Talk:3248: 182.8 Meters - Revision history

2003:EA:CF3C:DF00:2CA3:97D1:71DE:FF7C at 21:25, 22 May 2026

2026-05-22T21:25:09Z

IIVQ: bridge height

2026-05-22T12:06:35Z

bridge height

2A10:3781:52D7:1:482E:A953:D690:42B8 at 11:31, 22 May 2026

2026-05-22T11:31:37Z

82.13.184.33 at 10:06, 22 May 2026

2026-05-22T10:06:52Z

82.13.184.33 at 08:47, 22 May 2026

2026-05-22T08:47:20Z

82.13.184.33 at 08:44, 22 May 2026

2026-05-22T08:44:28Z

MarcusRowland: clive cussler did this a lot.

2026-05-22T08:36:40Z

clive cussler did this a lot.

108.66.2.39 at 05:26, 22 May 2026

2026-05-22T05:26:35Z

EebstertheGreat at 00:49, 22 May 2026

2026-05-22T00:49:35Z

2600:100C:B026:30F2:793C:84C0:E2D0:8A73: Project Hail Mary seconds

2026-05-21T23:56:54Z

Project Hail Mary seconds

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:25, 22 May 2026
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	Matt Parker recently made a [https://youtu.be/kH_bSvf7EVA video about bridge clearance signs in the UK] (which are given in metric and imperial units, but due to the official way of measuring, safety margin and rounding, one metric value can map to three different imperial values (and he promptly finds three bridges with the same imperial value but different metric ones, which should be impossible when the rules are followed) [[User:IIVQ\|IIVQ]] ([[User talk:IIVQ\|talk]]) 12:06, 22 May 2026 (UTC)		Matt Parker recently made a [https://youtu.be/kH_bSvf7EVA video about bridge clearance signs in the UK] (which are given in metric and imperial units, but due to the official way of measuring, safety margin and rounding, one metric value can map to three different imperial values (and he promptly finds three bridges with the same imperial value but different metric ones, which should be impossible when the rules are followed) [[User:IIVQ\|IIVQ]] ([[User talk:IIVQ\|talk]]) 12:06, 22 May 2026 (UTC)
		+
		+	Another nautical example is navigational lights on ships and boats. They must shine in specific colors and shaped in specific circle sectors with odd numbers such as 112.5°. The values originate not from degrees, but from "compass points", where 32 points make a full circle. --[[Special:Contributions/2003:EA:CF3C:DF00:2CA3:97D1:71DE:FF7C\|2003:EA:CF3C:DF00:2CA3:97D1:71DE:FF7C]] 21:25, 22 May 2026 (UTC)

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	Every 2.54 cm a king! [Shakespeare] [[Special:Contributions/2A10:3781:52D7:1:482E:A953:D690:42B8\|2A10:3781:52D7:1:482E:A953:D690:42B8]] 11:31, 22 May 2026 (UTC) Paul		Every 2.54 cm a king! [Shakespeare] [[Special:Contributions/2A10:3781:52D7:1:482E:A953:D690:42B8\|2A10:3781:52D7:1:482E:A953:D690:42B8]] 11:31, 22 May 2026 (UTC) Paul
		+
		+	Matt Parker recently made a [https://youtu.be/kH_bSvf7EVA video about bridge clearance signs in the UK] (which are given in metric and imperial units, but due to the official way of measuring, safety margin and rounding, one metric value can map to three different imperial values (and he promptly finds three bridges with the same imperial value but different metric ones, which should be impossible when the rules are followed) [[User:IIVQ\|IIVQ]] ([[User talk:IIVQ\|talk]]) 12:06, 22 May 2026 (UTC)

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:31, 22 May 2026
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	There was a lot of this sort of thing in early Clive Cussler novels - for some reason he decided that his version of the USA went metric comprehensively, and repeatedly approximations in feet etc. were converted into their precise metric equivalent. Can't actually quote a specific example, it's several decades since I read them, but I vaguely remember examples of distances, volume, and speed being given this treatment. --[[User:MarcusRowland\|MarcusRowland]] ([[User talk:MarcusRowland\|talk]]) 08:36, 22 May 2026 (UTC)		There was a lot of this sort of thing in early Clive Cussler novels - for some reason he decided that his version of the USA went metric comprehensively, and repeatedly approximations in feet etc. were converted into their precise metric equivalent. Can't actually quote a specific example, it's several decades since I read them, but I vaguely remember examples of distances, volume, and speed being given this treatment. --[[User:MarcusRowland\|MarcusRowland]] ([[User talk:MarcusRowland\|talk]]) 08:36, 22 May 2026 (UTC)
		+
		+	Every 2.54 cm a king! [Shakespeare] [[Special:Contributions/2A10:3781:52D7:1:482E:A953:D690:42B8\|2A10:3781:52D7:1:482E:A953:D690:42B8]] 11:31, 22 May 2026 (UTC) Paul

