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Forum Update on Monday, May 27th 2025

Less People Here?

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  • JonBJ JonB

    Look you metricians: the definition of your centimetre is:

    the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of 1/299 792 458 of a second

    divided by 100. Nice one. Very everyday. Great for scientists. Meaningless for the hoi polloi. I'll take my inches any day.

    kshegunovK Offline
    kshegunovK Offline
    kshegunov
    Moderators
    wrote on last edited by
    #33

    @JonB said in Less People Here?:

    the definition of your centimetre is

    What I find curious is whether you googled the definition of the inch? ;)

    Read and abide by the Qt Code of Conduct

    JonBJ mzimmersM 2 Replies Last reply
    0
    • kshegunovK kshegunov

      @JonB said in Less People Here?:

      the definition of your centimetre is

      What I find curious is whether you googled the definition of the inch? ;)

      JonBJ Offline
      JonBJ Offline
      JonB
      wrote on last edited by JonB
      #34

      @kshegunov
      I don't need to, if you are English you can inherently sense what an inch is.

      EDIT
      So I looked at your reference:

      Standards for the exact length of an inch have varied in the past, but since the adoption of the international yard during the 1950s and 1960s it has been based on the metric system and defined as exactly 25.4 mm.

      Typical. That is the metric inch. Not the real inch.

      kshegunovK 1 Reply Last reply
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      • kshegunovK kshegunov

        @JonB said in Less People Here?:

        the definition of your centimetre is

        What I find curious is whether you googled the definition of the inch? ;)

        mzimmersM Offline
        mzimmersM Offline
        mzimmers
        wrote on last edited by
        #35

        @kshegunov said in Less People Here?:

        What I find curious is whether you googled the definition of the inch? ;)

        Why bother to google something so obvious? Everyone knows that an inch is 1/12 of a foot.

        1 Reply Last reply
        2
        • JonBJ JonB

          @kshegunov
          I don't need to, if you are English you can inherently sense what an inch is.

          EDIT
          So I looked at your reference:

          Standards for the exact length of an inch have varied in the past, but since the adoption of the international yard during the 1950s and 1960s it has been based on the metric system and defined as exactly 25.4 mm.

          Typical. That is the metric inch. Not the real inch.

          kshegunovK Offline
          kshegunovK Offline
          kshegunov
          Moderators
          wrote on last edited by kshegunov
          #36

          @JonB said in Less People Here?:

          I don't need to, if you are English you can inherently sense what an inch is.

          Nevertheless, let me help you my very english friend: the inch is defined as exactly 25.4 mm

          @mzimmers said in Less People Here?:

          Why bother to google something so obvious? Everyone knows that an inch is 1/12 of a foot.

          That would be a unit conversion, not a definition. Just like the centimetre is a tenth of the meter (centi- is the giveaway here).

          Typical. That is the metric inch. Not the real inch.

          lol.

          Read and abide by the Qt Code of Conduct

          JonBJ 1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • kshegunovK kshegunov

            @JonB said in Less People Here?:

            I don't need to, if you are English you can inherently sense what an inch is.

            Nevertheless, let me help you my very english friend: the inch is defined as exactly 25.4 mm

            @mzimmers said in Less People Here?:

            Why bother to google something so obvious? Everyone knows that an inch is 1/12 of a foot.

            That would be a unit conversion, not a definition. Just like the centimetre is a tenth of the meter (centi- is the giveaway here).

            Typical. That is the metric inch. Not the real inch.

            lol.

            JonBJ Offline
            JonBJ Offline
            JonB
            wrote on last edited by JonB
            #37

            @kshegunov said in Less People Here?:

            Just like the centimetre is a tenth of the meter (centi- is the giveaway here).

            Another reason not to trust metric. Simplicity of the math encourages laziness of thought, leading to this kind of error :) Imperial arithmetic keeps you on your toes....

            1 Reply Last reply
            3
            • JonBJ JonB

              @kshegunov & @Chris-Kawa
              Brilliant! I admit I didn't know about all those other measurements. They all seem to make real-world sense to me, and I'm even more impressed by the Imperial system than I was! :)

              Just for example. A pint is the natural size to drink beer in a pub. A litre means nothing, and is too big. I rest my case.

              artwawA Offline
              artwawA Offline
              artwaw
              wrote on last edited by
              #38

              @JonB said in Less People Here?:

              A pint is the natural size to drink beer in a pub.

              yes but! Have you ever been in a pub that actually pours a pint? Of course not, if any person behind a bar stops at the pint line they will be covered in tar and feathers and trotted down the high road in a walk of shame. They pour to the point of overflowing (and rightly so) which usually is... half of a litre.

