On 7 January 2014 23:35, Steve Smith <sasd...@gmail.com> wrote:
> An inch, a cup, a pound, a foot, a pint and a grain all have a > relationship to the practical world that is much more useful than units > based on the circumference of the earth. And while it was once somewhat > difficult to convert miles per hour to feet per second (or furlongs per > fortnight), we have calculators and Google now. > One of the advantages is that these "natural" units of measure typically are scaled to allow for natural precision. You order beer by the pint rather than 1/8 gallon (or even the glass, though in Germany beer glasses may differ an order of magnitude). Over here weights are typically gram and kg, but babies and meat still go in "pounds" Only recently I discovered that we're being fooled with plumbing appendices. Where I thought it required high precision, apparently 10 mm equals 3/8" and 15 mm is 5/8" and you seem able to mix and match. Rob
