Fahrenheit

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 12:07:36 -0400 last edited: Fri, 08 Sep 2023 12:07:57 -0400

scott@loves.tech

One reason I like Fahrenheit is that you can ask "How hot do you feel on a scale of 0 to 100?" where 0 would be Wisconsin in the winter, and 100 would be Texas in the summer; and that would roughly match how many degrees it is in Fahrenheit.

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Fri, 08 Sep 2023 14:06:55 -0400 last edited: Fri, 08 Sep 2023 14:24:27 -0400

*_jayrope

jrp@hub.kliklak.net

@Scott M. Stolz Is there any more practical things, possibly with a kilo- prefix? I enjoy 0° C for the freezing point of water. No (real) pun intended :)

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 14:35:44 -0400

Scott M. Stolz

scott@loves.tech

@_jayrope LOL. Yeah, each has its own disadvantages. In Celsius, the fact that the freezing point of water is zero is nice. But in Fahrenheit it is easier to remember that 100 means hot. LOL. Also, Fahrenheit uses smaller units, so you have more precision in measurement without needing to get into decimals.

Also, for Fahrenheit, within the 0 to 100 range lies most environmental temperatures that people will experience.

So, in a way, both systems are based on 100, or tens, if you prefer. They just define zero at different spots.

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 14:42:46 -0400

*_jayrope

jrp@hub.kliklak.net

@Scott M. Stolz Hmm, all that only depend on what you're used to, and if you are used to read floats ;)

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 15:00:13 -0400

Scott M. Stolz

scott@loves.tech

@_jayrope True. It is also a matter of whether you prefer science-based measurements or human-based measurements.

Here in the United States, we learn both metric and U.S. standard measurements and use both in our daily lives. (U.S. standard is our version of British Imperial units.)

What's funny is that most Americans don't become fluent in a foreign language (although most of us study a language in high school or college), and most Europeans don't become fluent in more than one measurement system. :)

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 15:07:44 -0400 last edited: Fri, 08 Sep 2023 15:08:15 -0400

*_jayrope

jrp@hub.kliklak.net

@Scott M. Stolz But we speak English, on top of such calculation ;)

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 15:14:35 -0400

Scott M. Stolz

scott@loves.tech

@_jayrope Yep.

Americans = 1 language* + 2 measurement systems.
Europeans = multiple languages + 1 measurement system.

*I put an asterisk because I live in Texas, and nearly half of the state is bilingual. The most commonly spoken second languages in the U.S. are Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog (Filipino), and many others.

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 15:33:54 -0400

Mike Macgirvin

mike@macgirvin.com

where 0 would be Wisconsin in the winter, and 100 would be Texas in the summer

That will be true in Celsius soon enough.

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 16:11:09 -0400 last edited: Fri, 08 Sep 2023 16:11:36 -0400

*_jayrope

jrp@hub.kliklak.net

@Scott M. Stolz I've spent a little more than year in Austin and Big Bend, in 94/96, i know. I met great people, and a great landscape.

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 18:27:09 -0400

A.min

am@diversispiritus.net.br

We switched here from imperial to metric and Fahrenheit to Celcius when I was a child, so I have some native feel for both systems. I notice I will often still estimate short measurements in feet and inches but I never think in Fahrenheit. For ambient temperatures, centigrade feels quite 'human': 0 is literally freezing, 25 is a pleasant summer's day, 50 is unbearable.

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 19:00:54 -0400

Mike Macgirvin

mike@macgirvin.com

I switched at age 50, but once I did, it was much more intuitive and I don't think in Fahrenheit at all any more. I had some issues with length measurements at Bunnings (en_US: Home Depot) early on -- but found I could just ask the older people in the store who still knew imperial units and were able to guide me. It took a bit longer than temp conversion, but now I've gotten over imperial completely and know to ask for 25mm pipe fittings and 1200x2400 plywood. I still call a 45x90 piece of timber a 2x4 though - only because it rolls off the tongue easier; and I know to only call it that at home. Weight conversions came really easy because I grew up in San Francisco in the 60s.

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 21:37:02 -0400

Scott M. Stolz

scott@loves.tech

It is interesting here. Scientific work is almost always metric. Pharmaceuticals are metric. Most manufacturing has switched or is switching to metric. Anything involving a contract with the U.S. government must be in metric. So metric is used a lot, especially at work.

And I suspect that generations of youth first used metric outside the classroom buying some substances they aren't allowed to buy, which are measured in grams and kilograms.

U.S. Standard Units are mostly seen in consumer goods, speed limits, and temperature. Stuff that the public sees. Although, in the case of some classes of consumer goods, like food, both metric and U.S. standard units must be listed on the package. But you can find a gallon of milk next to a 1 liter bottle of milk, and no one has a problem with it.

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 21:49:20 -0400

Scott M. Stolz

scott@loves.tech

Speaking of milk, the sizes are typically:

1 gallon (3.79 liters)
1 liter (2.11 pints)
1 pint (0.47 liters)

And from the same manufacturer. Go figure.

Sat, 09 Sep 2023 00:51:33 -0400 last edited: Sat, 09 Sep 2023 00:57:46 -0400

Mike Macgirvin

mike@macgirvin.com

The gallon milk container is an American thing, so they're the only customer for that size container. (In Australia, milk comes in 1/2 L, 1L, and 2L. There's no 4L). A litre is basically a quart. Probably the most common milk container size on the planet. Convince the yanks to use a litre and then they can use the same production line as everybody else and you can cut costs. If I made milk containers that's what I'd do.

Sat, 09 Sep 2023 03:40:39 -0400

Scott M. Stolz

scott@loves.tech

Occasionally, you will see a 2L bottle of milk, but consumers seem to like the gallon size more than the 2L size. It's family size, especially if you have children and they eat a lot of cereal. Plus, in most U.S. states, milk is required by law to be pasteurized, which makes it last longer. So people can buy a gallon of milk and it won't go bad right away. That is probably why they sell gallons here.

Agriculture is one of those areas where certain types of produce are subsidized by the government to encourage and protect the local growing of food. Imports are great at supplementing a food supply, but countries usually want to avoid being dependent on other countries for food. Milk is one that is subsidized. And it is also a result of tariff wars in the 1970s, where other countries put a tariff on our milk, so we put a tariff on their milk.

And, realistically, the U.S. is so big, that most milk producers only serve the U.S., so being compatible with other countries is not a concern since they aren't exporting small consumer-sized packages of it. If they export it, it will most likely be in bulk and packaged at the destination, with the exception of nearby countries like Mexico. And unlike Canada and Europe, they don't care if it is in gallons. So sharing production lines would not be a concern for most dairy producers in the U.S.

It's basically a local set of conditions that allow gallons of milk to exist. If you changed any of them, then they would have probably switched to liters.