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Comment on You've Just Been Hit By The Metric System Boys

I’m perfectly happy and able to seamlessly shift between systems. You seem stuck at “Ugh, me sure me right and all else wrong!” attitude.

And you, by your examples, are STILL using a device to measure things because the metric system isn’t that intuitive. You are using body parts that you have predetermined the approximate lengths of. I can tell a 4 year old child to cut a piece of paper in half and they intuitively understand about how much that is with no pre-measured body parts.

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MyRumIsVodka@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
Perhaps switching perspectives a bit might help you to understand it?

I know rationally that 1lb ≃ 1/2 kg. But if you tell me “I bought 5 lb taters” I’m not picturing anything until I mentally convert “5 lb ≃ 2 1/2 kg, that’s a lot”. And if I don’t do this mental conversion, “5 lb” means the same as “7 diddly-doodly” or “half a skwerl”, nothing.

I also know, rationally, that 1 ft = 1/3 m. But if you told me “I’m 10 ft tall” I’d be like “okay… [small pause] wait, isn’t this around 3.3m tall? That’s bullshit, nobody is 3m tall”.

From the above, following the exact same reasoning you’ve been trying to apply here, the conclusion is the opposite as yours: while the metric system would allow you to intuitively grasp how large/small things are, the imperial system doesn’t. And if the same reasoning leads to contradictory conclusions then the reasoning is bullshit.

What would explain the above is the following:

any measurement system allows you to intuitively grasp how large/small things are, once you’re used to it

You are not used to the metric system, even if trying to fool yourself with “I can seamlessly shift between systems”.

I’m not used to the imperial system. But unlike you I can tell apart what’s my own habits vs. what’s from the system itself.

And really, this shit is like QWERTY keyboards. I’m happy with mine, and I can instinctively find the keys without looking. But that doesn’t automatically stop QWERTY from being an awkward mess of a layout, and anyone arguing “QWERTY is more intuitive” is full of shit.

And you, by your examples, are STILL using a device to measure things because the metric system isn’t that intuitive.

Following this dumb “ackshyually your using a measurement device lol, you’re hand lmao”, you’re also using a pair of measurement devices: your eyes.

But let’s roll with it. The reason I still need to use a “device” has zero to do with the measurement system. It’s profession; I’m no carpenter I never trained myself to bat an eye at something and say “that should be 25cm large”. This is not about the measurement system itself.

I can tell a 4 year old child to cut a piece of paper in half and they intuitively understand about how much that is with no pre-measured body parts.

A 4yo can do the same with metric.

You’re confusing “fractions vs. decimal” with “imperial vs. metric”, and making a fool of yourself.

Dunno if you noticed, but I actually used fractions with the metric system in this very comment. The reason people don’t do this too often is because fractions are awkward to add and subtract, and you’re giving up unit conversions. But you can. Half a kilo, a third of a metre, it’s fine.

In the meantime, if you were to seriously use decimals with the imperial system, you’d reinvent the metric system poorly. “This is 3.62ft large… okay, it’s 362 centifeet”.
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- Bluewing@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  I spent years as toolmaker. Measuring things was my life. I still have tools and whole machines scattered across thing planet. So yes, I’m incredibly comfortable with both systems. G20/G21 after all. The difference between my and you is I don’t consider any measurement system to be intuitively better than another. I use whatever system is either asked for or required for the job at hand.
  
  I could not afford be as parochial or narrow minded as you seem to be if I wanted to make a living.
  
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  - MyRumIsVodka@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    
    The difference between my and you is I don’t consider any measurement system to be intuitively better than another. [implied: “you consider it.”]
    
    Don’t be disingenuous.
    
    I did not say “metric is intuitively better than imperial”, like you’re implying there. I said “any measurement system allows you to intuitively grasp how large/small things are, once you’re used to it”.
    
    The benefits of metric are elsewhere, already extensively mentioned across this thread. (Namely: trivial unit conversion.)
    
    You, though, you are bullshitting imperial would be more intuitive. What you’re saying is basically “I grew up with imperial, I use imperial in my work and outside work, and sometimes I use metric in my work. This means I’m used to both! And if I can eyeball things in one but not the other, this means one is intrinsically more intuitive than the other!”. Yes, it’s that dumb.
    
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