Imperial system is messy but it works (mostly) as a way to do rough measurements until the accuracy needed for the metric system is present. After that, the metric system makes conversions really easy, including getting rid of lot of units, and makes more sense.

    Once you have the needed accuracy, the Imperial system is inferior to the metric system and should be phased out.

      • morriscox@lemmy.world
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        28 days ago

        Yup. One would start with that and then (hopefully) agree on a standard that is hopefully metric.

        • robobobot@programming.devBanned
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          28 days ago

          Yup. One would start with that

          One would start measuring one meter using three feet, you mean? Until we can establish an exact measurement of one meter?

          • JcbAzPx@lemmy.world
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            27 days ago

            If we’re knocked back to reinventing measurements we’ll probably reinvent the cubit along with the foot. If you’re building something by yourself you don’t need to be universally consistent, just internally so.