Marcus de Sautoy's weights and measures

[Flibble]

I think the choice of silicon is that it's easier to get a pure sample - you can grow it as one huge crystal of ultra-pure silicon.

[Gaspode]

If only they had thought a bit harder when defining the inch as being 25.4mm - if only they had set it at 25.6mm, conversions between the two would have enormously easier:

1/2" = 12.8mm
1/4" = 6.4mm
1/8" = 3.2mm
1/16" = 1.6mm
1/32" = 0.8mm

[Simpo Two]

In my book the inch came first and 25.4 is how many of those blasted foregin things happened to fit!

[hms]

Coming to this topic rather late.
Regarding decimalisation as opposed to our system of base 12.


If you take one hand, and with the thumb of that hand point to each section of finger, (3 sections per finger), in turn and count, you can count up to 12.
Now repeat with the other hand but move on one section once you have counted to 12 on the other hand, et voila, you can count up to 144 using your fingers!

h

[Simpo Two]

And in Norfolk?