Imperial v Metric Measures

Just followed the link to the FFF system,wonderful stuff. Can anybody tell me how to recalibrate my DRO to read in nanofurlongs?

I was taught the old imperial measurements at primary school. Then physics in secondary school introduced the cgs system (centimeter, gram, second). Then it all changed again and we get MKS (metre, kilogram, second) with all its really large or impossibly small basic units, which I then had to re-learn the names for. I tend to use feet and inches when doing woodwork and metric dimensions for metal. I still think psi when inflating the car tyres because Pascals and the multiples thereof are meaningless to me. Not that I am supporting imperial measurements as I think metric is much more sensible. The only thing about imperial was, it made you good at mental arithmetic.

Only two? I was taught Imperial, CGS, MKS and "Rationalised" MKS. Afterwards, SI came along .....

There's nothing like a good old Slug!

All those systems and all we had were log tables and Slide Rules to do the maths !!

In the previous century I picked up a Slide Rule from a seller at a junk market. He had a box of them .

When I showed my young son how you could multiply and divide numbers with one the seller was amazed he

gave me one !

Brian

Inches fit better on a dial calliper than millimetres.

0.1" just works for one turn of the needle without getting too frantic.

2mm for one turn with diametrically opposing zeros is kind of icky.

I've searched the interweb and failed to find a package to convert SI into the FFF system. This is a need which must be filled by some clever person. We also need nomenclature for the derived units, equivalent to Newtons, Joules, watts etc. For starters

1 kg = 0.0245 firkins

1 metre = 0.3048 feet

1 second = 826.7 nanoFortnights

so 1 Newton, which is 1*kg*m/s^2 is 91.52 pico firkin.ft/fortnight^2. This is a bit of a mouthful, so I suggest we just call it a picoFoundal. Anyone remember poundals? Suggested names for all other derived units are invited, all to begin with the letter F to avoid confusion

Here are some suggestions for unit names:

Yuck

Bleurgh

Ouch

You must be f*****g joking

Apply as appropriate.

A fractional dial caliper is ideal then!

Don't think it makes much difference myself. 25mm around the dial is much the same as an inch. Not many engineers think in sixty-fourths, which is how the dial above is calibrated. millimetres are excellent for machining, and the system handles long distances consistently. Unlike an Imperial railway locomotive, where small parts are made in inches and thou, the machine is measured in feet and fractions, and the track in chains and miles. I think 1435mm makes more sense than 4' 8½" Although USA Standard Gauge is 1435.1mm, not the 4' 8½" it claims to be!

Dave