Metric essay

[Regnirps at aol.com]

In a message dated 6/5/99 11:43:10 PM, claresnyder at home.com writes:

>Oh? How many ounces to a quart (40 or 32 us), or to a gallon (128 or 160
>us)? Is a quart larger or smaller than a litre? Depends which side of the
>border you are on - because the british and american systems do not agree.
>The yankee quart is less than a liter, while the british, or crown quart
>is more than a liter. The American gallon is only 4/5 of a British or 
Canadian
>gallon ( officially the "canadian" gallon no longer exists). Also we have
>nautical miles, statute miles, and british nautical miles. In feet we
>haveregular feet at30.48cm, us survey feet at 30.48006 cm, (12 inches and
>12.000024inches). Historically the foot has varied considerably - 12.44
>(athena), 12.36 (aegina), 12.52 (miletus), 12.64 (olympia), 11.66 (rome),
>13.19 (england and old north), 12.79 (france) and 13.17 (moscow). There
>are also at least two ounces used for measure of mass, as well as the fluid
>ounce, a measure of volume. In the US you have two different pints - dry
>and fluid, and the british pint is different again (550.61cc, 473.176cc, and
>568.261cc respectively) Go to barrels, and you have us dry, us liquid,
>and us oil, as well as british. There are at least 3 BTUs. There are two
>different chains used in the british/american system, and the cubit has
>had
>at least nine different sizes over the years. There are at least 3 differend
>dimensions for a league as well.
>
>In comparison, the meter, and all of it's derivatives, have only one
>dimensional definition, and the gram and all of it's derivatives likewise.
>
>Every british/american conversion requires a different factor - 16 oz to
>the pound, 12 inches to the foot, 660 feet to the furlong, 2000 lb per ton,
>ad infinitum.  The metric system converts by adding or moving zeros - can't
>get much simpler.

Great Mother of Pearl! I never realised how awfull it is! Next time you need 
to figure out how many furlongs per fortnight you can do with a 50 hogshead 
load let me know and I'll work it out for you. I hate to see people suffer.

Charlie Springer