• thejml@sh.itjust.works
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      19 days ago

      Wikipedia says:

      Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of ⁠1/299792458 ⁠ of a second, where the second is defined by a hyperfine transition frequency of caesium.

        • Foofighter@discuss.tchncs.de
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          19 days ago

          Nor obvious, but based on physical principals and highly reproducible. BTW, what’s the official definition of an inch?

          • resipsaloquitur@lemmy.cafe
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            19 days ago

            Roughly the length of the last segment of my thumb. Which is roughly 1/12th the length of my foot. Which is roughly 1/3 of my stride.

            Things I don’t need a vacuum and instruments that can measure the speed of light to reproduce.

            A mole is a very useful unit of measurement in chemistry, but much less so in baking.

            • fushuan@piefed.blahaj.zone
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              4 days ago

              You want to know an obvious meter metric? Roughly slightly more than half my body in length. Two can play the stupid game.

    • Hawke@lemmy.world
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      19 days ago

      The length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of ⁠1/299792458⁠ of a second.

      Why?

            • Dasus@lemmy.world
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              19 days ago

              Oh, really? You use your foot or your girlfriend’s? Because I wager those are somewhat different.

              What body part is a quart based on? Because I don’t think it’s any of them, and you could probably still eyeball a quart of water. That’s to say, just shy of a litre.

              How about one yard? Think you can do that? Great, just add a bit and you have a metre.

              It’s crazy how Americans actually be complaining about how they’re unable to estimate or perceive things if they’re not actually measuring it against the bottom of their feet. Don’t you believe you have the ability to learn? I can see why you wouldn’t, but…

              • kip@piefed.zip
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                19 days ago

                Americans actually be complaining

                how are you attempting to disparage americans and talking like one at the same time. it’s just the name of a unit, who cares, a yard’s not the size of the boundary of their average house and barrels of oil don’t come in individual barrels

                • Dasus@lemmy.world
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                  19 days ago

                  Because if I don’t assume their language, they won’t understand me, as my native language is Finnish. When talking to or about Americans, I might add a bit of American flare. It’s not grammatically correct, I know. Just double negatives.

                  Also criticism and disparagement are two different things.

              • Soulg@ani.social
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                19 days ago

                The sheer ignorance in this comment really makes the condescension even funnier.

        • i078@europe.pub
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          19 days ago

          It’s hard to realise the difference between what it’s origin is and definition. I think it’s wise to look into the definition of the foot instead of assuming you know.

          Once finished, tell me why you still use the British unit?

          • JcbAzPx@lemmy.world
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            18 days ago

            Because they forced us to and it’s too expensive to change it now relative to the benefits.

  • morriscox@lemmy.world
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    19 days ago

    In an apocalypse, the Imperial system of measurement is easier to reestablish than the metric system though that should be used with an eye to switching to metric. The USA uses both and it would be nice if things (like soda) didn’t have to list two measurements or having to ask a doctor to convert from metric to Imperial.