• morriscox@lemmy.world
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    9 hours 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.

    • GreenBeanMachine@lemmy.world
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      8 hours ago

      Feet length varies a lot.

      You can approximately measure one meter using three feet and it will be just as accurate as measuring three feet due to a variety of feet sizes.

      • morriscox@lemmy.world
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        8 hours ago

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

        • robobobot@programming.dev
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          8 hours 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?

        • GreenBeanMachine@lemmy.world
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          8 hours ago

          Whose feet would you measure? They vary wildly between genders and races.

          You would have to do the initial measurement first and then tell everyone that’s how long “1 length” is, whatever you call it feet or meters or bananas.

          So why use feet, which are different in size between all people and no one can measure one foot more accurately than one meter without a measurement too? Using bananas is just as accurate as using feet.

          So why not do it properly the first time?