My ADSM
Based on intellectual conversations involving metric system, I have devised an American Decimalised System of Measurement (ADSM).
note: This is mostly a sarcastic system of measurement created to show people that there is no need for a metric system. Also note that at least decimalised systems have not yet invaded angular measure, which has quickly become my favorite type of measurement.
The basic unit of length is the foot (ft):
1 Kilofoot = 1000 feet
1 centifoot = .01 feet
1 millifoot = .001 feet
The basic unit of weight is the pound-mass (lbm):
1 Kilopound = 1000 lbm
1 centipound = .01 lbm
1 millipound = .001 lbm
The basic unit of volume is the surt (srt):
1 surt = 1 cubic foot
1 kilosurt = 1000 srts
1 centisurt = .01 srts
1 millisurt = .001 srt
Did I miss anything?
note: This is mostly a sarcastic system of measurement created to show people that there is no need for a metric system. Also note that at least decimalised systems have not yet invaded angular measure, which has quickly become my favorite type of measurement.
The basic unit of length is the foot (ft):
1 Kilofoot = 1000 feet
1 centifoot = .01 feet
1 millifoot = .001 feet
The basic unit of weight is the pound-mass (lbm):
1 Kilopound = 1000 lbm
1 centipound = .01 lbm
1 millipound = .001 lbm
The basic unit of volume is the surt (srt):
1 surt = 1 cubic foot
1 kilosurt = 1000 srts
1 centisurt = .01 srts
1 millisurt = .001 srt
Did I miss anything?
posted by Pirate Jimmy @ 2:09 PM
6 Comments:
At 2:32 PM,
Pirate Jimmy said…
Feel free to use this system in the US if our other system is too hard to handle.
At 5:00 PM,
PopStar said…
all hail angular measurements !
At 5:05 PM,
PopStar said…
also, can we do something to fix the units of time ? seconds, really bug me.
At 2:51 PM,
Chaka said…
I remember the hours I whiled away in a train station in Belgium dreaming up metric time. At the end, I think I decided that the system based on 360 is too elegant to throw away. In fact, we should make the year 360 days long (12 months of 30 days each) and just goof off the 5 or 6 extra days.
At 10:40 PM,
Pirate Jimmy said…
I think it'd be worthwile to base our length unit on the latitude system (which is based on time).
i.e. 1 minute of latitude around the circumference of the earch being the basic unit of length. It seems to make more sense to base other lengths on time than to try to decimalise time.
At 7:06 PM,
Pirate Jimmy said…
I like your use of the word "elegant" to describe angular measure, and I completely agree. 360 degrees is evenly divisible by all numbers from 1-10, except 7. That means fractions like 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5, 1/6, 1/8, 1/9 and 1/10 are very easy to use in a 360 degree measuring scheme.
And unlike some people, I like fractions in a lot of applications. I'd rather say "two-thirds" than "approximately point-six-six-seven" anyday. And on a ruler I'd say it's MUCH easier/faster/economic to have a system based on fractions (quarter-inch, half-inch, 3/16ths of an inch) than a system based on decimals (3.4 cm, 2.111111 cm, 10.25 cm). Sure, the 10.25 looks a lot better when typing it, but it's a lot harder and less efficient to count 2.5 millimeters up on a meter stick than to see the 1/4 in. line that is slightly smaller than the 1/2 inch line. Basically what I'm saying is that in applications such as sawing large bundles of wood, or working on a construction site, having a measuring stick that uses fractions is a lot faster and accurate than counting millimeters. A lot of people don't think about that application of the American system.
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