MYOG Technical Note – Catenary Curves

[Jerry Adams]

"> answers in feet, inches and 8ths of an inch.
Sometimes, I pity America.
But then I realise it is all self-inflicted."

What's really cool, is that with Excel, you can define a cell to be of type fraction, with resolution, like, in sixteenths. Except it will, for example, express 1.25 as 1 4/16, not 1 1/4.

I just use metric ruler for doing cat curves, then I don't have to deal with that.

[James Marco]

Well, I don't believe the diffrence between metric and english is all that great. After all, it is all the same thing we try to measure. For some things the english measuments are far superior. Halfs, quarters, thirds, sixths, are much easier to measure if they are in feet. I worked as a carpenter from the time I was about 10 till I was badly injured at age 33. It works. For scientific stuff, no. I like metric. It is easier and more accurate. An eighth of a meter will always be a clumsy measurement, though. Dealing with fractions is far easier. It depends on your usage.

Working with a string, it is easy to define fractions accuratly. Even splitting it into three strings and attaching it a stick makes a good balance. Measuring with the string again lets you define halfs, or quarters…all without knowing exactly what it is you are weighing or measuring. Each system has advantages. Nobody really knows how big a cibit was exactly. Nor was it really needed, it just needed to be self consistent.

Metric is more for standards. In later years working biology, chemistry and later computer science, standards were nice to have.

[Jerry Adams]

We use decimal system for calculating, whether it be scientific or construction.

Easier to just use metric. With "English" system you have to do an extra step, convert a decimal fraction to the nearest sixteenth or whatever.

The only good thing about "English" system is that Americans are more familiar with it. Like room temperature is 72 F, but I would have to calculate to figure C, no similar intuitive value.

When we switch, it will cause confusion but after a short while we will have intutitive values for metric.

[Author]

Posts