# metric or standard or... the idiocracy measuring system **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 29, 2009, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-or-standard-or-the-idiocracy-measuring-system/491174 "2009-03-29T12:54:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-or-standard-or-the-idiocracy-measuring-system/491174/1 "2009-03-29T12:54:35Z")
It always annoys me when TV narrators measure distances in football fields. I know how far 100 yards is, thank you very much. (Although it’s been so long since I’ve actually been on a football field that I find it easier to picture it as the length of a rifle range.) But I just heard one sink to a new low. He was talking about building some big steel structure and how it had to be lined up just so, “within an inch - that’s about the width of three pencils.” :rolleyes: Next thing you know they’ll be saying, “It took seven days to build. That’s about the time from one weekend to the next.” and “There were ten people there. That’s as many people as you have fingers!”. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-or-standard-or-the-idiocracy-measuring-system/491174/2 "2009-03-29T13:01:26Z")
It will take 30 seconds to read the OP. (That’s about the amount of time it takes to heat up a cup of coffee in the microwave.) ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-or-standard-or-the-idiocracy-measuring-system/491174/3 "2009-03-29T13:17:33Z")
People are mostly visually-oriented (unless you’re blind). If I tell you something is 450 yards long can you instantly and accurately picture it without comparing it to anything? If so you’re a rare snowflake. Numerical measurements are inherently intangible and pretty meaningless without some sort of mental marker to compare them against, especially when talking about really big and really small numbers. But in your mind’s eye, you can _see_ a football field, so when you think of 4.5 football fields you get a better sense of exactly how far that distance really is. It’s a bit unusual to visually explain an inch but not really anything to get worked up over. In that case he’s trying to make a point about precision and saying “within an inch” is such a common phrase most people won’t stop to think about how small a distance that really is. He wanted to force a visualization for greater impact. Basically, it’s not that they’re talking down to you, they’re just better communicators than you. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-or-standard-or-the-idiocracy-measuring-system/491174/4 "2009-03-29T13:23:03Z")
No, it’s that they’re talking down to you. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-or-standard-or-the-idiocracy-measuring-system/491174/5 "2009-03-29T14:24:51Z")
Not being into sport, especially American sport, I have no idea how big a football field is. Especially since there are about six different sports all called “football” and they each have different sized fields. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-or-standard-or-the-idiocracy-measuring-system/491174/6 "2009-03-29T19:00:07Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > People are mostly visually-oriented (unless you’re blind). This is SO a Tshirt. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-or-standard-or-the-idiocracy-measuring-system/491174/7 "2009-03-29T19:05:49Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Not being into sport, especially American sport, I have no idea how big a football field is. Especially since there are about six different sports all called “football” and they each have different sized fields. 100 yards, plus an extra 10 yards in each end zone. And there’s only one sport called football, the rest are either called “X football”, like “Australian Rules Football” or “Arena Football”, or are soccer, which is only called football by foreigners. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-or-standard-or-the-idiocracy-measuring-system/491174/8 "2009-03-29T19:35:43Z")
The fact that the narrator thinks he has to explain to me what 100 yards or 1 inch is is silly- I can figure out how many football fields that is without his help. ---
**Author:** ![Algorithm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/algorithm/32/12204_2.png) [@Algorithm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algorithm)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-or-standard-or-the-idiocracy-measuring-system/491174/9 "2009-03-29T19:45:10Z")
What if you write with one of [these](http://www.accoutrements.com/products/11126.html)? How long is an inch now? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-or-standard-or-the-idiocracy-measuring-system/491174/10 "2009-03-29T20:13:08Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > The fact that the narrator thinks he has to explain to me what 100 yards or 1 inch is is silly- I can figure out how many football fields that is without his help. The _narrator_ doesn’t think that. He just reads the script. Please direct your ire appropriately, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-or-standard-or-the-idiocracy-measuring-system/491174/11 "2009-03-29T20:42:17Z")
