> The metric system is no easier than the English system in common everyday
> use. Sure, you can move the decimal point easily in the metric system, but
> so what? How often do we move decimal points?
You sure haven't used the metric system!
One of the prime advantages of the metric system is that you don't
need fractions. You only have to typeset a few documents containing
the lovely 1-3/64" (or is that 1 minus 3 divided by 64 seconds?) type
measurements before you realise that the metric system has its
advantages!
Some questions:
How many inches to a mile?
How many ounces in a ton?
How many cubic inches in a gallon?
And if you're east of the Atlantic?
Lemmesee, the answers are easy:
5280ft/mile x 12"/ft = 63 360"/mile
16ounces/lb x 2240lbs/ton = 35 840ounces/ton
I give up. But whatever the conversion factor is, it's different
on the other side of the Atlantic by something like 20%.
Now try the equivalent questions for the metric system:
mm per km?
g per ton?
ml per l?
What is the mass of a litre of water?
West of the Atlantic?
Answers:
1 000 000 mm/km
1 000 000 g/ton
1000 ml/l
1 kg, of course
And, gee, west of the Atlantic it's the same!
> Metrites criticize the English system as arbitrary. But at the end of the
> day, I can always find my foot.
I dare say your foot may not be an exact twelve inches...
Besides, the base unit of the SI system is derived from the
circumference of the earth--the circumference over the poles is
40 000 km.
> I once tried a 25 meter tower, but found that an 82-foot one worked better.
That's only because it sounds higher, thereby lowering your voice by
at least three full tones when you tell the station you're working!
Now, to relevant stuff: Tool and hardware sizes are much simpler in
the metric system. For example, spanners/wrenches/sockets/nuts/bolts
are numbered in their mm size, which is an integer. Instead of
having to look for a 17/163" tool, you can simply grab a 12. Bolts
are similarly numbered by diameter (e.g. an 8 mm bolt). And, best of
all, wires are sold by surface area (2 sq. mm) or diameter (1 mm),
depending on the application. How much current does a number 22 wire
carry anyway?
Chris R. Burger
ZS6EZ
PS Hey, on the other hand, this imperial system really is easy:
16 ounces to the pound
14 pounds to the stone
2 stones to the quarter
4 quarters to the hundredweight
20 hundredweights to the ton
Gee, this is a real elegant system!
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