Some of the interesting history of units (from "Measuring America") is
that the common units were basically developed from the people.
Eventually, things that were in common use were codified.  As a matter
of fact, all of the issues with units were extremely messy.
Definitions varied depending on when and where a unit was used.  The
size of an acre used to depend on how good the land was for example.  A
"poor" acre was larger than a "good" acre, etc.  Metric on the
other hand was developed by the government and decreed to be used.
This caused a lot of resentment and hindered the acceptance of the
metric system.  Some of the resentment was based on the practical
benefits of using the numbers 12 and 16 as others have mentioned.

(Water freezes at 293.)

Sorry for continuing the thread, but George started it! :)

Bob W.


On Fri, 29 Sep 2006 11:20:46 -0700
"Todd Bartrim" <bartrim@gmail.com> wrote:

> I've tried to resist jumping into this non-rotary thread but....
> I've never understood why a country that fought so hard for it's
> independence from imperial rule is one of the last in the world to continue
> embracing a measurement system based on a dead English Kings various body
> parts, especially when the advantages of the S.I. system are undeniable.
> Canada switched over in 1977, so I'm the right age to be comfortable
> in both systems, so I don't need to mentally convert when discussing issues
> with our American friends. But I really don't get the temp system based on
> blood! (F)
>
> Todd (soon to be at 0 degrees, where water should freeze! Not 32)
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
> You are correct on both the foot and the yard.  The inch was derived
> from one of the king's thumb joints.  Eventually someone cast a chunk of
> metal, and said we'll use this from now on, 'cause they got tired of
> having to remeasure the kingdom every time there was an assasination.  
> In most instances, it was a bureaucrat hidden in the basement of a
> corner of the castle, and the casting form was made from scrap material
> laying around . . . which is a hyperbolic way of saying, it was a rather
> arbitrary process.
>
>
>
> --
> Homepage:  http://www.flyrotary.com/
> Archive and UnSub:   http://mail.lancaironline.net/lists/flyrotary/


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