Of course. And you select the unit you need based on the degree of precision required for the task. You’re not arbitrarily bouncing decimal points around for shits and giggles. The ability to do that is a cool bit of trivia, but in practice, it’s not particularly useful.
You don’t have to mix foot, inches, and 1/8 inches? So how do you measure a room? Is it “Ten foot and a bit” or “Ten foot, 5 3/8 inches”? Or do you break it down to smaller units like “125 3/8 inches” or “1003 1/8 inches”?
Or do you break it down to smaller units like “125 3/8 inches” or “1003 1/8 inches”?
This. Building a house, wall studs are on 16" (sixteen inch) centers, not 1’4" (one foot four inch), even though those are the same length. Roof joists are usually on 24" centers, not 2’, even though those are the same.
Most of your lumber is going to be 120" or less, so most of the measurements you’re going to be making are less than that.
If I’m measuring a room in feet, it is to give a rough estimate. It’s easy to compare two different bedrooms by saying one is 8x10 and the other is 10x12. The actual dimensions might differ by up to 6", but they are close enough for a reasonable comparison.
Would it not be better to just use accurate numbers?
There is just so much unnecesary mental gymnastics. You are using a lot words like “usually” or “most”.
Would it not be better to just use accurate numbers?
“Accuracy” depends on the task. The framing guy needs about 1/8th inch precision. Drywall guy needs about 1/4". Baseboards, 1/16th or tighter. The buyer needs to the nearest foot to compare. The painter can skip the foot and go straight to the nearest yard.
I challenge the value and necessity of unit conversion, and you throw in the towel? As though this trivial, boring feature of the metric system is the only value it brings to the table?
I haven’t done anything to defend US Customary Units (not Imperial. Imperial units are what the UK uses when they aren’t using Metric, and they don’t always match US units even though they have the same names).
The only point I’ve presented is that “unit conversion” is not a particularly interesting feature. When I use metric, it is not with the idea that I’ll be bouncing decimal points back and forth with reckless abandon.
The real value of metric is that everyone uses it.
the point is you don’t have to go that far in the metric system: converting between two neighboring sizes (cm and mm) is as easy as adding/removing a zero or shifting the decimal separator by one digit. but you can also convert between mm and km by doing the same thing six times without a problem.
you can’t do the former with imperial units as easily, let alone the latter.
sometimes you just have numbers that are too small or big for a unit. convert 1079 inches to feet. or convert 0.000419 miles to inches. I can do 1079 cm to m or 0.000419 km to cm instantly.
You’re not addressing my criticism at all here. Yes, I get it: you can slide back and forth between kilometers and millimeters with the greatest of ease. Cool. Awesome.
My criticism isn’t about the ease in converting. My criticism is more “when are we actually using that feature?”
And the answer is, of course, “rarely”. Rarely do we find a practical need for a single measurement with both the magnitude of a kilometer/mile and the precision of a centimeter/inch.
As a practical matter, the ability to easily make that conversion is nice, of course. But not particularly useful.
first of all that’s not a criticism. criticism would be pointing out a fault.
second of all i gave you an example of when you would use it. when you have sizes too small or too big, it’s just easier to switch to the other unit. again, the point isn’t to have easy conversion between a km and cm, it’s to have easy conversion between all steps.
it’s funny how you’re not addressing the fact that I’m telling you that you can’t even easily switch between feet and inches, two of the closest and most frequently used units, but you keep bringing miles into it as if the entire reason we have the metric system is just so we can cover km to cm. why are glossing over being able to instantly convert cm to mm and vice versa? what about m to km? yeah because that’s much more useful and common so your entire argument would crumble.
forget miles. tell me how many feet 17.05 inches make. you can’t which is why you’re always forced to use double units, feet and inches, and you still have to use fractions or decimals on top of that because inches aren’t precise enough for anything to begin with. covering 17.05" to 1’ 5.05" just makes it more complicated for no reason. not to mention it’s terrible notation and looks messy as fuck when you’re writing dimensions.
it’s funny how you’re not addressing the fact that I’m telling you that you can’t even easily switch between feet and inches, two of the closest and most frequently used units,
Again, why would I convert them?
