but soon the US will use the version everyone else does which probably doesn’t matter since almost everyone else uses the metric system
https://www.wral.com/us-finally-giving-boot-to-official-foot-measurement/18832708/
Would be nice if that article mentioned what a U.S. Survey Foot is: 12.12 inches.
Right?
That’s not what that article says. It says that 5280 survey feet is longer than 5280 standard feet by 0.12 inches. A survey foot is about 1.000002 standard feet (if I’ve gotten it right)
The article in the OP does give the definition of the survey foot: 1200 meters divided by 3937. Which is, as Andy L says, 1.000002 international feet, or 12.000024 inches.
Historically, there were loads of different feet; there was no universal standard and they were not necessarily reproducibly defined.
So no big surprise that some people are still using different ones, especially if they have to deal with historical survey documents that predate the metric system. (Or just a bit outdated; reminds me of the time I mixed up a British and an American screw)
While we’re at it, note that there are two versions of “mile”: The statute mile of 5280 feet, and the nautical mile of approx. 6076.1155 feet. The nautical mile is much easier to work with, in particular for quick mental calculations where it can be rounded to 6000 feet.
Example: A certain model of glider can glide 36 feet for every foot of altitude it loses. How many miles can it glide for every 1000 feet of altitude it loses (vertical distances being conveniently measured in increments of 1000 feet)? Calculations like this can be done easily mentally, as long as we’re using nautical miles and “approximate” (but close) answers are good enough. That would be hard to do with statute miles.
Six nautical miles.
So, you’re at 5000 feet above ground level and you suddenly realize you’re 20 miles from the nearest airport. You need to be at 1000 feet when you arrive at the airport in order to fly a proper landing pattern. Assuming calm air (both horizontally and vertically), can you make it back?
Yes. But assuming calm air it typically a bit over-optimistic, so in reality you might be sweating a bit.
As I recall, it didn’t matter until WWII. As part of the whole international war effort, the British and the Americans tried to harmonize measurements, but realized that the American inch was just different to the British inch. Rather than try to convert while in the middle of a war, they just recognised the difference and allowed for it.
The metric system is the tool of the devil! My car gets 40 rods to the hogshead and that’s the way I likes it!
The city of Philadelphia uses it’s own foot for surveying too, the Philadelphia District Measure. It generally adds 3 inches to every 100 ft. When my dad was a surveyor, they had to check the deeds to see if they specified standard feet or PDM feet, and use the appropriate tape measure.
I remember in the early 70s the push to make the US go metric. We had a few road signs that added km along with miles to the next town. I guess if it hasn’t happened by now not sure it will ever happen. BTW I know there are many US scientists who use the metric system. I mean use by the general public.
“Lie back and think of… damn, which side of the Atlantic am I on again?”
Every scientist uses metric. You can’t publish if you’ve used anything else.
And BTW, the electricity coming into your house? That you’re paying for by the kilowatt-hour? That’s metric - 1 Watt = 1 kg⋅m[sup]2[/sup]⋅s[sup]−3[/sup]
Now I see where I went wrong; I was looking at the NIST’s difference for a mile. Still would have been nice if the article mentioned the measurement in inches rather than requiring the readers to work it out for themselves.
They can take my feet when they pry them from my cold, dead hands!
Which hogshead? May not matter because any of them would mean your car only gets about 0.02 mpg. My car gets about 242,000 rods per barrel.
I believe it’s now hard to impossible to buy a vehicle - whether made in the US or elsewhere - that uses non-metric fasteners.
Certainly every serious US mechanic now has metric tools (which he probably uses far more often than his Imperial set).
Well, my car gets about 15,000 inverse square inches.
(Distance per volume = area[sup]-1[/sup].)
I have a difference between my left foot and my right foot!
~VOW
Ford, GM and Chrysler are all metric now for bolts and nuts? I had not heard that. For a long time any decent socket set has both US and metric sockets .