> [@PatriotGrrrl](#): > > It always annoys me when TV narrators measure distances in football fields. I know how far 100 yards is, thank you very much. So do I. It’s eleven London Routemaster buses placed end to end. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-or-standard-or-the-idiocracy-measuring-system/491174/12 "2009-03-29T20:47:29Z")
I alwasy figured 100 yards is the same amount as you would run in a hundred yard dash. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-or-standard-or-the-idiocracy-measuring-system/491174/13 "2009-03-29T20:54:34Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > It will take 30 seconds to read the OP. (That’s about the amount of time it takes to heat up a cup of coffee in the microwave.) It took me about six seconds to read the OP. That’s the same length of time it takes to lay the smack down on somebody who reads slowly. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-or-standard-or-the-idiocracy-measuring-system/491174/14 "2009-03-29T21:01:15Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Not being into sport, especially American sport, I have no idea how big a football field is. Especially since there are about six different sports all called “football” and they each have different sized fields. British cliches include the _area_ of a football pitch (referring to soccer), despite that being anything from 5000 to 13000 square yards. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-or-standard-or-the-idiocracy-measuring-system/491174/15 "2009-03-29T21:04:44Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > That’s the same length of time it takes to lay the smack down on somebody who reads slowly. What do you expect? I was waiting for my coffee to heat. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-or-standard-or-the-idiocracy-measuring-system/491174/16 "2009-03-29T21:09:33Z")
The problem is that the English system makes that big jump from yards to miles–a jump by a factor of 1,760. There’s nothing in between except for the delightful furlong, which has unfortunately fallen out of use. People can visualize one yard or one mile, but it’s hard to visualize 370 yards, so the football-field has emerged as the de facto intermediate measurement. The problem is, I’m never sure whether they’re counting the end zones. But telling people how wide an inch is . . . that’s barbaric. If I don’t know how big an inch is, I probably don’t know how wide a pencil is. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-or-standard-or-the-idiocracy-measuring-system/491174/17 "2009-03-29T21:27:28Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > The problem is that the English system makes that big jump from yards to miles–a jump by a factor of 1,760. There’s nothing in between except for the delightful furlong, which has unfortunately fallen out of use. From Wikipedia: > [@](#): > > The city of Chicago’s street numbering system allots a measure of 800 address units to each mile, in keeping with the city’s system of eight blocks per mile. This means that every block in a typical Chicago neighborhood (in either North/South or East/West direction but rarely both) is approximately one furlong in length. Salt Lake City’s blocks are also each a square furlong in the downtown area. However, the blocks are irregular in shape as one moves further out from the center, but the numbering system remains the same (800 units to each mile) everywhere in Salt Lake County. Bus stops in Ann Arbor, Michigan are about a furlong apart. Blocks in central Logan, Utah, and in large sections of Phoenix, Arizona are similarly a square furlong in extent (eight to a mile, which explains the series of freeway exits: 19th Ave, 27th, 35th, 43rd, 51st, 59th…). City blocks in Melbourne’s Hoddle Grid are also one furlong in length. So next time you ask how many blocks away something is, you could also be asking for an answer in furlongs. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-or-standard-or-the-idiocracy-measuring-system/491174/18 "2009-03-29T21:36:31Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > The problem is that the English system makes that big jump from yards to miles–a jump by a factor of 1,760. There’s nothing in between except for the delightful furlong, which has unfortunately fallen out of use. The metric system suffers from this same “problem”, actually. When was the last time you saw something measured in decameters or hectometers? Which sort of tells me it’s not a problem after all. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-or-standard-or-the-idiocracy-measuring-system/491174/19 "2009-03-29T21:42:24Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > The metric system suffers from this same “problem”, actually. When was the last time you saw something measured in decameters or hectometers? Which sort of tells me it’s not a problem after all. To be fair, a hectare is equivalent to 100m squared. (However I generally am in agreement.) ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-or-standard-or-the-idiocracy-measuring-system/491174/20 "2009-03-29T23:32:43Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > No, it’s that they’re talking down to you. No, you’re wrong, and foolish if you can’t grasp the value of describing distances and weights in easy-to-visualize terms. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-or-standard-or-the-idiocracy-measuring-system/491174.md?page=2)