The Metric System Is Here to Stay: Difference between revisions

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* Conversely, the metric system continues to use non-decimalized units for times greater than a second; partially because it would be a phenomenal pain to change on many levels, and partially because (unlike most units of measurement) the day and year are based on static phenomena and can't really be changed. However, it's not uncommon to do calculations involving X thousands of seconds, and convert it to familiar units of time at the end.
* When the metric system was introduced in the United Kingdom, ''Punch'' did a satire which was purportedly a government information pamphlet that accompanied the switch from Biblical measures to Imperial (how many cubits in a yard?). Which was quite funny considering that there were people who wrote complex theories trying to justify the Imperial system, which differs quite significantly from the weights and measures used in the Bible, on religious grounds, demanding that it should be maintained against the "godless" Metric system.
* The [[wikipedia:Gimli Glider|Gimli Glider]] had its share of problems on its most famous flight, but the one that mattered the most was that it had roughly 22,000 pounds of fuel aboard instead of the roughly 22,000 kilograms it needed. Only three things prevented a tragedy: a 767 can glide, the pilot knew how to fly a glider, and the co-pilot knew of a long enough runway that they could reach while gliding.
 
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