If I need to cut a board to a precision of inches, why would I even bother with feet? It’s 119 inches, not 9’11" (9-foot 11-inches). It’s 987 centimeters, not 9 meters, 87 centimeters. You’re not going to hear “foot” when building an American house, because everything is done in inches.
I’ve got a tape measure that doesn’t even have foot markings, but multiples of 16" are marked, because our wall studs are commonly framed on 16" centers.
That is the point I am trying to convey: conversion is rarely important in practice. Just start with the unit that provides sufficient precision, and don’t bother switching. There are plenty of good reasons to use metric, but in practice, unit conversion just isn’t one of them.
tell me how many feet 17.05 inches make
Why would I ever need that in feet? You’re just not paying attention here.
I don’t have .05" markings on my tape measure. I could get to 17.125 (17-1/8") or 17.0625 (17-1/16"), or just 17", depending on the degree of precision needed.
To even get a measurement of 17.05", I’d need to be using an 18" micrometer, as we do use decimal inches in machining. But again, we wouldn’t use “feet” at all for such a measurement. There is no practical purpose in making that conversion.
Metric or imperial, the chosen unit implies the degree of required precision. If I’m using feet, I don’t need precision tighter than half a foot. If I need precision tighter than that, I’m not using foot.
Btw how much concrete i should mix when i need 4 inch deep, 37 feet long and 13 feet wide pour, there is also 3,5 feet x 6 feet alcove. Lets add large pole or some other round shape on the mix with diameter of 46 3/4 inches on the middle of the structure.
Wonder how many trips i nees to make to the hardware store when one bag of the concrete weigts 94 pounds and it makes 4,5 cubic feets of cement.
one bag of the concrete weigts 94 pounds and it makes 4,5 cubic feets of cement.
Based on that sentence, I’d say you should retain the services of a professional for such a task. The basic geometry is trivial, as you well know. It’s everything else that is going to get you into trouble.
Why are we converting between units all the time? Why is this so big of a deal?
When in your daily lives do you actually need the precision of a millimeter and the magnitude of a kilometer?
You do know we have everything between a millimeter and a kilometer as well, right?
Of course. And you select the unit you need based on the degree of precision required for the task. You’re not arbitrarily bouncing decimal points around for shits and giggles. The ability to do that is a cool bit of trivia, but in practice, it’s not particularly useful.
Yes
Outside half of the job market? Pretty often.
You don’t have to mix foot, inches, and 1/8 inches? So how do you measure a room? Is it “Ten foot and a bit” or “Ten foot, 5 3/8 inches”? Or do you break it down to smaller units like “125 3/8 inches” or “1003 1/8 inches”?
This. Building a house, wall studs are on 16" (sixteen inch) centers, not 1’4" (one foot four inch), even though those are the same length. Roof joists are usually on 24" centers, not 2’, even though those are the same.
Most of your lumber is going to be 120" or less, so most of the measurements you’re going to be making are less than that.
If I’m measuring a room in feet, it is to give a rough estimate. It’s easy to compare two different bedrooms by saying one is 8x10 and the other is 10x12. The actual dimensions might differ by up to 6", but they are close enough for a reasonable comparison.
Would it not be better to just use accurate numbers? There is just so much unnecesary mental gymnastics. You are using a lot words like “usually” or “most”.
“Accuracy” depends on the task. The framing guy needs about 1/8th inch precision. Drywall guy needs about 1/4". Baseboards, 1/16th or tighter. The buyer needs to the nearest foot to compare. The painter can skip the foot and go straight to the nearest yard.
I give up. If you really think that is better way than using metric you truly deserve the imperial system you have.
Where are you getting this?
I challenge the value and necessity of unit conversion, and you throw in the towel? As though this trivial, boring feature of the metric system is the only value it brings to the table?
I haven’t done anything to defend US Customary Units (not Imperial. Imperial units are what the UK uses when they aren’t using Metric, and they don’t always match US units even though they have the same names).
The only point I’ve presented is that “unit conversion” is not a particularly interesting feature. When I use metric, it is not with the idea that I’ll be bouncing decimal points back and forth with reckless abandon.
The real value of metric is that everyone uses it.
Yes, lol. Nobody says 3500 meters or 0.159 Kilometers. But it is easy to convert if needed.