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 I'm reminded of Project Hail Mary where Rocky estimates that Eridians sleep between 40000₆ and 220000₆ Eridian seconds. He can do lightning-fast mental arithmetic and converts to base-10 Earth seconds for Grace's benefit, but he doesn't round again, so it comes out as the impossibly precise range of 12,265 to 42,928 seconds. — [[Special:Contributions/2600:100C:B026:30F2:793C:84C0:E2D0:8A73|2600:100C:B026:30F2:793C:84C0:E2D0:8A73]] 23:56, 21 May 2026 (UTC)
-https://www.instagram.com/p/DYn9AkwvFWe/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
+https://www.instagram.com/p/DYn9AkwvFWe/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== [[Special:Contributions/108.66.2.39|108.66.2.39]] 05:26, 22 May 2026 (UTC)
-There was a lot of this sort of thing in early Clive Cussler novels - for some reason he decided that his version of the USA went metric comprehensively, and repeatedly approximations in feet etc. were converted into their precise metric equivalent. Can't actually quote a specific example, it's several decades since I read them, but I vaguely remember examples of distances, volume, and speed being given this treatment.
+There was a lot of this sort of thing in early Clive Cussler novels - for some reason he decided that his version of the USA went metric comprehensively, and repeatedly approximations in feet etc. were converted into their precise metric equivalent. Can't actually quote a specific example, it's several decades since I read them, but I vaguely remember examples of distances, volume, and speed being given this treatment. --[[User:MarcusRowland|MarcusRowland]] ([[User talk:MarcusRowland|talk]]) 08:36, 22 May 2026 (UTC)

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 :::: I'm not convinced about 'certainly better'. If it's still meaningless for practical purposes, well meaningless is meaningless - there aren't really degrees of meaninglessness. It doesn't really matter if it's more precisely defined. It's a bit like asking me if I want some set of technical instructions in Mandarin or Sumerian. The Sumerian is likely to require more approximation of words, but that doesn't mean the Mandarin is going to be any more useful to me. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 14:24, 21 May 2026 (UTC)
 ::::: It's "certainly better" in this case because nobody in the universe says 31.33 tbsp. If you measure with cups and spoons, then that number will be 15 fl oz 4 tsp, or something similar. But in reality, nobody uses spoons for such precise measurements. You would probably cl it a (fluid) pint, but if you really do need precision, 15⅔ fl oz or 15.67 fl oz is more reasonable. However, ml is the most reasonable of all, as it is what most people actually use for precise fluid volumes (even in the US). [[User:EebstertheGreat|EebstertheGreat]] ([[User talk:EebstertheGreat|talk]]) 00:49, 22 May 2026 (UTC)
-:::::: That's missing the point. The question is not "How would I go away and measure this?" It's "Can I visualise this given the description?" I'm suggesting that almost nobody is going to be able to meaningfully visualise it, whether it's in ml of tablespoons, and therefore they are equally as useless ''for the intended purpose''. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:44, 22 May 2026 (UTC)
+:::::: That's missing the point. The question is not "How would I go away and measure this?" It's "Can I visualise this given the description?" I'm suggesting that almost nobody is going to be able to meaningfully visualise it, whether it's in ml or tablespoons, and therefore they are equally as useless ''for the intended purpose''. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:44, 22 May 2026 (UTC)
 :: I am a translator and I encounter this as well, although not exactly often. I remember a recent book about dinosaurs that listed sizes and weights in both metric and imperial units, and it was very apparent where an overly precise conversion was use. {{unsigned ip|185.180.14.152|09:25, 21 May 2026 (UTC)}}
 : In that case, though, it probably is appropriate, (at least to the mm, if not to the 0.1mm) in that the sizes have been specifically defined within the laws of the game, and then translated to metric for use in the modern world, without wanting to change the actual sizes of the tables. A professional player might well notice if the size of the table was 4mm out. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:39, 21 May 2026 (UTC)

