this post was submitted on 02 May 2024
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Americans using anything but the metric system (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 7 months ago by RmDebArc_5 to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] -1 points 7 months ago (3 children)

To be fair, when people give me measurements in Metric, I just get confused as I have no frame of reference

[–] RmDebArc_5 4 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

1 meter ≈ one large step

1 centimeter ≈ width of an index finger

[–] [email protected] -1 points 7 months ago (3 children)

that helps with the centimeter, not so much the meter

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago

Its the width of 100 index fingers

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago

1 meter = roughly 1 european badger (with tail)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Meter is about the length of your leg, if you're average sized.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago (2 children)

What's your frame of reference when using imperial?

[–] Shampiss 5 points 7 months ago

The inch is 3 grains of barley of course! At least the kind of barley they had In the 14th century. Alternatively the length of 12 poppy seeds in a line. You probably have lots of those lying around your house right?

The foot is about the size of a clown shoe, duh!

And the mile is about the length of 1000 paces from a malnourished roman soldier

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

And inch is the length of a finger between knuckles, a foot is the obvious and a yard is the length of my stride

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago

Same is true for feet, miles and whatever.

It's a matter of habit. You intuitively know how much foot is, how much mile is, and it's only a matter of time and habit that you start intuitively getting meters and centimeters the same way.

But for as long as you make this transition, remember that:

  • 1 inch is about 2,5 cm,
  • 1 foot is about 1/3 of a meter
  • 1 mile is about 1,5 kilometers.

Yes, those are not super accurate, but those are simple numbers and they give you a quick idea.