This is supposed to be addressed to the group, not Rich specifically, but on this so-called "smart" 'phone, I cannot see how to do that, nor how to strip out the miles (kilometres!) of duplicated commentary. Mea culpa my friends. One day!
While I was still working, I used to build aircraft interior equipment, specifically galleys and associated structures, and everything was in imperial (actually decimal inches.) We used UNF and UNC attachment fasteners. Even Airbus tolerated our decimal inch drawings and Boeing was a given. I became completely conversant with imperial- both fractional and decimal, but also metric. I routinely read fractional tape measures as a decimal inch converted mentally on the fly. What I'm saying is it's only a cocktail of laziness, stubborness and ********* to plough ahead with one system completely in denial of another potentially better one. In my closing years I did Q.A. and First Article Inspection. I wouldn't have survived with Boeing or Airbus if I'd refused to be conversant in all systems. While at college (I did Environmental Engineering) we were taught dimensional analysis of equations. Everything is reduced to Length, Mass and Time (ignoring wild cards like viscosity). When you see an equation substantiated in this way, a light goes on in your head and the benefits of the S.I. System are obvious. Until that is inculcated into your skull, you take equations as something that is commited to memory but maybe never stopping to consider why or who the heck figured that out? Sure you can arrive at the same results using imperial units, but only if you remember (without fail) to deploy empirical fudge factors so inches can be used alongside ounces and so on. That said, the S.I. unit is the metre. The recognised sub unit is the millimetre. (not the centimetre). Suppose you want to cut something six feet long (1,829 millimetres)? You pull out the tape measure and it happens to be upside down. Enough times for it to be a lurking threat you measure (eg) 1,819 instead of 1.829 by mistake. It's your own fault, but for humans interacting with the world I submit that feet and inches are a better way, but for engineers (or anyone that likes to think of themselves as such.) The S.I. System is a far better way to do things. I also think that the evolved usage of centimetres is a tacit admission that inches were better than millimetres. $0.02 of course. Steve, G4VRR. -- Sent from: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/ ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
