## Queston to body height in America?

Post by Plueschbabycd » Sat Mar 22, 2014 11:00 am

Hallo, I found for some days a picture of Life-Size Figure the give her body hight in cm and in. . I tough about it than I wounder why give America her body height ft. and in. not in yd., ft. and in. ? As German I give in meter and centimeter and not in decimeter and centimeter. I hope I have no one offended.
Thank you
"Don´t dream it, be it." Dr. Frank N. Furter in Rocky Horror Picture Show

### Re: Queston to body height in America?

Post by Kyle » Sat Mar 22, 2014 5:07 pm

There really isn't a specific reason, it's just the way people do it. We usually use whichever seems more precise. I was going to say yards are used more often for longer distances, but even that's not always the case. Football fields are measured in yards, but baseball fields are measured in feet. But a football field is exactly 100 yards (minus the end zones) so it makes a lot of sense there.
But when it comes to distances or heights that short, we usually don't measure in yards. I've never really thought about it before, but most people don't really start describing things in yards until you get to a decent distances, such as 100 feet or more. Feet and inches, or sometimes even just inches, tend to be used more often for shorter measurements, such as human height.

### Re: Queston to body height in America?

Post by Plueschbabycd » Sun Mar 23, 2014 2:30 am

Hallo Kyle, thank you for your answer. That only habit is acceptable answer. That with exactly feet think was this why she give it inches that was 63 inches. What wonder bit that I had expect like 5 ft. 2 in for what give in meter.
"Don´t dream it, be it." Dr. Frank N. Furter in Rocky Horror Picture Show

### Re: Queston to body height in America?

Post by Kyle » Sun Mar 23, 2014 3:43 pm

I would think measuring in inches would be similar to measuring in cm, which is usually how I've seen people measure their height when using the metric system.
Incidentally, I actually know my own height in cm because I've seen it before.

### Re: Queston to body height in America?

Post by Plueschbabycd » Mon Mar 24, 2014 1:52 am

Hallo, my also my own height in feet. I now look in on page for calculator and say by the height witch stand in my passport the give now 1.51m = 4ft 11 29⁄64in. But self metric hight is only approximately because that I'm handicapped and can't lie or stand straight. I like inches case where for example Bob Ross say "now take 2 in brush" there now 5cm brush there nothing great to calculate. I found joy as read in story that buy 200ft rope for tie up as beginning.
Andrew
"Don´t dream it, be it." Dr. Frank N. Furter in Rocky Horror Picture Show

### Re: Queston to body height in America?

Post by Jason Toddman » Fri Mar 28, 2014 11:54 am

In any case I think a total conversion to the metric system is way overdue in the United States. Except for pure tradition, there is no good reason to maintain the clumsy old foot/pound system in this modern age. It's like preferring a slide rule or an abacus over a pocket calculator.
Dare to be different... and make a difference.
To boldly go where no one in their right mind has gone before...

### Re: Queston to body height in America?

Post by xtc » Fri Mar 28, 2014 1:03 pm

Even if one does metricate properly and uses the engineering convention of only using units that are "10 to the power 3x" (mm, m, km, etc), there still need to be common sense. My height of 1.71 m (I know: short-arse) is probably more easily understood as 171 cm.
Using mm would give 1710 mm, a figure too difficult to understand immediately (people have trouble appreciating numbers bigger than 23) and, in any case, person's height varies by over 10 mm over day due to the effect of the weight of the body acting upon the spine.
True story. I was working as a maths teacher who was teaching estimation at the time when a young (early 20's) glazier came into the classroom to work. Any good teacher uses all the resources at hand so . . .
I asked him what units he worked in. He said that he worked in mm but, in spite of this story being easily less than ten years old, that he still estimated the job in inches.
Boxer shorts are cool,
but little speedos rule!
More by the same author: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=22729

### Re: Queston to body height in America?

Post by Plueschbabycd » Sat Mar 29, 2014 8:56 am

> Jason Toddman wrote:In any case I think a total conversion to the metric system is way overdue in the United States. Except for pure tradition, there is no good reason to maintain the clumsy old foot/pound system in this modern age. It's like preferring a slide rule or an abacus over a pocket calculator.

Hallo Jason Toddman,
I know that least one Comic artist on Youtube how already use metric system and have as fare see not even ruler with one side in metric system and the other with Imperial Measurement. By way as fare I know was the both systems one problem by the Hubble Space Telescope. Longe distance is the mile more handy than clinometer. We can also lucky foot now fix measurement not like in history that is not foot of ruling American President. That with every new it change.
xtc mm I think normally on use Jobs like architect. I jobs like building a microchip you need Nano-meter or Micrometer.
Andrew
"Don´t dream it, be it." Dr. Frank N. Furter in Rocky Horror Picture Show

### Re: Queston to body height in America?

Post by Jason Toddman » Sat Mar 29, 2014 9:05 am

A mix-up between the two systems also caused a Mars probe to be lost in space back in the 1990s too.
Dare to be different... and make a difference.
To boldly go where no one in their right mind has gone before...

### Re: Queston to body height in America?

Post by xtc » Sat Mar 29, 2014 9:45 am

Yes Andrew, I agree.
You will notice that both micro- (10 ^-6) and nano- (10^-9) both obey the 10^3x rule.
Boxer shorts are cool,
but little speedos rule!
More by the same author: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=22729

### Re: Queston to body height in America?

Post by Plueschbabycd » Sat Mar 29, 2014 10:14 am

Hallo in tie up story for me I like if hight in metric system. I foot I think much about all other would only interesting is like 200ft rope but this case it for me now handy the author would use yd because near to a meter and I must not calculate.
Andrew
"Don´t dream it, be it." Dr. Frank N. Furter in Rocky Horror Picture Show

### Re: Queston to body height in America?

Post by xtc » Sat Mar 29, 2014 10:57 am

Rough conversion metres to feet (length in m) X 3 - 10% = (approx. length in feet)
Boxer shorts are cool,
but little speedos rule!
More by the same author: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=22729