I’ve always heard it referred to as the English system. I’m guessing the British empire is the empire in the name. Funny of course that they’ve mostly given up on it back home.
1 Like
An Imperial pint is definitely larger than a US pint.
2 Likes
Relationships like 12 inches = 1 foot are handy because 12 can be evenly divided more ways than 10 can. You can share a dozen donuts evenly between 2, 3, 4, 6 or 12 people, but you can only share 10 donuts evenly between 2, 5 or 10 people.
So clearly the best solution for everyone would be to keep a metric-style system of measurement but just change our decimal system to base-12 instead of base-10.
3 Likes
Base 60!
3 Likes
Doesn’t dozen derive from 2-and-ten? Certainly looks and sounds like it.
Now we need a ruler for fans of decimal feet and inches.
1 Like
Though you do get the occasional space probe smashing into Mars.
5 Likes
I do all my measuring in 83rds.
1 Like
Yes, but the derivation was an unshackling from decimal. 
THIS!!
@phart What’s convenient to Americans is not convenient to nearly all the rest of the world.
6 Likes
As a recovering American, I fully agree. Though, in Canada, it is a bit more complex. We use metric for temperature, speed, volume, and large distances. We use imperial for weight, volume for alcohol, short distances, height, and area. And for anything construction related, it’s a completely mixed bag.
4 Likes
That’s called a machinist ruler. Also framers tape measures often have decimal feet (divisions in 1/10th of a foot)
4 Likes
I had a computer science teacher with eleven fingers. Because of this, most assignments were sets of eleven.
1 Like
Even more complex than that, if you look deeper.
Except for cooking, mostly.
Except that meat is usually priced by the kilo, I may buy coffee in 1lb or 200g bags, beer cans may be 500ml (imported) or 473ml (domestic), hard liquor comes in 750ml bottles (but still commonly called 26ers)… It’s really a dog’s breakfast.
I grew up with imperial, but I’ve made the switch to kilometers, liters and Celsius. Just don’t ask me my weight or height in SI.
Ask for a tape measure in Canada and you’ll probably be handed a combination one.
6 Likes
Engineer’s scales are marked in inches and tenths for various scales (1"=10’, 1"=20’, etc.)
1 Like
Well duh - that’s what comes from choosing the wrong sized gallon gallon at independence - it’s why your fluid ounces don’t weigh an ounce etc etc
2 Likes
The U.S. measurement system is USC (United Stated Customary) and it predates the imperial system. Though both are derived from traditional English units they are not the same.
2 Likes
Though loathe am I to admit it, the imperial system is objectively superior.
3 Likes
