> Snip!

> So get out yur calculator and multiply by 25.4 and after that go to you
> gloomy garage pull out yur metric tape and find 73 mm without an extra
> light and glasses! Metric is for scientists. I live in Canada and am
> supposed to be metric but I can assure you measuring 1/16ths on a properly
> graduated tape is far easier than measuring millimeters.

Hey, I live in Canada too!! I find the metric system far easier to use. I can add or subtract whole numbers much easier than fractions, and as 1 millimeter = 1/25 of an inch (approx.) the measurement is more accurate than the standard 1/16" scale. If you go down to the 1/32 scale you will get a more accurate measure but you need a microscope to read it. Also, having measurements in four scales (1/32, 1/16, 1/8 and 1/4) makes it harder for me to work with the numbers.

Two things that bothered me when Canada switched to the metric system were;

The fact that the car I owned at the time had a gas tank that held 11 gallons. It cost me almost $200.00 to have a new gas tank put in that would accept the new metric litre.

The other thing was that the litre was smaller so my car went a shorter distance on the same amount of fuel. However, this problem was alleviated when the government lowered the speed limit to 90 K/H.

Ian