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Re: measuring systems (was: Selenites)

From:Pablo Flores <fflores@...>
Date:Tuesday, September 29, 1998, 12:55
Carlos Thompson wrote:

>In Colombia there has been a lot of non-regularized measures. Now the >metric system is widely used but some of the old metrics remainds but >standarized into the metric system. Some of them are: > >1 cuarta = 20 cm (the distance between the little finger and the tumb in a >extended hand)
We still use it to measure rope quickly!
>1 vara = 80 cm >1 cuadra = 80 m
Is there a relationship between them, or is it a coincidence? Here in Argentina, in cities at least, a "cuadra" means a block, the distance between two consecutive streets -- normally taken to be 100 m, but that is flexible. We usually ask how many cuadras are there between two spots.
>1 fanegada = 6400 m^2 (note is not 2^6 x 10^2 from a binary-decimal system >but 80^2) >1 libra (pound) = 500 g = 1/2 kg
I think there was a time when we used _libra_ and also _arroba_. An _arroba_ was 10 kg (used for potatoes and that sort of food). People still read the '@' sign as "arroba" (that was the symbol it used). This is a bit ridiculous when used in an e-mail address... :) --Pablo Flores Fi'nagles Rredn Thanon: Qgemp sarito'ndim bu"ndhur, ta^sarito'n lisku"ftian rath. Finagle's Fourth Law: Once a job is fouled up, anything done to improve will make it worse. <http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shire/1021/draseleq.html> begin 600 WINMAIL.DAT M>)\^(@`/`0:0" `$```````!``$``0>0!@`(````Y 0```````#H``$-@ 0` M`@````(``@`!!) &`#P!```!````# ````,``# #````"P`/#@`````"`?\/ M`0```%(`````````@2L?I+ZC$!F=;@#=`0]4`@````!#;VYS=')U8W1E9"!, M86YG=6%G97,@3&ES= !33510`$-/3DQ!3D= 0E)/5TY632Y"4D]73BY%1%4` M```>``(P`0````4```!33510`````!X``S !````&@```$-/3DQ!3D= 0E)/ M5TY632Y"4D]73BY%1%4````#`!4,`0````,`_@\&````'@`!, $````=```` M)T-O;G-T<G5C=&5D($QA;F=U86=E<R!,:7-T)P`````"`0LP`0```!\```!3 M3510.D-/3DQ!3D= 0E)/5TY632Y"4D]73BY%1%4```,``#D`````"P! .@$` M```"`?8/`0````0````````#DSD!"( '`!@```!)4$TN36EC<F]S;V9T($UA M:6PN3F]T90`Q" $$@ $`)P```%)%.B!M96%S=7)I;F<@<WES=&5M<R H=V%S M.B!396QE;FET97,I`+8-`06 `P`.````S@<)`!T`"0`W`!(``@!/`0$@@ ,` M#@```,X'"0`=``D`+@`O``(`8P$!"8 !`"$````V1$8S,SE!-3=%-3=$,C$Q M.4,R.30T-#4U,S4T,# P, #>!@$#D 8`E 8``!