Good thing the US doesn’t use the Imperial measurement system then, (we use US Customary which is different than Imperial). That pretty much started to diverge by the end of the revolutionary War. And for your information, we are all looking for that same missing 10mm wrench and socket just like you guys are. We use the metric system all the bloody time. From soda pop and whisk(e)y to every food item in a grocery store to the Canyonaro pickups we drive are all metric. We just don’t force it by law like the rest of the world.
The point was to make fun of any and all who think ANY measurement system is better than another or even matters at all. They all consist of made up units all thought up by random dudes long ago that enough other people thought were pretty skookum and decided to use.
Those physical constants were randomly chosen. And they eventually chose a different physical standard only recently. And it STILL contains an error even after all these centuries because one of the original men sent to do the real world measurement cheated at his job and made up some of his measurements to avoid traversing some difficult terrain. So yes, it turns out it’s as “made up” as much as any other system.
It is my understanding that a mix of units was used. I do not know how much metric was used in the design of the engines or rockets, the construction was largely done in SAE units because that’s what the aerospace industry was tooled up for. It is my understanding that calculations were done in metric but converted and displayed in nautical miles, feet, and feet per second for the crews who, being US aviators were accustomed to those units. The crawler transporter’s fuel economy is measured in gallons per foot.
It happened a lot in our nation’s history that folks would have relatively simple kitchens not equipped with scales or even a set of measuring cups, so eating vessels and utensils would be used. A lot of staple American baked goods like biscuits are really more about feeling the consistency of the dough than sticking to a recipe anyway, so laboratory precision is not necessary.
At some point the cup got codified as half a pint, or 8 fluid ounces, or slightly under 0.125L. A tablespoon is 1/2 of a fluid ounce and thus 1/16th of a cup. A teaspoon is 1/3 of a tablespoon.
It works out that tea- and tablespoons are ~ 4.928 and 14.786 mL respectively. The medicine industry, which actually does everything in metric and has for decades now, often writes dosing instructions in metric tea- or tablespoons of 5mL and 15mL respectively. For example, my bottle of Listerine mouthwash says in its instructions “swish 10mL (2 teapoonfuls) between your teeth for 30 seconds…”
Believe it or not we also know how long an inch is, too.
It happened a lot in our nation’s history that folks would have relatively simple kitchens not equipped with scales or even a set of measuring cups
That’s, like, every nation’s history. Cooking has never required that much precision, especially home cooking. Even baking can be done by feel, with enough experience.
Learning to use recipes and then learning you don’t need them are the two most important parts of learning how to cook imo. The first time I make something I use a recipe every time after that I do not and just go by feel/vibes unless I am trying to make something authentic.
The amount measured by a typical tea or coffee cup is approximately 1/2 US Pint, so when it comes time to codify it that’s a reasonable place to put it.
Anything else you wish to artificially complicate?
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Freedom units should be replaced with something like racist units or genocide units or orange units
The freedom was always sarcastic
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Godwin’s law
So the metric units? Those were used by racists and genocidal tyrants throughout history.
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I didn’t say it was. Just that has been quite popular with those types of defective people over the history of the use of the metric system.
The Imperial system has it’s own special though.
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Good thing the US doesn’t use the Imperial measurement system then, (we use US Customary which is different than Imperial). That pretty much started to diverge by the end of the revolutionary War. And for your information, we are all looking for that same missing 10mm wrench and socket just like you guys are. We use the metric system all the bloody time. From soda pop and whisk(e)y to every food item in a grocery store to the Canyonaro pickups we drive are all metric. We just don’t force it by law like the rest of the world.
The point was to make fun of any and all who think ANY measurement system is better than another or even matters at all. They all consist of made up units all thought up by random dudes long ago that enough other people thought were pretty skookum and decided to use.
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Those physical constants were randomly chosen. And they eventually chose a different physical standard only recently. And it STILL contains an error even after all these centuries because one of the original men sent to do the real world measurement cheated at his job and made up some of his measurements to avoid traversing some difficult terrain. So yes, it turns out it’s as “made up” as much as any other system.
I tend to use moon landing units.
Didn’t the Apollo missions use metric, though?
It is my understanding that a mix of units was used. I do not know how much metric was used in the design of the engines or rockets, the construction was largely done in SAE units because that’s what the aerospace industry was tooled up for. It is my understanding that calculations were done in metric but converted and displayed in nautical miles, feet, and feet per second for the crews who, being US aviators were accustomed to those units. The crawler transporter’s fuel economy is measured in gallons per foot.
239.59 ml
Edit: switched out the original number for the correct number
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It happened a lot in our nation’s history that folks would have relatively simple kitchens not equipped with scales or even a set of measuring cups, so eating vessels and utensils would be used. A lot of staple American baked goods like biscuits are really more about feeling the consistency of the dough than sticking to a recipe anyway, so laboratory precision is not necessary.
At some point the cup got codified as half a pint, or 8 fluid ounces, or slightly under 0.125L. A tablespoon is 1/2 of a fluid ounce and thus 1/16th of a cup. A teaspoon is 1/3 of a tablespoon.
It works out that tea- and tablespoons are ~ 4.928 and 14.786 mL respectively. The medicine industry, which actually does everything in metric and has for decades now, often writes dosing instructions in metric tea- or tablespoons of 5mL and 15mL respectively. For example, my bottle of Listerine mouthwash says in its instructions “swish 10mL (2 teapoonfuls) between your teeth for 30 seconds…”
Believe it or not we also know how long an inch is, too.
That’s, like, every nation’s history. Cooking has never required that much precision, especially home cooking. Even baking can be done by feel, with enough experience.
Learning to use recipes and then learning you don’t need them are the two most important parts of learning how to cook imo. The first time I make something I use a recipe every time after that I do not and just go by feel/vibes unless I am trying to make something authentic.
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It boggles your mind that the units people were actually using became standardized?
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The amount measured by a typical tea or coffee cup is approximately 1/2 US Pint, so when it comes time to codify it that’s a reasonable place to put it.
Anything else you wish to artificially complicate?
I just realized 59.15 ml is 1/4 of a cup while 1 cup is 239.59 ml
Annoyingly, the US has two different “cups”
US legal units puts it as 240ml
US Customary Units puts it at 236.59ml
Then there’s Imperial cups, which is 284.13ml
Then there’s the metric cup at 250ml
Freedom units were imported from Britan.
And then bastardised.
Chad UK/Irish Imperial pint: 568ml
Virgin US Customary Unit pint: 473ml
American and British cups are also different.
In liberté units.