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	https://www.instagram.com/p/DYn9AkwvFWe/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==		https://www.instagram.com/p/DYn9AkwvFWe/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
	[[Special:Contributions/108.66.2.39\|108.66.2.39]] 05:26, 22 May 2026 (UTC)		[[Special:Contributions/108.66.2.39\|108.66.2.39]] 05:26, 22 May 2026 (UTC)
		+
		+	There was a lot of this sort of thing in early Clive Cussler novels - for some reason he decided that his version of the USA went metric comprehensively, and repeatedly approximations in feet etc. were converted into their precise metric equivalent. Can't actually quote a specific example, it's several decades since I read them, but I vaguely remember examples of distances, volume, and speed being given this treatment.
		+	--[[User:MarcusRowland\|MarcusRowland]] ([[User talk:MarcusRowland\|talk]]) 08:36, 22 May 2026 (UTC)

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	I'm reminded of Project Hail Mary where Rocky estimates that Eridians sleep between 40000₆ and 220000₆ Eridian seconds. He can do lightning-fast mental arithmetic and converts to base-10 Earth seconds for Grace's benefit, but he doesn't round again, so it comes out as the impossibly precise range of 12,265 to 42,928 seconds. — [[Special:Contributions/2600:100C:B026:30F2:793C:84C0:E2D0:8A73\|2600:100C:B026:30F2:793C:84C0:E2D0:8A73]] 23:56, 21 May 2026 (UTC)		I'm reminded of Project Hail Mary where Rocky estimates that Eridians sleep between 40000₆ and 220000₆ Eridian seconds. He can do lightning-fast mental arithmetic and converts to base-10 Earth seconds for Grace's benefit, but he doesn't round again, so it comes out as the impossibly precise range of 12,265 to 42,928 seconds. — [[Special:Contributions/2600:100C:B026:30F2:793C:84C0:E2D0:8A73\|2600:100C:B026:30F2:793C:84C0:E2D0:8A73]] 23:56, 21 May 2026 (UTC)
		+
		+	https://www.instagram.com/p/DYn9AkwvFWe/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
		+	[[Special:Contributions/108.66.2.39\|108.66.2.39]] 05:26, 22 May 2026 (UTC)

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	I worked in a warehouse (in the United States) when I was younger and the quickest way to distinguish different shipments was by piece count and weight - only after matching those would you bother looking at the actual 10+ digit reference number. Most weights were precise, but certain types of freight that weren't billed by weight had consistent, weirdly-specific values in intervals of roughly 110 lbs: 220, 330, 441, ... 882, 992 lbs etc. Then one day a light bulb blinked on above my head and I realized 50kg is about 110 lbs... someone had just converted nominal weights in kilograms into pounds. I've enjoyed looking for patterns like this ever since. [[Special:Contributions/2601:603:200:6010:28C2:2006:2304:21A2\|2601:603:200:6010:28C2:2006:2304:21A2]] 17:32, 21 May 2026 (UTC)		I worked in a warehouse (in the United States) when I was younger and the quickest way to distinguish different shipments was by piece count and weight - only after matching those would you bother looking at the actual 10+ digit reference number. Most weights were precise, but certain types of freight that weren't billed by weight had consistent, weirdly-specific values in intervals of roughly 110 lbs: 220, 330, 441, ... 882, 992 lbs etc. Then one day a light bulb blinked on above my head and I realized 50kg is about 110 lbs... someone had just converted nominal weights in kilograms into pounds. I've enjoyed looking for patterns like this ever since. [[Special:Contributions/2601:603:200:6010:28C2:2006:2304:21A2\|2601:603:200:6010:28C2:2006:2304:21A2]] 17:32, 21 May 2026 (UTC)
		+
		+	I'm reminded of Project Hail Mary where Rocky estimates that Eridians sleep between 40000₆ and 220000₆ Eridian seconds. He can do lightning-fast mental arithmetic and converts to base-10 Earth seconds for Grace's benefit, but he doesn't round again, so it comes out as the impossibly precise range of 12,265 to 42,928 seconds. — [[Special:Contributions/2600:100C:B026:30F2:793C:84C0:E2D0:8A73\|2600:100C:B026:30F2:793C:84C0:E2D0:8A73]] 23:56, 21 May 2026 (UTC)