• antipiratgruppen@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 day ago

    because you can break a foot into 12 inches, which is divisible by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (yes, still wouldn’t be irrational), and 6.

    12 ÷ 5 = 2.4
    

    Yeah, I get the idea that 12 is nicer than 10 to divide by 3, 4 and 6, but I’m pretty sure that 2.4 is an irrational number.

    Edit: Is this what makes it somewhat useful anyway?:

    2.4 × 10 = 24
    12 × 2 = 24
    

    So, for instance,

    120 ÷ 5 = 24
    

    would still be useful?

    • HarneyToker@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Been ages since I was in a math class and I misquoted why it’s useful. It’s not that it is rational, as 10/3 is also rational. However, 10/3 is not an integer, and therefore cannot be found on a measuring stick or tape measure. There are projects where being able to divide into exact thirds, 6ths, etc are required, and metric is not as useful for that. In a country that also uses imperial interchangeably, it makes sense to use it with projects that are better served with imperial.