Reading a Chart in Metres

[goboatingnow]

I grew up pre-decimalisation and pre metric. Even now everyone uses imperial weight ( stones) and buys their timber in feet and inches ( even if you get the equivalent metric size).

But Ive grown used to it, if tell me dimensions in mm or metres I can visualise it and I can do sq metres, even though sq foot is more natural to me.

I never understood the difficulties in the US with it, its no big deal. but then the US makes a point of not doing what others do , even if its the right thing

( ICC, Kyoto, metric, MMSI ,etc)

Dave

[boasun]

Originally Posted by bewitched

Yeah, the imperial system was much easier. . You knew that there were
12 inches in a foot
3 feet in a yard
22 yards in a chain
10 chains in a furlong
8 furlongs in a mile
And a mile was 1760 yards or 5280 feet.

Ahh... But that was a land mile and those were land measurements. Regarding the sea there were
6 feet in a fathom
15 fathoms in a cable
There wasn't a relationship between a fathom and the next one ... A cable
But there was 608 feet in a cable and so
10 cables in a nautical mile.
Which was 6080feet
Which is the only measurement that makes any sense as in is the same length as one minute of arc of latitude at the equator....well give or take a few feet.

But if say you wanted to measure cloth, or area, or volume, or pressure, or energy, or....

Well, then it got a bit tricky.

Oopsie!! It is 15 fathoms in a shot of chain. And the shot is part of the anchoring system on a ship. And there are 9 to 11 shots for each anchor.

Cable length:
UK; 700 feet
US; 720 feet = to 8 shots of chain

Nautical mile = 6076.11548556 feet = 1.852 Kilometers = 1 minute of lattitude
Navigators consider that one minute of lattitude equal to 6000 ft and we don't worry about the 76.+ ft buried inside that 6000 ft.
There a few other minor mistakes in this thread... But who will quible over minor details.

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

I grew up pre-decimalisation and pre metric. Even now everyone uses imperial weight ( stones) and buys their timber in feet and inches ( even if you get the equivalent metric size).

But Ive grown used to it, if tell me dimensions in mm or metres I can visualise it and I can do sq metres, even though sq foot is more natural to me.

I never understood the difficulties in the US with it, its no big deal. but then the US makes a point of not doing what others do , even if its the right thing

( ICC, Kyoto, metric, MMSI ,etc)

Dave

What are ICC and MMSI?

[HappySeagull]

Originally Posted by nigel1

Are you thinking relations are any better now than they were

wayy off thread now but Why Yanks not going metric after all the French did for them in their Revolution?
I bet Ben Franklin wanted to go metric...

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Adelie

What are ICC and MMSI?

More disputes between the US and the rest of the world.

You will be assimilated! We are Borg!

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by HappySeagull

wayy off thread now but Why Yanks not going metric after all the French did for them in their Revolution?
I bet Ben Franklin wanted to go metric...

And what we did for the Brits and Europe during WWII. What's the difference?

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by HappySeagull

wayy off thread now but Why Yanks not going metric after all the French did for them in their Revolution?
I bet Ben Franklin wanted to go metric...

Ben predated the Metric System.

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

More disputes between the US and the rest of the world.

You will be assimilated! We are Borg!

Amusing but not informative.

[HappySeagull]

..Well,old wounds aside-"Freedom Fries" included?-from experience here in Canada,"going metric" is a wonderful opportunity to shrink all the packaging and charge you the same $$,so be careful what some of you technically-inclined Americans wish for....

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Adelie

What are ICC and MMSI?

ICC = International Criminal Court

MMSI, Maritime Mobile service Indentify, the US has a system of giving them out thats different to everyone else ( but its a small thing)
how about these ones though

UN convention on the rights of the child not ratifed ( The only other country that didnt was Somalia!)

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women( not ratified, ( also not ratified was Iran, Nauru, Palau, Somalia, Sudan and Tong)

Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance
Mine Ban Treaty
Convention on Cluster Munitions
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture

etc etc

OK.

PS not looking for a debate just pointing out the US seems to be different.( or out of step if you like)
Dave

[HappySeagull]

Originally Posted by Adelie

Ben predated the Metric System.

true,I am corrected,as to adoption but will you grant it seems to have been a topic in his time and acquaintance?But perhaps I give him too much credit.

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by HappySeagull

true,I am corrected,as to adoption but will you grant it seems to have been a topic in his time and acquaintance?But perhaps I give him too much credit.

I was being a little too pedantic.

[moetai]

let we see which system chineeses and indians will choose
I wasn't knowing about the new standart of the french maps ,not sailing since 30 years
this sort of metrics angles have been tried after the french revolution ,by 1789 ,as the meridian of Paris ,good busness for editors anyway
I know by an english teacher that english system nead two years of school ,but sure ,if it is your system it is the good one ,
I have use part of it for wood construction ,but saying 2x3 or 1/2,without thumb or feet ,and now I know the two ways for my watering system , well ,I may not say that I prefer the english way but I am used of it
the metric system was to stop chatering about the different lenght between towns and countries,what was a foot there was a foot and a finger 10 miles away ,but english power have regulate this problem over the world
french just take an over politic reference or human reference to be abble to be accept by the world
but the fact to have a complex system is better for the brain and give you an advantage

[hoppy]

why doesn't the OP just work out their safety depth in meters and just compare that number on the chart.

Metric is not very hard to understand

[AussieGeoff]

Originally Posted by HappySeagull

Body Parts-that's the way to go....a cubit(elbow to fingertip),an inch(a finger joint) an eyelash,a hair,a palm,a foot(great to measure with),a fathom(-enough to drown in)-these will never be replaced

Not to mention a hand. (For horses, which is standardised at 4" or 101.6mm)

The problem is that not all people's body parts are conveniently the same length. My foot is not 12" (or 30cm) long. Closer to 11". If you are working exclusively with your own body parts, it works moderatly well, until the time you need to put it somewhere dangerous and it gets crushed or whatever, however when you need to work with someone else with a larger or smaller foot than yours it gets complicated.

I'm not going to start a body part size thread here. The connotations may become offensive to some.


AussieGeoff