this post was submitted on 15 Sep 2023
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[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Flounces are the best part of US Customary units. It's all base 2/8/16, which is a hell of a lot more sensible than base 10 units.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Is that because you have 16 fingers?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

We take off our shoes. Duh.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It’s all base 2/8/16, which is a hell of a lot more sensible than base 10 units.

Debatable. I probably shouldn't restart the whole imperial vs metric debate, but I might just say that people who grow up with metric think exactly the opposite.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I'll convert to metric once we convert to a dozenal number system. Ten is a terrible number to base our counting system on.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Ten is a terrible number to base our counting system on.

Maybe when you are counting apples, but not when you are dealing with arbitrary amounts. Why else is our number system base 10?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Because ten fingers. Base 12 is still better.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

2x2x3. You can divide 12 so many ways, its nice.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Imperial sucks, and metric is better, but still +1 for dozenal. Anybody who isn't for it is either confused about the very concept of different bases (I've talked to plenty of those), or biased.

I don't know why you dozenal advocates are being downvoted.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

You're serious? Why? I've genuinely never heard this stance before.

Is it because they're powers of two and are therefore easier to halve, quarter, etc. for baking and cooking purposes?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah this is why most old measurement systems used 4 8 12. 4 fingers to a palm, you don't count the thumb as a finger. Then 4 palms to arm, for a total of 16 fingers. At 12 arms into a bigger unit so you can count the joints on your hand

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I can't tell if you're kidding. How do you keep track of four palms per arm?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That actually how the Egyptians made their cubits. Tuck your Thumb under you hand and place all four finger at your elbow. You have about 4 palms before you get to your wrist.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Interesting. Learned something new today, thanks!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Maybe before we had the scientific ability it measure micro-measurements. It makes no sense today.