Athletics competitions would like a word…
My job. Lol
ask NASA i guess.
the point is you don’t have to go that far in the metric system: converting between two neighboring sizes (cm and mm) is as easy as adding/removing a zero or shifting the decimal separator by one digit. but you can also convert between mm and km by doing the same thing six times without a problem.
you can’t do the former with imperial units as easily, let alone the latter.
sometimes you just have numbers that are too small or big for a unit. convert 1079 inches to feet. or convert 0.000419 miles to inches. I can do 1079 cm to m or 0.000419 km to cm instantly.
Or convert 0.002 cents to dollars.
what
That sounds like a reference to Verizon Math
That’s just 0.002 dollars, right?
You’re not addressing my criticism at all here. Yes, I get it: you can slide back and forth between kilometers and millimeters with the greatest of ease. Cool. Awesome.
My criticism isn’t about the ease in converting. My criticism is more “when are we actually using that feature?”
And the answer is, of course, “rarely”. Rarely do we find a practical need for a single measurement with both the magnitude of a kilometer/mile and the precision of a centimeter/inch.
As a practical matter, the ability to easily make that conversion is nice, of course. But not particularly useful.
first of all that’s not a criticism. criticism would be pointing out a fault.
second of all i gave you an example of when you would use it. when you have sizes too small or too big, it’s just easier to switch to the other unit. again, the point isn’t to have easy conversion between a km and cm, it’s to have easy conversion between all steps.
it’s funny how you’re not addressing the fact that I’m telling you that you can’t even easily switch between feet and inches, two of the closest and most frequently used units, but you keep bringing miles into it as if the entire reason we have the metric system is just so we can cover km to cm. why are glossing over being able to instantly convert cm to mm and vice versa? what about m to km? yeah because that’s much more useful and common so your entire argument would crumble.
forget miles. tell me how many feet 17.05 inches make. you can’t which is why you’re always forced to use double units, feet and inches, and you still have to use fractions or decimals on top of that because inches aren’t precise enough for anything to begin with. covering 17.05" to 1’ 5.05" just makes it more complicated for no reason. not to mention it’s terrible notation and looks messy as fuck when you’re writing dimensions.
Again, why would I convert them?
If I need to cut a board to a precision of inches, why would I even bother with feet? It’s 119 inches, not 9’11" (9-foot 11-inches). It’s 987 centimeters, not 9 meters, 87 centimeters. You’re not going to hear “foot” when building an American house, because everything is done in inches.
I’ve got a tape measure that doesn’t even have foot markings, but multiples of 16" are marked, because our wall studs are commonly framed on 16" centers.
That is the point I am trying to convey: conversion is rarely important in practice. Just start with the unit that provides sufficient precision, and don’t bother switching. There are plenty of good reasons to use metric, but in practice, unit conversion just isn’t one of them.
Why would I ever need that in feet? You’re just not paying attention here.
I don’t have .05" markings on my tape measure. I could get to 17.125 (17-1/8") or 17.0625 (17-1/16"), or just 17", depending on the degree of precision needed.
To even get a measurement of 17.05", I’d need to be using an 18" micrometer, as we do use decimal inches in machining. But again, we wouldn’t use “feet” at all for such a measurement. There is no practical purpose in making that conversion.
Metric or imperial, the chosen unit implies the degree of required precision. If I’m using feet, I don’t need precision tighter than half a foot. If I need precision tighter than that, I’m not using foot.
Sure.
Btw how much concrete i should mix when i need 4 inch deep, 37 feet long and 13 feet wide pour, there is also 3,5 feet x 6 feet alcove. Lets add large pole or some other round shape on the mix with diameter of 46 3/4 inches on the middle of the structure.
Wonder how many trips i nees to make to the hardware store when one bag of the concrete weigts 94 pounds and it makes 4,5 cubic feets of cement.
Should i just eye ball it?
Based on that sentence, I’d say you should retain the services of a professional for such a task. The basic geometry is trivial, as you well know. It’s everything else that is going to get you into trouble.
Yeah. Sorry i mixed cement and concrete up. You know. That can happen when you writing in language that is only your third most proficient.
And nice evasion for reacting to the example.
by the sound of how they measure things with imperial units you might as well eyeball it.