well thats the feeling I have always had but god knows how many times ive been told I was wrong in the classes at school when ive questioned stuff like that. Even was told basically to shut up that i was wrong when I questioned how can this photo be taken in the 1950`s when behind the 57 nomad is a 66 GTO and theres a 67 corvette in the driveway in the background.

In the end thats just like the "metric" or what we were told the metric temp version of C that is complicated to convert it takes math to convert it but I rather stick with my F cause I know 32*F is freezing which is equal to 0*C

 

-40* is -40* no matter which system you're using.

Think of a liter as a quart and you are not far off at all.
It does make it simple when you know that 1 liter (of water) weighs 1 kilo, etc...

Rather than a cubic foot is (almost) 7 1/2 gallons. Each of which is 128 liquid ounces and 8.35 lbs.

Our distances are based on some long dead king's anatomy. (ruler-get it?)
Foot is pretty obvious, but an inch was the distance from his knuckle to tip of thumb.

Maybe we should go back to using rods, furlongs, pecks and pennyweights???

 

Don't forget hogsheads, rundlets, barrels and tuns!

 

Having tinkered around with Japanese motorcycles and cars over the years, I have learned to spot what size a bolt head is fairly quick. Now actual bolt dimensions? That's another story as far as metric goes!
To make working on both standard and metric "stuff" easier, I invested in a metric adjustable wrench...or "Crescent wrench" for us old timers....and found that it fits both types.
Same with vise grips.

Now if I could only find a metric hammer, then my tool box would be complete!

 

my girlfriend and i where talking about this last night, she said she never wants her kids growing up working like i did... (no, we arent plaining on a child any time soon, just something that got brought up) but ive been around garages and construction sites all of my life... my family has never been all that smart, especially when it comes to spelling... but because ive spent years helping my uncles, dad, step dad, and grandpas out with building houses, sheds, shops, and even smaller stuff like bird houses, cabnites, desks and tables... and then helped them all in the shops that we have built with the cars... i have learnt how to do fractions better then most people in my high school... i can convert them from decmeles to fractions, devide them multiply them, add them... and subtract them... (after all, that is all math is, + - * and /)

the only reason why i was never able to fly through my math classes, is because they would give me tests the first day of school to find out what i needed to work on... i would end up freezing up on any tests any one has ever given to me... so i would do really crappy on the test it self... my 7th grade year, when i first took that test, they put me in a 5th grade math book... well when youre 2 years below your grade level it makes you feel dumb... well despite the low self estem, i would convince the teachers to let me work at my own pace so that i could bring my self up to grade level... and i would do 2 or 3 assignments a night, and would get Bs or As on all of them... well i would do this just fine for about a month, then i would just get bored... like so bored that i didnt even care any more..

they did this my 8th grade year too... and my 9th grade year, i finally got the courage to talk to my councler, and i was switched to a 9th grade math class, where i was actually learning something, but then our grade, was bassed on 1/4 attendence 1/4 home work... and 50% of it was tests... well our finals, i failed... the next year, back in the 9th grade math class.... did this up to my senior year, with no credits from math... i just recently decided i should go back to high school... and im in a 9th grade math class... the teacher, also my drafting teacher and shop teacher... was going over the front couple of sections with me... and he goes, billy, you should really be in a more advanced math class, like (my English just failed me, or my lack of vocabulary words failed) "that shape class"

so, i think it is due in part of the child labor laws.... lets throw them out and send our kids to work at their parents job sits..... lol

(think about this one, if the kids of today, cant do simple fractions... how are they gonna ever fix or economy??? when they are the president... you need fractions and decemels to work with money.... just a thought to ponder...)

 

Due to the fact that I got an Associate's degree in Drafting and now do that as a living, I'm pretty good with measurement-related fractions (and converting those to decimal), but I think that's the only reason

I also deal with a good bit of metric here (especially converting metric since the company we are a distributor for is based in Sweden) and working on my car. Also noticed that the truck has pretty much all standard fasteners on the engine, but metric on the rest of the truck (of course).

 

I said it before, but I am from the 'metric generation'. I graduated with a B.S. in mechanical engineering and a math minor back in '06. It took until my sophomore year in college before I had a teacher who was trying to get us to use the english system for any engineering calculations. We were working with forces and the term 'slugs' came up. Not a single person in my class knew what that was. Why? Because we all knew metric. But if you give us a kilo-, milli-, centi-, deci-, giga-, whatever, we knew what that was. I can't remember how many pints are in a quart, or gallon, or barrel (although you can get ~166 12 oz. beers out of a keg , also college knowledge). And if you are baking, (yeah, I do that too), you are using teaspoons, tablespoons, and cups.

Basically, it comes down to the fact that the metric system is based on science, namely water, and the base 10 system. Like Jim said above, 1 liter of water weighs 1 kilogram, 1 cc of water = 1 gram, 1 cc= 1 L, water freezes at 0° C, and boils at 100° C. While the standard system is based on relative objects revolving around people.

For example, from Wikipedia-
"The statute mile was defined by English Act of Parliament (hence the name) in 1592, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I;[2] it is equal to 1760 yards (5280 feet). For surveying, the statute mile is divided into eight furlongs; each furlong is ten chains; each chain is four rods (also known as poles or perches); and each rod is 25 links. This makes the rod equal to 5½ yards or 16½ feet in both Imperial and U.S. usage."

Yeah, that's easy to use.

I'm not saying the standard system sucks, it's just out dated for the technology we have today. It would be nice to switch to metric since we are a more science & technology based culture these days.

 

I am terrible at math, got a's and b's in school in everything but math, usually a D or an F. But in my line of work, everything we deal with is standard(marine engines and antique cars) with the exception of the Japanese products that we have to work on (Kawasaki). We rarely use metrics, my metric tools look like brand new while the standard stuff looks like its been through the war! I can tell just by looking at a nut or bolt what size socket or wrench is needed eq: 7/16, 1/2 ect. Im getting good at the metrics though. On the imported engines i work on, the most common size sockets i use are 10, 12, 14mm. Pretty much all the mercs use 7/16, 9/16, 1/2, 3/8, 5/8 and yes even 11/32! My snap on guy said that my shop is the only one on his route that uses and buys standard tools. Took him over 3 months to get me an 11/32 combination wrench lol!

 

Well, until GPS units and Doppler instruments were invented and used, the Knot was the univeral means to measure a ship's speed and distance, hence, nautical mile. Rven though a knot could be measured in Feet, yards or meters, it was still the common term.

How do sea navigators measure their ships speed?

Tim

 

Props on the find! That is pretty cool. I still find it amusing to see how people figured stuff like this out before computers and modern measuring devices.