Why is the American system for measuring length so stupid? When you first get started, it seems okay, doesn't it? You think "Okay, the inch is good for a basic, "small" unit of measure. That makes sense." Then you get to the foot and you think "Yeah, that works too. That's a good size for measuring slightly bigger stuff. How many inches are in it? Ten? Twenty? What? TWELVE!?" And then your brain just kind of leaks out through your ear and down your pant leg. It's pretty gross actually.
So then you're like "Okay, fine. Twelve inches in a foot. That's....odd, but I guess I can get used to it. Is there anything for bigger things that nobody ever uses? Uh-huh, the yard. And how many feet are in a yard? Five, right? Ten? THREE!? Why the hell is it three!? Three is a pain in the ass! Why not multiples of five and ten? Wouldn't that be so much easier?" Also, apparently the person your talking to at this point is either a very good listener or dead.
And then there's the mile. Dear God, the mile. Who in their right mind would make the mile 5280 feet? That is just unbelievably stupid. Why not 5000? You'd think that would more sense, wouldn't you? Was the extra 280 feet there just to make it difficult to memorize the number? And if you're one of the five people who measures in yards, then it's 1760 yards, which isn't any better. Who designed this?
Metric>American
EXCUSE ME, PINEAPPLE
ReplyDeletebut it's technically referred to as the "Imperial System."
Fun fact, Australia still uses it, too.
(along with Liberia and Burma.)
ReplyDeleteThanks Wikipedia!
ReplyDeleteEh, I call it the American system because I am a dirty capitalist.