The pirate story may or may not be true - If you really want to know why - from the age of Jefferson - that we are not on the metric system do read this book - The Measure of All Things - the Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error that transformed the world
by Alder, Ken
pub by - Free Press (Simon and Schuster), NY - 2002, - isbn - 0-7432-1675-X - - There is a lot more to the story - AND this book is a very interesting read - not technical -
In the UK I learnt woodwork and surveying in feet and inches, but science metre and millimetre.
This was compounded by working in the States in 1980 on buildings (fabric structures) in Canada. All the drawings had to be dimensioned in both Feet and Metres. Quite a test, but good for practicing the comparative mental measure.
In the UK we buy in metric e.g. petrol in litres, food in grams kilograms etc, but we think in Imperial, e.g. miles per gallon, I'm five foot eight inches tall and Thirteen stone five pounds (too heavy). My van is 2m tall and gross weight of 3.2 metric tons. We buy wine in cl but drink beer in pints. Paint comes in litres epoxy in kgs. Tape measures are ambidextrous. I blame Brexit.
New Zealand saw the light and changed over in 1967, so I've lived in both measurement systems. Its 25 years or so since I began sending boat plans to the USA, early on I'd get frequent complaints from people unfamiliar with metric measurements, and my reply would be to send them a metric tape measure and tell them, "dont try to convert the measurements, just use this, I know you can count to ten because your dollars and cents are metric ( tens and multiples of them) . That worked most of the time.
But of late, its very rare to get any comment, I design in metric, its far easier, much more logical, but its interesting to observe what parts of the old system have stayed around. Kids to day still say "its miles away" , eggs are still sold by the dozen, boats are often referred to as being xyz feet long, so there are still remnants of the old system hanging around.
I think that the USA is gradually going metric by default, anything that comes in over the border, cars, machinery and everything else is metric, so auto mechanics have two sets of tools, engineers use metric software, even NASA does these days, after the debacle of putting a lander on Mars that malfunctioned because of a mismatch between imperial and metric measured components, so its happening in spite of so many dragging their feet.
I have a few dramatic sailing stories about the metric/standard dilemma. There are countless other stories of inefficiencies stemming from these discrepancies. Unfortunately, the vision was lost on the pirates. I wish TJ had tried again. I think we'd all have happily grown up in an all-metric world.
Your experience reminds me of the process we had in designing Nereid.
When we were working on the table of offsets, I worked in metric, as it meant that the measurements were simpler and, to those who like the idea of not having to focus on translating into feet, inches and eighths for every measurement, faster. Metric also allowed a tighter measurement, forcing less need for fairing molds.
The building crew overruled me, as they preferred to work with the FIE standard. I then converted everything back to FIE and sent the measurements in.
We did, of course, make eyeball adjustments, adding a bit more fullness in the bow.
The going “metric” problem arose with conversion. We just had to get accustomed to thinking metric instead of converting numbers. If a hamburger is put on your plate, eat it. No need to consider whether it’s a quarter pounder or 113.3981 grams. Better yet, add blue cheese and bacon.
I grew up on imperial, but prefrer the metric system for it's ease of use. However, my brain is constantly doing the mental gymnastics to relate the metric to the imperial, whether that's temperature or length, but I still weigh most things in pounds and ounces. I get that 1mm is smallish but if you say .040" it makes more sense in my head. But still, at home I do most of my projects in metric because there is less to go wrong.
I too think in the English measurement system. Until I build a boat. Then measuring in metric is much easier and more accurate. I do often wonder why there are only three countries in the world that still cling to feet, miles and miles per hour. Even the English use metric.
Arhh, but only sometimes. We still use miles and miles per hour; body weight is measure in stones and lbs (by most of us); we would still ask for a pound of sausages (but be given 500grammes); although we buy petrol in litres we mostly think in gallons (which are different to US gallons that are 6 pints not 8, obviously!); our kids think in centimetres (which I struggle with whilst being perfectly happy with metres and millimetres) but will use imperial because we adults won’t let go; however, few of us regret the loss of pounds, shillings and pence.
The pirate story may or may not be true - If you really want to know why - from the age of Jefferson - that we are not on the metric system do read this book - The Measure of All Things - the Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error that transformed the world
by Alder, Ken
pub by - Free Press (Simon and Schuster), NY - 2002, - isbn - 0-7432-1675-X - - There is a lot more to the story - AND this book is a very interesting read - not technical -
Thanks. Ken Alder it is.
