Re: measuring systems (was: Selenites)

Nik Taylor wrote:
>
> Tom Wier wrote:
> > The fact is, there is no way to make a *perfectly* nonarbitrary
> > measurement system.
>
> But, to have 1000 meters in a kilometer is less arbitrary than to have
> 5000+ feet in a mile!
>
> But, one problem I see with switching to the metric system is highway
> exits.  Some states number them by miles, so that exit 37 is on mile 37
> of the highway.  In those states, you'd either have to change all the
> exit numbers, or admit a numbering system that seems totally arbitrary.
It would be possible to develop a system that is based on American
measurements but uses metric prefixes. Like in the metric system we have
kilometres and micrometres, we could use milimiles, micromiles,
kilomiles,
etc.

(I think, if I remember, it was proposed in US Congress back in the
1800s to have a measurement system based on tens, hundreds and
thousands of rods...)

Simon Kissane