              For more information please re-read.

              Kind Regards,
              Artur

              1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • kshegunovK kshegunov

                @sierdzio said in Less People Here?:

                Are we going down that rabbit hole again? :D

                Not at all just having a little bit of fun at @mzimmers' nationality, harmless teasing, nothing more.

                @mzimmers said in Less People Here?:

                @artwaw said in Less People Here?:
                "I want and you are here to help me regardless of how I treat you", so American in its heart,

                Just so we are clear I think this is a poor choice of words referring to the US being the proud flagman of consumerism (i.e. a reference to the "client's always right").

                sierdzioS Offline
                sierdzioS Offline
                sierdzio
                Moderators
                wrote on last edited by
                #39

                @kshegunov said in Less People Here?:

                except the metric system that is ... ;)

                @sierdzio said in Less People Here?:

                Are we going down that rabbit hole again? :D

                Not at all just having a little bit of fun [...]

                Yeah, I can see the situation escalated quickly :-)

                (Z(:^

                A 1 Reply Last reply
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                • sierdzioS sierdzio

                  @kshegunov said in Less People Here?:

                  except the metric system that is ... ;)

                  @sierdzio said in Less People Here?:

                  Are we going down that rabbit hole again? :D

                  Not at all just having a little bit of fun [...]

                  Yeah, I can see the situation escalated quickly :-)

                  A Offline
                  A Offline
                  Anonymous_Banned275
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #40

                  @sierdzio OK children, lets play nice...
                  In between us girls...
                  I find Qt (C++) very versatile , but from get go frustrating to "download" and it is not a problem of licensing.
                  After one gets a Qt account there are uncounted ways to actually get to the correct place to load "archive".
                  It gives poor impression about the vendor.
                  Let me out another spin on this "poor impression".
                  My background is in communication - telecommunication - telephony to be precise.
                  I came to US with "year 1940 knowledge of mechanical switching system (relays) and retired after ushering few computerized , transistorized , IC 's , fiber optic etc etc "stuff" .
                  In "before internet " US telephone service was top, almost every business had an operator to assist the customer...
                  Now try call and conduct serious business.... first you get "...our options has changed...for English press..."
                  Why am I saying this? I am trying to draw a parallel between "download Qt" and trying to get a live person to assist with telephone inquiry.
                  That is all I am saying.

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • fcarneyF Offline
                    fcarneyF Offline
                    fcarney
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #41

                    Years ago a restaurant tried to introduce the 1/3 pounder. Nobody wanted to buy it as they thought a 1/4 pounder was bigger. Because 4 is bigger than 3. I wish I were making this up. Can you expect a population to accept metric over inch when those kinds of issues are going on? Also, there are millions of feet of imperially spec'd infrastructure installed. That is never going away. The best you can hope for is some hybrid at this point.

                    C++ is a perfectly valid school of magic.

                    mzimmersM A 2 Replies Last reply
                    0
                    • fcarneyF fcarney

                      Years ago a restaurant tried to introduce the 1/3 pounder. Nobody wanted to buy it as they thought a 1/4 pounder was bigger. Because 4 is bigger than 3. I wish I were making this up. Can you expect a population to accept metric over inch when those kinds of issues are going on? Also, there are millions of feet of imperially spec'd infrastructure installed. That is never going away. The best you can hope for is some hybrid at this point.

                      mzimmersM Offline
                      mzimmersM Offline
                      mzimmers
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #42

                      @fcarney said in Less People Here?:

                      Years ago a restaurant tried to introduce the 1/3 pounder. Nobody wanted to buy it as they thought a 1/4 pounder was bigger. Because 4 is bigger than 3. I wish I were making this up.

                      And...we let these people vote.

                      Civilization, meet your demise...

                      kshegunovK 1 Reply Last reply
                      2
                      • mzimmersM mzimmers

                        @fcarney said in Less People Here?:

                        Years ago a restaurant tried to introduce the 1/3 pounder. Nobody wanted to buy it as they thought a 1/4 pounder was bigger. Because 4 is bigger than 3. I wish I were making this up.

                        And...we let these people vote.

                        Civilization, meet your demise...

                        kshegunovK Offline
                        kshegunovK Offline
                        kshegunov
                        Moderators
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #43

                        @mzimmers said in Less People Here?:

                        And...we let these people vote.