Well DANG! Now I had to get on AbeBooks and order it, while I already have half a dozen books I haven't read yet. Thanks a lot!
‘Half a dozen’? I see you are still reading in imperial. 🥴
Those damn pirates!!!
Sorry to be a pedant.
The SI unit is a metre , not meter.
In the UK I learnt woodwork and surveying in feet and inches, but science metre and millimetre.
This was compounded by working in the States in 1980 on buildings (fabric structures) in Canada. All the drawings had to be dimensioned in both Feet and Metres. Quite a test, but good for practicing the comparative mental measure.
In the UK we buy in metric e.g. petrol in litres, food in grams kilograms etc, but we think in Imperial, e.g. miles per gallon, I'm five foot eight inches tall and Thirteen stone five pounds (too heavy). My van is 2m tall and gross weight of 3.2 metric tons. We buy wine in cl but drink beer in pints. Paint comes in litres epoxy in kgs. Tape measures are ambidextrous. I blame Brexit.
New Zealand saw the light and changed over in 1967, so I've lived in both measurement systems. Its 25 years or so since I began sending boat plans to the USA, early on I'd get frequent complaints from people unfamiliar with metric measurements, and my reply would be to send them a metric tape measure and tell them, "dont try to convert the measurements, just use this, I know you can count to ten because your dollars and cents are metric ( tens and multiples of them) . That worked most of the time.
But of late, its very rare to get any comment, I design in metric, its far easier, much more logical, but its interesting to observe what parts of the old system have stayed around. Kids to day still say "its miles away" , eggs are still sold by the dozen, boats are often referred to as being xyz feet long, so there are still remnants of the old system hanging around.
I think that the USA is gradually going metric by default, anything that comes in over the border, cars, machinery and everything else is metric, so auto mechanics have two sets of tools, engineers use metric software, even NASA does these days, after the debacle of putting a lander on Mars that malfunctioned because of a mismatch between imperial and metric measured components, so its happening in spite of so many dragging their feet.
I have a few dramatic sailing stories about the metric/standard dilemma. There are countless other stories of inefficiencies stemming from these discrepancies. Unfortunately, the vision was lost on the pirates. I wish TJ had tried again. I think we'd all have happily grown up in an all-metric world.
Your experience reminds me of the process we had in designing Nereid.
When we were working on the table of offsets, I worked in metric, as it meant that the measurements were simpler and, to those who like the idea of not having to focus on translating into feet, inches and eighths for every measurement, faster. Metric also allowed a tighter measurement, forcing less need for fairing molds.
The building crew overruled me, as they preferred to work with the FIE standard. I then converted everything back to FIE and sent the measurements in.
We did, of course, make eyeball adjustments, adding a bit more fullness in the bow.
The going “metric” problem arose with conversion. We just had to get accustomed to thinking metric instead of converting numbers. If a hamburger is put on your plate, eat it. No need to consider whether it’s a quarter pounder or 113.3981 grams. Better yet, add blue cheese and bacon.
wow
Check out SNL skit, Washington's Dream, for a humorous take on measurements.
Funniest skit on SNL in years: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYqfVE-fykk
I grew up on imperial, but prefrer the metric system for it's ease of use. However, my brain is constantly doing the mental gymnastics to relate the metric to the imperial, whether that's temperature or length, but I still weigh most things in pounds and ounces. I get that 1mm is smallish but if you say .040" it makes more sense in my head. But still, at home I do most of my projects in metric because there is less to go wrong.
"The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men Gang aft agley," - Robert Burns
History is filled with momentous consequences that ultimately depended upon trivial events.
Loved the article!
I too think in the English measurement system. Until I build a boat. Then measuring in metric is much easier and more accurate. I do often wonder why there are only three countries in the world that still cling to feet, miles and miles per hour. Even the English use metric.
Arhh, but only sometimes. We still use miles and miles per hour; body weight is measure in stones and lbs (by most of us); we would still ask for a pound of sausages (but be given 500grammes); although we buy petrol in litres we mostly think in gallons (which are different to US gallons that are 6 pints not 8, obviously!); our kids think in centimetres (which I struggle with whilst being perfectly happy with metres and millimetres) but will use imperial because we adults won’t let go; however, few of us regret the loss of pounds, shillings and pence.
This makes me laugh - how many times have I looked up measurement in inches = x metric!
I just can't get my mind to visualize the measurements no matter how I try (which, admittedly, isn't very hard . . . )
I suppose if I absolutely HAD to do it I could - but - I don't! So I won't!