Re:Show HN: USA.css – units set in inches, 1776 bytes
by amyjess on Saturday July 04, 2020 @06:45PM
(#23735416)
All small measurements in the US are done in power-of-two fractions of an inch. In fact, much of the initial opposition to the metric system here was led by the construction industry, who has found from experience that 1/2" 1/4" 1/8" 1/16" etc. measurements are too convenient to ever give up.
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Re:Show HN: USA.css – units set in inches, 1776 bytes
by skrause on Sunday July 05, 2020 @03:13AM
(#23737096)
How this that convenient when you then have to use something like 13/16?
Just look at the standard wrench sizes (https://www.cnm.edu/programs-of-study/programs-a-z/automotiv...):
* Standard Combination Wrenches: 1/4, 5/16, 11/32, 3/8, 7/16, 1/2, 9/16, 5/8, 11/16, 3/4, 13/16, 7/8, 15/16, 1.
* Metric Combination Wrenches: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. Measured in millimeters.
Re:Show HN: USA.css – units set in inches, 1776 bytes
by mikecoles on Monday July 06, 2020 @01:56PM
(#23750675)
Perfectly convenient.
The standard system excels when doing actual work. If you have a rod with 1" diameter and you need to take it down to 13/16", you can use a lathe to make 3/32" cut. Or if you need to divide up 13/16 into 4 parts, for example, 13/64.
The metric system's strength is teaching in elementary schools where skills with fractions are not as strong.
Re:Show HN: USA.css – units set in inches, 1776 bytes
by VyperCard on Sunday July 05, 2020 @04:24AM
(#23737328)
Thanks for this illustration.
Re:Show HN: USA.css – units set in inches, 1776 bytes
by SAI_Peregrinus on Sunday July 05, 2020 @11:42AM
(#23739498)
Not exactly. Things are done in decimal fractions until you get down to around 1/64", but any farther and they're done in thou (1/1000" aka mils) or tenths (1/10000"). There's overlap, machinists will use thou up to and sometimes beyond a full inch.