r/Snorkblot • u/OwnMyEverySin • 10h ago

Opinion 6 Feet or 1.89 meters?

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u/Independent_Media341 8h ago

here's the argument about which is better: unless you're doing science or engineering, it doesn't fucking matter.

The whole "silly Americans don't use the metric system" bit just makes europeans sound like pathetic Dunning-Krugers

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u/perplexedtv 7h ago

Kind of pointless having two systems. Just use Kelvin everywhere for everything

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u/Skegg66 8h ago

Do you hear yourself?

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u/Blothorn 8h ago

I’d say that if you are doing science it barely matters; I’d rather do science in Rankine than Celsius.

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u/Independent_Media341 7h ago

The calculations work no matter what units are used.  To me, the big advantage is that metric units are designed to fit together well.

As for Celcius v Rankine... sometimes you need an absolute temp unit, sometimes you don't 

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u/Batking28 5h ago edited 2h ago

What about saying 13/16” for something around 20.6mm long?

16 oz in a lb but 14 lb in stone?

8 pints in a gallon?

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u/Tristawesomeness 2h ago

i mean if you're somehow getting 13/16" for 24mm you're already doing something wrong somewhere so i don't think the system is actually relevant in that case lol

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u/Different_Doubt2754 2h ago edited 1h ago

13/16 is better because it uses whole numbers.

Whole numbers > decimals.

Yes I realize fractions and decimals aren't really different. But because we show them differently it matters to us as humans.

Oh, and 13/16" is 20.6375 mm.

But I agree with the liquids argument a little bit.

Edit: thanks for blocking me. And yeah obviously fractions are decimals like I specifically said, but the way we express them is important for mental math. Also, an inch being subdivided into halves is very simple for mental math

But no one will ever convince me that the metric system is better than specifically the foot. It is base 12, and thus superior to anything base 10.

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u/Batking28 1h ago

That reasoning is honestly stupid. And fractions aren’t whole numbers, you just replaced the complexity of a decimal with a vinculum.

If you want to add additional decimals rather than round for two incompatible systems then 20mm is 393701/500000” you just replaced the decimal with a fraction and for adding and subtracting measurements decimals are far quicker and easier.

Adding 22mm to 17mm is easier to comprehend than adding 3/16 to 9/32.

Even when doing anything precisely thou are used dividing and inch by 1000 and using decimals because it’s just plain better.

I guess if you get brainwashed into a system the rest of the world moved on from then it’s hard to admit it’s wrong.

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u/SufficientWeb3163 46m ago

this might seem crazy to you but theres not some magic spell stopping you from using metric in the us and its frequently used by pretty much everyone. just sometimes it more easy/useful to use fractions of an inch. like look at any ruler in a store in the us and it will have cm on it.

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u/Balthierlives 1h ago

But you measure things in 1/8 inch etc all the time in the us. Just use mm.

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u/SufficientWeb3163 48m ago

you know we have other ways of measuring things then fractions of an inch right? also i would take 13/16ths over 20.6mm any day. it much easier to intrinsically see what 13/16ths should look like if you were say cutting a board.