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What the hell?

Vedderlution_BabyVedderlution_Baby Posts: 2,535
edited October 2006 in A Moving Train
I'm not trying to start another pointless political war but how come the U.S.A doesn't use the same measurement system as everyone else? Seriously. How come we changed the entire way we calculated measurements? It's not like it's an advantage.
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • keeponrockinkeeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    It's never made sense to me. The metric system is actually easier, everythings based on 10.
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
  • moeaholicmoeaholic Posts: 535
    Vedderlution_Baby! wrote:
    I'm not trying to start another pointless political war but how come the U.S.A doesn't use the same measurement system as everyone else? Seriously. How come we changed the entire way we calculated measurements? It's not like it's an advantage.

    worst topic ever.
    "PC Load Letter?! What the fuck does that mean?"
    ~Michael Bolton
  • AhnimusAhnimus Posts: 10,560
    Vedderlution_Baby! wrote:
    I'm not trying to start another pointless political war but how come the U.S.A doesn't use the same measurement system as everyone else? Seriously. How come we changed the entire way we calculated measurements? It's not like it's an advantage.

    Originally everything was measured with the Imperial/Standard measuring system that you use in the United States. I believe it was French mathmaticians that developed the Metric system. The Metric system makes math a lot easier for people that are used to a base 10 system like our numbering scheme and pretty much everything else.

    To be honest I don't know why you still use the Imperial/Standard measuring system. I think it was Chinese that used a base 7 system, but I think even they have changed to a base 10 system. I could be wrong, but base 10 is the easiest system.
    I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
  • AhnimusAhnimus Posts: 10,560
    wikipedia wrote:
    Alternative notations
    Some cultures do, or used to, use other numeral systems, including the Tzotzil, who use a vigesimal system (using all twenty fingers and toes), some Nigerians who use several duodecimal systems, the Babylonians, who used sexagesimal, and the Yuki, who reportedly used octal.

    Computer hardware and software systems commonly use a binary repesentation, internally. For external use by computer specialists, this binary representation is sometimes presented in the related octal or hexadecimal systems. For most purposes, however, binary values are converted to the equivalent decimal values for presentation to and manipulation by humans.

    Both computer hardware and software also use internal representations which are effectively decimal for storing decimal values and doing arithmetic. Often this arithmetic is done on data which are encoded using binary-coded decimal, but there are other decimal representations in use (see IEEE 754r), especially in database implementations. Decimal arithmetic is used in computers so that decimal fractional results can be computed exactly, which is not possible using a binary fractional representation. This is often important for financial and other calculations [1].
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Base_10

    Hey, I'm a computer specialist!!!

    Why didn't they mention the Base-15 Hexidecimal notation used in computers as well? Fuckers!
    I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
  • Vedderlution_BabyVedderlution_Baby Posts: 2,535
    moeaholic wrote:
    worst topic ever.
    I was just curious and YEA RIGHT! I can list some other topics that are worse to talk about.
  • AhnimusAhnimus Posts: 10,560
    wikipedia wrote:
    The metric system is a decimalised system of measurement based on the metre and the gram. It exists in several variations, with different choices of base units, though these do not affect its day-to-day use. Over the last two centuries, different variants have been considered the metric system. Since the 1960s the International System of Units (SI) ("Système International d'Unités" in French, hence "SI") is the internationally recognised standard metric system. Metric units of mass, length, and electricity are widely used around the world for both everyday and scientific purposes.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_system
    wikipedia wrote:
    The Imperial units or the Imperial system is a collection of English units, first defined in the Weights and Measures Act of 1824, later refined (until 1959) and reduced. The units were introduced in the United Kingdom and its colonies, including Commonwealth countries (though most Commonwealth countries are now fully metricated), but excluding the then already independent United States. Systems of Imperial units are sometimes referred to as foot-pound-second, after the base units of length, mass and time.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_system

    And it I was wrong about one thing. It was Base 8/Octal (0 to 7), not Base 7, and it was used by Native Americans, the Yuki in California and Pamean in Mexico.

    Did I mention I'm awesome?
    I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
  • dkst0426dkst0426 Posts: 523
    It's Bush's fault.
  • small town becksmall town beck Posts: 6,691
    Ahnimus wrote:
    And it I was wrong about one thing. It was Base 8/Octal (0 to 7), not Base 7, and it was used by Native Americans, the Yuki in California and Pamean in Mexico.

    Did I mention I'm awesome?