                        Let me throw you a bone (the political kind):
                        "The biggest problem of Bulgaria is the bad (quality of the) human material in the country" ~B. Borissov, 2009

                        For context:
                        B. Borissov had been the PM of Bulgaria for 12 years bar the last few months. So be optimistic - it can always get/be worse. ;)

                        Read and abide by the Qt Code of Conduct

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        1
                        • fcarneyF fcarney

                          Years ago a restaurant tried to introduce the 1/3 pounder. Nobody wanted to buy it as they thought a 1/4 pounder was bigger. Because 4 is bigger than 3. I wish I were making this up. Can you expect a population to accept metric over inch when those kinds of issues are going on? Also, there are millions of feet of imperially spec'd infrastructure installed. That is never going away. The best you can hope for is some hybrid at this point.

                          A Offline
                          A Offline
                          Anonymous_Banned275
                          wrote on last edited by Anonymous_Banned275
                          #44

                          @fcarney said in Less People Here?:

                          Years ago a restaurant tried to introduce the 1/3 pounder. Nobody wanted to buy it as they thought a 1/4 pounder was bigger. Because 4 is bigger than 3. I wish I were making this up. Can you expect a population to accept metric over inch when those kinds of issues are going on? Also, there are millions of feet of imperially spec'd infrastructure installed. That is never going away. The best you can hope for is some hybrid at this point.

                          One of my ham radio hobbies is to play with antennas.
                          For an antenna to be effective its basic dimensions are related to frequency in use. The frequency is stated in meters or hertz.
                          Pretty much acceptable in Imperial or metric system.
                          I have never seen a radio dial marked in "feet per second ( seconds are imperial ) " .
                          But vast majority of US amateur radio enthusiasts measures antenna dimensions in feet and fraction of inches...memorizing some "magic numbers " formulas and struggling with adjustment in percentage ( metric ?) of fraction of feet and inches.
                          BTW my insulin is measured in 100 units = 3 ml . go figure.

                          And since we mentioned "culture" "anomalies"
                          what is better a "warm pint" or "cold half a liter " ?

                          Cheers

                          artwawA 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • A Anonymous_Banned275

                            @fcarney said in Less People Here?:

                            Years ago a restaurant tried to introduce the 1/3 pounder. Nobody wanted to buy it as they thought a 1/4 pounder was bigger. Because 4 is bigger than 3. I wish I were making this up. Can you expect a population to accept metric over inch when those kinds of issues are going on? Also, there are millions of feet of imperially spec'd infrastructure installed. That is never going away. The best you can hope for is some hybrid at this point.

                            One of my ham radio hobbies is to play with antennas.
                            For an antenna to be effective its basic dimensions are related to frequency in use. The frequency is stated in meters or hertz.
                            Pretty much acceptable in Imperial or metric system.
                            I have never seen a radio dial marked in "feet per second ( seconds are imperial ) " .
                            But vast majority of US amateur radio enthusiasts measures antenna dimensions in feet and fraction of inches...memorizing some "magic numbers " formulas and struggling with adjustment in percentage ( metric ?) of fraction of feet and inches.
                            BTW my insulin is measured in 100 units = 3 ml . go figure.

                            And since we mentioned "culture" "anomalies"
                            what is better a "warm pint" or "cold half a liter " ?

                            Cheers

                            artwawA Offline
                            artwawA Offline
                            artwaw
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #45

                            @AnneRanch There is nothing better on a cold and rainy day than properly heated pint with some clover and mead ;)
                            Also, there is nothing better than cold half a liter on a warm and sunny day...

                            (but that maybe just my Central Europe genes talking)

                            For more information please re-read.

                            Kind Regards,
                            Artur

                            sierdzioS 1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • artwawA artwaw

                              @AnneRanch There is nothing better on a cold and rainy day than properly heated pint with some clover and mead ;)
                              Also, there is nothing better than cold half a liter on a warm and sunny day...

                              (but that maybe just my Central Europe genes talking)

                              sierdzioS Offline
                              sierdzioS Offline
                              sierdzio
                              Moderators
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #46

                              @artwaw said in Less People Here?:

                              @AnneRanch There is nothing better on a cold and rainy day than properly heated pint with some clover and mead ;)
                              Also, there is nothing better than cold half a liter on a warm and sunny day...

                              (but that maybe just my Central Europe genes talking)

                              Sounds a lot like "any day is good for beer" :D

                              (Z(:^

                              artwawA 1 Reply Last reply
                              1
                              • sierdzioS sierdzio

                                @artwaw said in Less People Here?:

                                @AnneRanch There is nothing better on a cold and rainy day than properly heated pint with some clover and mead ;)
                                Also, there is nothing better than cold half a liter on a warm and sunny day...

