For USAmericans: height converter

I fully understand that the prevalence of “american pentagon” as a search string is due to the need to specify that one is looking for information about the building, not the geometric shape, but I’m not gonna lie, when I saw the phrase pop up as a suggested search term my first thought was “well, now there’s a dimension of non-SI measurement which I had not heretofore considered”.

There's not a lot of things that need measuring to this extent, but in 2022 the International Bureau of Weights & Measures officially adopted four new prefixes: ronna- and quetta- on the large scale, ronto- and quecto- on the small. For context of how intense these measurements are, the entire observable universe is a few yottameters short of a ronnameter, while a single hydrogen atom is about half a nanometer, or five hundred quintillion quectometers.

Map showing when various countries started switching to the metric system

If a millipede has a thousand legs then what must a kilopede be. I refuse to pass third grade until science thoroughly explains this

Letter from Claude-Antoine Prieur to Louis XVI on the importance of having a unified metric system in France

[The letter is dated April 1790 and included a copy of Prieur's Mémoire sur la nécessité et les moyens de rendre uniformes, dans le royaume, toutes les mesures d'étendue et de pesanteur]

"Sire,

The reputation that your Majesty has gained through his passion for sciences and the protection with which he has constantly provided them inspired in me the desire to offer him a work I have done on the necessity and the means to bring all measures of France to uniformity.

I beg your Majesty to honour me for a moment of his attention, not much for some special merit concerning my work, but above all for the high importance of its content.

It is a great and beautiful idea, the one of giving to a great people a common and invariable measure, and, even better, to make it universal. Today, the difficulties related to the lack of precision in the procedures have been overcome; what is left is just a few prejudices relegated to the classes of ignorant people, of whom the triumphant voice of reason will dismiss the prestige.

France, England, the United States of America have addressed the matter not only in their own countries, but they are in open agreement to achieve an identical result.

Savants are rather convinced of the effectiveness of this operation for the advancement of science; but how much it will reveal itself useful in easing commercial relations, from the simplest exchanges, which people’s daily needs require, to the greatest speculations!

From this double perspective of science and commerce, the States of your Majesty maintain a distinguished position among civilised nations. After all, wisdom, moderation, in a word, all the virtues of your Majesty, suggest on his part an aspiring desire towards the noble glory of being included among the benefactors of humankind. May I be allowed to say that this is a fortunate occasion to add a new benefit to those that your subject already owe you: the reunion of your Majesty with other countries to procure the same measures would be a big improvement  and a favourable wish for the happiness of the people; nothing is more appropriate to strengthen in them the bonds of fraternity and concord like the sweet influence of Philosophy.

Respect has set limits that I am not entitled to go beyond. Nevertheless I thought to let truth arrive to the ears of a prince, who, because of his greatness of spirit, has always proven himself worthy of listening. To touch the heart of your Majesty, it is undoubtedly sufficient to mention a useful purpose: it will be even more touched to know that the probity, of which the operation in question is significantly the custodian, will put an end to the activities and tricks of the scoundrels.

I have persuaded myself that my disinterested homages would not be unpleasant; I am, with the utmost respect, your Majesty’s most humble and obedient servant."

— from G. Bouchard, Prieur de la Cote-d'Or, Pièces Annexées, p. 458 - 459

People talk about the US refusing to convert to the metric system but what the fuck are we doing in the UK? I know my weight in stone and pounds but I weight my food in kg. I only know my height in feet and inches and the speed limit is in miles per hour, but my swimming pool is 25 meters long. I buy a pint of cider but spirits come in bottles labelled litre. It’s a completely ridiculous system that makes absolutely no sense. Would I change it? No

tim and damian bond over the metric system and mutual hatred for inches feet and yards

you can not convince me they would use the american system when the metric system is right there

I find the discourse about Snape’s height (or any other character’s height) so confusing and hilarious. Like, what do you mean he’s 5'9''. What does it mean, I have no idea. I’ve heard that 6' is tall. Am I even writing it correctly?

OK, Google to the rescue! So apparently 6' is almost 183 cm. But I’m not going to google every single value I see on Tumblr…

However, I can say with confidence that Snape is 178 cm tall 😎

Borobudur Temple, Central Java, Indonesia References: Google Maps, Borobudur was Built Algorithmically by Hokky Situngkir (Dept. Computational Sociology, Bandung Fe Institute Center for Complexity, Surya University) “The mathematical study for Borobudur’s architectural design has once related to answer the question about the metric system used by ancient Javanese to build such giant buildings with good measurement. While the anthropological revealed that Javanese used tala system (metric system with length measurement defined as the length of a human face from the forehead's hairline to the tip of the chin or the distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the middle finger when both fingers are stretched at their maximum distance), the survey as elaborated in Atmadi (1988) showed there is a ratio used between parts of Borobudur. There is part of Head : Body: Foot (9 : 6 : 4) that is met in horizontal and vertical measurement of the temple.” —Hokky Situngkir, Borobudur was Built Algorithmically 

Can someone explain the metric system to me like I'm four?

Europeans are lunatics