Metric Conversion Calculator

[Mr Smith]

I grew up with metric - I never saw an inch measurement until the age of 10 or 11.

Having said that, I use both. For stuff that needs to be small and precise, I use millimetres. For larger or longer stuff, feet and inches.

How do you guys go with pounds / kg ?
I spent ten minutes today trying to work out whether a 2 and 3/4 lb hammer was heavier than my 1.35kg. It doesn't help when most of the smithin' hammers are made either in the US, or back in the day when imperial was the go.

[irnsrgn]

open the url and click on weight/mass Smith 1.35kg = 2.98 lbs

[Strine]

Beware, there is imperial and there is imperial. The Poms' version is different to the US version. In anycase Jr's link copes with all that.

[Glenn]

If you quoted a length at say 5.9m it would be taken as 5m plus 9mm similarly, 5.91 would be 5m plus 91mm which amounts to a fair sized error. To overcome this we'd always say 5.900 or 5.910.

I would normally read this 5.9m or 6 meters minus one decimeter, or 5 meters and 9 decimeters. 5.91 would then be 5 meters, 9 decimeters, and 1 centimeter.

Therefore 5.9123 would be 5 meters, 9 decimeters, 1 centimeter, 2.3 millimeters (getting just a little bit closer to 6 meters).

Am I missing something in the translation?

[henerythe8th]

I'm not sure if this is where Strine is going or not, and/or whether the aussies are doin' it or not...

...some/most of the Europeans use a comma instead of a period for a "decimal point"...

H
the
8th

[Mr Smith]

Unfortunately, the link can't follow me into the workshop :-)

I guess between forge and anvil, 1 Kg = 2 and a bit pounds, the same way Pi = 3 and a bit.

Australia uses decimal points , rather than commas, but I read recently that apparently Indonesia uses them the other way around.

eg, instead of 4,100.85, they would write 4.100,85.

[frogvalley]

This can be argued both ways, but, metric or english units, there is no difference in accuracy. One is not outdated. Neither one solves certain problems with dividing a given unit of length, or perhaps time.Either one has some strengths in certain areas, but linear measurements ain't gonna show a real difference. UNLESS of course you are going to compare something to a specific wavelength of light. I don't know about ya'll but I don't do that in my forge. Math is not an exact science, it is very much a convenience for explaining a numerical phenomenon.

If you can use a caliper to read a ten thousandths of an inch, then you know how accurate inches can be. A metric caliper is no more accurate.

[Mr Smith]

All too true.

To be honest, I feel comfortable with either, weight measurements excepted.
Let's call off the fussin and a feudin! :-)

[Strine]

No Glenn you right on the money. But why confuse the issue with decimetres centimetres. For more than a metre I talk in metres for less I talk in millimetres.

The reason for quoting three places was to overcome a language barrier as well as the confusion mentioned earlier. It worked and the trenches were dug in the right spot. The sewer flowed on a dark and stormy night which was the ultimate quality control back in those days

Man of many wives, Full stop or comma? I dunno the origins except that conventionally we seperate thousands with commas and wholes from the part with a full stop. eg 12,345.456 In my game that's still not the convention... the dot has to be in the centre of the numbers. not down on the line as shown in the example.

Froggy. You're right.. a rose by any other name still jabs you with its thorns. The tropical system of length (banana skins) could be used just as accurately as long as everybody was working off the same standard length of a banana skin.

Math is not an exact science, it is very much a convenience for explaining a numerical phenomenon.

I'm still trying to get my head around this one. There's a fillisofficle dilemma hidden in there somewhere I'm sure.

For the buffs, the current metre standard is how far you travel in a vacuum, at the speed of light in 1/299 792 458 seconds. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metre#T..._of_definition

And lastly, Smudger...not fuedin, not even fussin, just having a good ol' yarn over an ale or too. Well at least I am.

[Glenn]

Let's not get into a glass being half full or half empty. Just top off the glass (or mug) and enjoy the yarn.