                                (but that maybe just my Central Europe genes talking)

                                Sounds a lot like "any day is good for beer" :D

                                artwawA Offline
                                artwawA Offline
                                artwaw
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #47

                                @sierdzio Of course it is. But when temperature drops below -10C one might want to switch to spirits.

                                For more information please re-read.

                                Kind Regards,
                                Artur

                                kshegunovK 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • artwawA artwaw

                                  @sierdzio Of course it is. But when temperature drops below -10C one might want to switch to spirits.

                                  kshegunovK Offline
                                  kshegunovK Offline
                                  kshegunov
                                  Moderators
                                  wrote on last edited by kshegunov
                                  #48

                                  @artwaw said in Less People Here?:

                                  But when temperature drops below -10C one might want to switch to spirits.

                                  When it drops under -10, you may want to switch to antifreeze ... ;)

                                  @AnneRanch said in Less People Here?:

                                  BTW my insulin is measured in 100 units = 3 ml . go figure.

                                  (On a more serious note)
                                  Often units are defined as it is convenient, even conversions, so I suppose that's the most easy for the reader of said test. In nuclear physics it's ubiquitous to measure mass (and momentum) in eV, which is a unit of energy; it's simply convenient to put the speed of light to equal 1. That nonsense even has a name: "natural units".

                                  Read and abide by the Qt Code of Conduct

                                  JonBJ 1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • kshegunovK kshegunov

                                    @artwaw said in Less People Here?:

                                    But when temperature drops below -10C one might want to switch to spirits.

                                    When it drops under -10, you may want to switch to antifreeze ... ;)

                                    @AnneRanch said in Less People Here?:

                                    BTW my insulin is measured in 100 units = 3 ml . go figure.

                                    (On a more serious note)
                                    Often units are defined as it is convenient, even conversions, so I suppose that's the most easy for the reader of said test. In nuclear physics it's ubiquitous to measure mass (and momentum) in eV, which is a unit of energy; it's simply convenient to put the speed of light to equal 1. That nonsense even has a name: "natural units".

                                    JonBJ Offline
                                    JonBJ Offline
                                    JonB
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #49

                                    @kshegunov
                                    Absolutely. Can you remind me: when I ask for a pound of butter at the shops, how much should I ask for that in that useful eV?

                                    kshegunovK 1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • JonBJ JonB

                                      @kshegunov
                                      Absolutely. Can you remind me: when I ask for a pound of butter at the shops, how much should I ask for that in that useful eV?

                                      kshegunovK Offline
                                      kshegunovK Offline
                                      kshegunov
                                      Moderators
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #50

                                      Can't give you an exact figure, but I'd imagine somewhere between 1 exa electron volt to a few zetta electron volts. Of course I'd suggest you don't get a pound of butter to begin with, but you better discuss this with your doctor. ;)

                                      Read and abide by the Qt Code of Conduct

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      2
                                      • Chris KawaC Offline
                                        Chris KawaC Offline
                                        Chris Kawa
                                        Lifetime Qt Champion
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #51

                                        I'm spoiled by supermarkets. I don't have to ask anyone and thus don't have to think about units at all most of the time. I just take a look - "that's about right" - and take it off the shelf :) Come to think about it I do it a lot - amount of beer, tire pressure in my bike, shoe size, water temperature for swimming, time spent coding...
                                        Yes, "that's about right" is my daily driver unit :)

                                        kshegunovK 1 Reply Last reply
                                        2
                                        • Chris KawaC Chris Kawa

                                          I'm spoiled by supermarkets. I don't have to ask anyone and thus don't have to think about units at all most of the time. I just take a look - "that's about right" - and take it off the shelf :) Come to think about it I do it a lot - amount of beer, tire pressure in my bike, shoe size, water temperature for swimming, time spent coding...
                                          Yes, "that's about right" is my daily driver unit :)

                                          kshegunovK Offline
                                          kshegunovK Offline
                                          kshegunov
                                          Moderators
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #52

                                          Random thoughts:
                                          I've read an article recently that people on average are superb predictors of probabilities, if the prob. density is symmetric. We fail rather miserably when the statistics is very skewed though. I found this very interesting - we tend to identify and predict additive factors excellently by intuition, but we are not so good when the dependency is multiplicative ...

                                          Read and abide by the Qt Code of Conduct

                                          1 Reply Last reply
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