Fractions

[curtiss]

Steve, I now think I like your "Chart" best.

But I downloaded it, scaled it to the actual size of 1" wide, but now it is too hard to read....

[steve_g]

Well... I made the original 40” wide so I could see it without my glasses on! I was going to post it but it’s 16.6 meg...

SG

[scottp55]

Thanks everyone for programs/charts/visuals, now on desktop screen.
Sooo much easier if Pi=3 and the World was flat

[twelchPTM]

some one asked earlier in the thread and they are correct. True mathematical conversion from imperial to metric is impossible to do. While it will be pretty darn close, it is off but will only show if your looking for ultra precision. That is why in this day of computers and calculators chart like the ones being discussed here are still relevant.

[Kyle Stapleton]

And I thought my collage design teacher was blowing smoke (well more smoke) after reading some other post.
It came up in class when the Hubble telescope was being fitted with its "contact lens" because the US were using inches in our part of the design and the everyone else was using mm and that is why the first pictures were not in focus, thus the need for the new lens.
Again just what I was told, so if I'm wrong please do not kill me for it.

[ron brown]

I'd like one of those "Think Metric" signs .... make it about 24" X 16".

Ron

[steve_g]

Closest I can get to that will be 60mm X 40mm...

SG

[ssflyer]

I'm curious why a lot of people say that no true mathematical conversion from metric to imperial is possible. While there are some discrepancies in measurements other than length (for instance the difference in liquid measurement between the UK and US systems), length conversions should now be exact - 1" = exactly 2.54cm.

Here's an excerpt from an article on it:

"Even as late as the middle of the 20th century there were some differences in UK and US measures which were nominally the same. The UK inch measured 2.53998 cm while the US inch was 2.540005 cm. Both were standardised at 2.54 cm in July 1959."

Basically theThe Systeme International was adopted specifically to allow for exact conversions.

If I'm missing something here, please let me know!

[Kyle Stapleton]

Might be because the decimals get so looooong.
Ex:2.625" = 6.6675 cm which can be done easy on a calculator but try to make it.

Almost anything can be done on paper with math, but good luck making it.

Just a thought.

[ssflyer]

Hi Kyle,

Thanks for the reply. That makes sense to me, but also applies to unconverted values.

Example 1 3/32" = 1.09375" = 2.778125cm

While the conversion is exact, good luck making either, exactly. That's why machining tolerances are always specified on critical parts.

Probably me just overthinking - too much coffee this morning!