    I am sorry... but the awesome part just made me really laugh. I love modesty ;)
  • AhnimusAhnimus Posts: 10,560
    small town beck wrote:
    I am sorry... but the awesome part just made me really laugh. I love modesty ;)

    I don't like to be serious all the time.
    I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
  • moeaholicmoeaholic Posts: 535
    Vedderlution_Baby! wrote:
    I was just curious and YEA RIGHT! I can list some other topics that are worse to talk about.

    lol, just bustin' your balls.
    "PC Load Letter?! What the fuck does that mean?"
    ~Michael Bolton
  • 69charger69charger Posts: 1,045
    Vedderlution_Baby! wrote:
    I'm not trying to start another pointless political war but how come the U.S.A doesn't use the same measurement system as everyone else? Seriously. How come we changed the entire way we calculated measurements? It's not like it's an advantage.

    I am in complete agreement here! I wish someone would come up with metric time too ;)
  • Vedderlution_BabyVedderlution_Baby Posts: 2,535
    I've always thought it was a damn wierd thing. Didn't they have to completely invent a new way to measure instead of using the system that was already established? Woo. Wtf? woo. woot.
  • AhnimusAhnimus Posts: 10,560
    Progress
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_measurement
    I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
  • Vedderlution_BabyVedderlution_Baby Posts: 2,535
    Ahnimus wrote:
    Progress
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_measurement

    So, you really are awsome hmm?
  • AhnimusAhnimus Posts: 10,560
    Vedderlution_Baby! wrote:
    So, you really are awsome hmm?

    Well, I just assumed that the Imperial/Standard system wasn't the first system of measurement. People have been around for a long time and have developed different ways of measuring things. So far Base 10 is the best system we've developed. Prior to Imperial there were other systems, not as good as Imperial, however, Imperial is not as good as Metric.

    But really, it's wikipedia that is awesome.
    I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
  • Vedderlution_BabyVedderlution_Baby Posts: 2,535
    Ahnimus wrote:
    Well, I just assumed that the Imperial/Standard system wasn't the first system of measurement. People have been around for a long time and have developed different ways of measuring things. So far Base 10 is the best system we've developed. Prior to Imperial there were other systems, not as good as Imperial, however, Imperial is not as good as Metric.

    But really, it's wikipedia that is awesome.


    I'm just going to use my ...ding dong... for large measurements. the current size of it is "Good lord."
  • AhnimusAhnimus Posts: 10,560
    Vedderlution_Baby! wrote:
    I'm just going to use my ...ding dong... for large measurements. the current size of it is "Good lord."

    Haha, might as well. In Rome they used to measure based on someone's feet, hence the Imperial system.
    I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
  • Vedderlution_BabyVedderlution_Baby Posts: 2,535
    Ahnimus wrote:
    Haha, might as well. In Rome they used to measure based on someone's feet, hence the Imperial system.


    Damn really? How could that have been accurate at all?
  • AhnimusAhnimus Posts: 10,560
    Vedderlution_Baby! wrote:
    Damn really? How could that have been accurate at all?

    I don't know man, I guess they cut a board at the same lenght as the person's feet and duplicated it or something. That's how the whole foot/feet measurement came to be.

    "The foot provides a convenient way to measure short distances on the ground, by placing one foot directly in front of the other; this led to the adoption of the foot as a unit of length."
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feet
    I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
  • Vedderlution_BabyVedderlution_Baby Posts: 2,535
    Ahnimus wrote:
    I don't know man, I guess they cut a board at the same lenght as the person's feet and duplicated it or something. That's how the whole foot/feet measurement came to be.

    "The foot provides a convenient way to measure short distances on the ground, by placing one foot directly in front of the other; this led to the adoption of the foot as a unit of length."
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feet


    That's pretty crazy.
  • Jammin909Jammin909 Posts: 888
    Didnt we try to "go metric" at some point but everyone just got confused??

    Does any other country use fahrenheit?
    The less you know, the more you believe.
  • AhnimusAhnimus Posts: 10,560
    Jammin909 wrote:
    Didnt we try to "go metric" at some point but everyone just got confused??

    Does any other country use fahrenheit?

    Nope

    "In the United States the Fahrenheit system continues to be very widely used. In Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Europe, Celsius has been adopted and is widely used. Fahrenheit is sometimes used by older generations for measurement of higher temperatures, while lower temperatures are always measured in Celsius. All other countries have adopted Celsius as the primary scale in use."
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit#Usage
    I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
  • Vedderlution_BabyVedderlution_Baby Posts: 2,535
    Jammin909 wrote:
    Didnt we try to "go metric" at some point but everyone just got confused??

    Does any other country use fahrenheit?


    I think I remember seeing something where they tried to change it. But yea, everyone's head ploded.
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