What is it with round numbers?

[Andy in Germany]

As did I but always related to feet and inches better.

I used to but 20 years here and my training knocked that out of me; I have to convert miles to KM when I read about people's rides.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I happen to know that 2 m is about 6' because I grew up in the "Mixed" era. I was very glad I could do all my carpentry calculations in metric though; numbers are hard enough without messing about with fractions.

You‘d be half a foot out!

 

[ClichéGuevara]

Who sets their alarm clock at 3 minutes to the hour, or seven minutes before the half hour, for example? No-one, I’d imagine.
or no-one in their right mind.

I had someone asking me to pick them up at 17 minutes past once, as they'd be too early if we set off at 20 past. This was for a 150 mile drive, and yes, they were serious.

 

[Andy in Germany]

You‘d be half a foot out!

I did say "about"...

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I did say "about"...

No wonder buses hit low bridges…

 

[DRM]

But 88 has four 'round' numbers, so surely that's even better.

If you can get to 88 mph you could end up in 1955

 

[ClichéGuevara]

No wonder buses hit low bridges…

I used to regularly travel on the top deck of a bus, that was clearly marked with the warning "This vehicle is 14' 7 1/2" high" and its normal route took it several times a day under a bridge with a warning triangle displaying it as 14' 7". I was always glad it was full at the times I used it.

 

[Andy in Germany]

No wonder buses hit low bridges…

Also why I'm not an engineer...

 

[Rusty Nails]

Indeed. That was a great 99 mile bike ride…said no cyclist ever.

I have done just one century ride since returning to cycling thirteen years ago. Or so I thought. Talking it over with friends later I was told that I had only done around 97 miles

 

[Jody]

I have done just one century ride since returning to cycling thirteen years ago. Or so I thought. Talking it over with friends later I was told that I had only done around 97 miles

Snap. Ive done one century ride and my phone battery died a couple of miles from the coast.

 

[tyred]

I had someone asking me to pick them up at 17 minutes past once, as they'd be too early if we set off at 20 past. This was for a 150 mile drive, and yes, they were serious.

I know someone like that too.

 

[tyred]

I happen to know that 2 m is about 6' because I grew up in the "Mixed" era. I was very glad I could do all my carpentry calculations in metric though; numbers are hard enough without messing about with fractions.

I happen to enjoy messing around with fractions. Manipulation of fractions was one of the few things I was actually good at in maths.

 

[slowmotion]

Hexadecimal is the only true way to escape the tyranny of base 10.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexadecimal

 

[Alex321]

Hexadecimal is the only true way to escape the tyranny of base 10.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexadecimal

You can never escape base 10. You mean base decimal.

No matter what base you use, the base number is always written as 10.

In hexadecimal, the number 10 is what would be written as 16 in decimal.

 

[slowmotion]

You can never escape base 10. You mean base decimal.

No matter what base you use, the base number is always written as 10.

In hexadecimal, the number 10 is what would be written as 16 in decimal.

I can tell that you went to college.