(````+`",```````,`)@`` M````"P`I```````#`#8``````$ `.0" =BEIJ.N]`1X`< `!````)P```%)% M.B!M96%S=7)I;F<@<WES=&5M<R H=V%S.B!396QE;FET97,I```"`7$``0`` M`!8````!O>NH:0>E.?-O5WX1TIPI1$535 `````>`!X,`0````4```!33510 M`````!X`'PP!````&P```&9F;&]R97- =&%U+G=A;6%N:2YA<&,N;W)G```# M``80CS55OP,`!Q (! ``'@`($ $```!E````0T%23$]35$A/35!33TY74D]4 M13I)3D-/3$]-0DE!5$A%4D5(05-"145.04Q/5$]&3D].+5)%1U5,05))6D5$ M345!4U5215-.3U=42$5-151224-365-414U)4U=)1$5,655310`````"`0D0 M`0````0%````!0``]0@``$Q:1G5;Q<;N_P`*`0\"%0*D`^0%ZP*#`% 3`U0" M`&-H"L!S971N,@8`!L,"@S($1@(`<'!R<3$@"%4'L@* ?7\*@ C/"=D"@ J! M#;$+8&[@9S$P,S0*^Q+Q"_+9$Z!O= 60!4!#"L 5,,D$(%1H`W!P<P(@& J@ M,3@@('<9`CH8#V\9% J/'!<=)CX;SQD421\#H A0%3 &T <P('1H602092 1 MP 0@8@GA((<A<!4P!4!O9B!N`B"R+16@9W4+8 40>@F 7B '@"(`"' 'D"X; M0$[^;P?@(9$=-QJ+'U\9!0> @G0%$&,@<WES&2 L;2 $`!M0:0VP;'G,('41 M\"/P8G4%0!HP[P> (M(AD2+0;"/R*#($(/<5H # "X!D(A$I\"4_)D\W&+HH MH !P9".E"X!T;_<JDR@;))%3*C@HT K &Z!_+&\M?QQ_,O\T#QD%$]!C1G4* MP &0(#T@'K%CM2C0*"JB9 0`+U%C(="9(C!T=R)"*J)L:0) ZFPAT&8+@&<4 M02]A*I/\='4&T"_Q(G UCS:?&+I\97@9("OP(^$1P"OP*?<]#QL#'357(= H MH ,0`R _*9$HX 5 ,"$D%2N0;W"I(=!Q=2A0:RE@(1TUVQ[O-XYV"L XTC@Y M(D#/NSX?-Z]D1[9(3QKT200@/R&4(7 5H M@0M "('-H\P4@.DIM+"+0!< H M\4-AMR%P!: +@&,I,3H1/QTU?D@ALCS!!Q [L (P"X!A_T_ /,%0T$+0!Y%. M8"*0)"'6=$_ (7 B2U0B) (&,?LA< )@;T3 3\ YBATU.E<^=S P!: `@ 60 M*?!I=DM"H@G1= 0@+2TC`7+O`,!"\"EP`9!K.J(P,"(P_3A0,$OQ3\ IXB&0 M4Y$$`-<=-1<@/^!I`F!E))!"D>\ID#B068(B`&LAX"31`X$_*7!+5%-Q(<$A ME%<*<W#?&1 D@$4?2>\X)&8`<"-@4TMP.-(V-%J27A(@*!\C$!D@*.)D03D` M7C8@/GA:<60!`U)5,E*A<GG^+06!!W '0"AU3"]);QBZ?RGB2 !D`$"_:']* M;3L08K5'L2A@('5 D3CA-5J1DF<XX3$O$B!K9VKOO4':22&!"X!=@"&4=UZ" M?R& !W$;4"&@`Z Z@"F$7_UMXU\[XP= &C!SX K `V#V8G1 ))!!`Z!U!ATU M<G+_%W!OD3E@*9,"$ 7 8"%.8/YO4V(\`U.1&C `("+2`A#E!' I))!09410 M.U%"Q$<5H$MP)/DG0"<H<&GV9R)A!" B=114P#EQ4Y'_<G(JHBB !M)#4BF2 M>>$9X/]0$E4C0V$%$#G .( 5,"F0GW96<S(IDSS"`Z!E+2O!/P,@2W!+@ >0 M)(""X" ZWVK8'<\U?T'+60!0`: 5,'P@1A4Q!Y!@?(._'K%&M&DG4K!G.U $ M(%(5H=\#H!G@`' "(#*643NP&A!_*' CH3 @B> YP"C0*> BS2OP: AP5;%A M7HP&.P'_77",T & !S #H$>P(9!@;6N)P(GS)P0@1@AA(9 @:$QA=S*63SH2 M(7!JGW5 *.("$". (^%U<%01]UX`<;)O(&0"(#Q1,# '</\8\5A1`_!"\0# M6>!#4E>0$Q'A8&T\: ) <#HO="]WEX N.[!5@%,S+ED%H&TO!Q D(#5O8%/K M3L 5H"\7<#)O8%YB*5#(97$NEQ!M;&Q+0?@%%,$`G$ #`! 0``````,`$1 ! M````0 `',, B)#BGZ[T!0 `(,, B)#BGZ[T!'@`]``$````%````4D4Z( `` $```?" `' ` end