How big was the Tonga eruption?

Re:How big was the Tonga eruption? by r00fus on Monday January 24, 2022 @05:31PM (#30064965)

Since it's a big "moat" for parts manufacturing (mainly for defense industry)... I predict the USA will give up imperial units when it's empire finally collapses.

Perhaps in the next few decades as China builds its own economic sphere.

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Re:How big was the Tonga eruption? by not2b on Monday January 24, 2022 @11:11PM (#30067900)

Carter started a transition to metric in the 1970s and Reagan killed it. It became a nationalist thing to keep it.

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Re:How big was the Tonga eruption? by denton-scratch on Monday January 24, 2022 @05:59PM (#30065302)

Um, it's unamerican to use "imperial" units. When you have a revolution, you have to get rid of all things imperial!

Therefore US pints are 16oz, not 20oz, and so on for most fluid measures (fluid ounces are based on dry ounces, which are avoirdupois, not imperial).

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Re:How big was the Tonga eruption? by r00fus on Monday January 24, 2022 @06:30PM (#30065652)

We kept linear measurements the same (feet, yard, miles). So it's a bit of a stretch to say we're not imperial. I'd say it's "US imperial".

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Re:How big was the Tonga eruption? by denton-scratch on Tuesday January 25, 2022 @12:37AM (#30068515)

I was about to comment that feet, yards and miles are not imperial measure; but I checked, and WP says they are in fact imperial units. So i learned something today.

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