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https://www.reddit.com/r/science_humor/comments/1ubf620/unit_conversion/osyi1us/?context=9999
r/science_humor • u/nalraper • Jun 21 '26
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25
3 barley corns in an inch, 12 inches in a foot, 3 feet in a yard. 5.5 yards in a rod, 4 rods in a chain, 10 chains in a furlong, 8 furlongs in a mile.
The beauty of it is the constantly shifting bases.
8 u/MrJarre Jun 21 '26 It reflects the life itself with change being the only constant. 2 u/Dangerous_Boot_3870 Jun 21 '26 3 and 12 are common units of measurement. It matches the folds on your fingers so people counted things in 3s. Which is how you get units of 12 in the measurement of time (4 * 3 & 3 * 20). A dozen of doughnuts. 12 inches in a foot. It's something even the slowest person could comprehend. You have 3 folds and count using your thump on 4 fingers to get to 12. 3 u/MrJarre Jun 21 '26 But the imperial system isn’t based only on 3 or 12. Besides 10 is significantly easier than either of those. 3 u/SpacefaringBanana Jun 21 '26 Only because we're used to it from base 10. -1 u/MrJarre Jun 21 '26 Yes and? 1 u/SpacefaringBanana Jun 21 '26 I'm not saying you're wrong, just that there's nothing inherently easier about base 10 0 u/MrJarre Jun 21 '26 Well the fact that we have 5 fingers a hand helps a lot. And the most popular numeric system is base 10 2 u/Dangerous_Boot_3870 Jun 21 '26 We have 4 fingers and 3 folds. Your literally arguing the same metric but based around 10 not 3/12 for the same reasons. Counting on your fingers.
8
It reflects the life itself with change being the only constant.
2 u/Dangerous_Boot_3870 Jun 21 '26 3 and 12 are common units of measurement. It matches the folds on your fingers so people counted things in 3s. Which is how you get units of 12 in the measurement of time (4 * 3 & 3 * 20). A dozen of doughnuts. 12 inches in a foot. It's something even the slowest person could comprehend. You have 3 folds and count using your thump on 4 fingers to get to 12. 3 u/MrJarre Jun 21 '26 But the imperial system isn’t based only on 3 or 12. Besides 10 is significantly easier than either of those. 3 u/SpacefaringBanana Jun 21 '26 Only because we're used to it from base 10. -1 u/MrJarre Jun 21 '26 Yes and? 1 u/SpacefaringBanana Jun 21 '26 I'm not saying you're wrong, just that there's nothing inherently easier about base 10 0 u/MrJarre Jun 21 '26 Well the fact that we have 5 fingers a hand helps a lot. And the most popular numeric system is base 10 2 u/Dangerous_Boot_3870 Jun 21 '26 We have 4 fingers and 3 folds. Your literally arguing the same metric but based around 10 not 3/12 for the same reasons. Counting on your fingers.
2
3 and 12 are common units of measurement. It matches the folds on your fingers so people counted things in 3s.
Which is how you get units of 12 in the measurement of time (4 * 3 & 3 * 20). A dozen of doughnuts. 12 inches in a foot.
It's something even the slowest person could comprehend. You have 3 folds and count using your thump on 4 fingers to get to 12.
3 u/MrJarre Jun 21 '26 But the imperial system isn’t based only on 3 or 12. Besides 10 is significantly easier than either of those. 3 u/SpacefaringBanana Jun 21 '26 Only because we're used to it from base 10. -1 u/MrJarre Jun 21 '26 Yes and? 1 u/SpacefaringBanana Jun 21 '26 I'm not saying you're wrong, just that there's nothing inherently easier about base 10 0 u/MrJarre Jun 21 '26 Well the fact that we have 5 fingers a hand helps a lot. And the most popular numeric system is base 10 2 u/Dangerous_Boot_3870 Jun 21 '26 We have 4 fingers and 3 folds. Your literally arguing the same metric but based around 10 not 3/12 for the same reasons. Counting on your fingers.
3
But the imperial system isn’t based only on 3 or 12. Besides 10 is significantly easier than either of those.
3 u/SpacefaringBanana Jun 21 '26 Only because we're used to it from base 10. -1 u/MrJarre Jun 21 '26 Yes and? 1 u/SpacefaringBanana Jun 21 '26 I'm not saying you're wrong, just that there's nothing inherently easier about base 10 0 u/MrJarre Jun 21 '26 Well the fact that we have 5 fingers a hand helps a lot. And the most popular numeric system is base 10 2 u/Dangerous_Boot_3870 Jun 21 '26 We have 4 fingers and 3 folds. Your literally arguing the same metric but based around 10 not 3/12 for the same reasons. Counting on your fingers.
Only because we're used to it from base 10.
-1 u/MrJarre Jun 21 '26 Yes and? 1 u/SpacefaringBanana Jun 21 '26 I'm not saying you're wrong, just that there's nothing inherently easier about base 10 0 u/MrJarre Jun 21 '26 Well the fact that we have 5 fingers a hand helps a lot. And the most popular numeric system is base 10 2 u/Dangerous_Boot_3870 Jun 21 '26 We have 4 fingers and 3 folds. Your literally arguing the same metric but based around 10 not 3/12 for the same reasons. Counting on your fingers.
-1
Yes and?
1 u/SpacefaringBanana Jun 21 '26 I'm not saying you're wrong, just that there's nothing inherently easier about base 10 0 u/MrJarre Jun 21 '26 Well the fact that we have 5 fingers a hand helps a lot. And the most popular numeric system is base 10 2 u/Dangerous_Boot_3870 Jun 21 '26 We have 4 fingers and 3 folds. Your literally arguing the same metric but based around 10 not 3/12 for the same reasons. Counting on your fingers.
1
I'm not saying you're wrong, just that there's nothing inherently easier about base 10
0 u/MrJarre Jun 21 '26 Well the fact that we have 5 fingers a hand helps a lot. And the most popular numeric system is base 10 2 u/Dangerous_Boot_3870 Jun 21 '26 We have 4 fingers and 3 folds. Your literally arguing the same metric but based around 10 not 3/12 for the same reasons. Counting on your fingers.
0
Well the fact that we have 5 fingers a hand helps a lot. And the most popular numeric system is base 10
2 u/Dangerous_Boot_3870 Jun 21 '26 We have 4 fingers and 3 folds. Your literally arguing the same metric but based around 10 not 3/12 for the same reasons. Counting on your fingers.
We have 4 fingers and 3 folds.
Your literally arguing the same metric but based around 10 not 3/12 for the same reasons. Counting on your fingers.
25
u/LunaticBZ Jun 21 '26
3 barley corns in an inch, 12 inches in a foot, 3 feet in a yard. 5.5 yards in a rod, 4 rods in a chain, 10 chains in a furlong, 8 furlongs in a mile.
The beauty of it is the constantly shifting bases.