23rd January 2008, 02:40 PM
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Super Roving English Ninja
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Join Date: Jan 1970
Location: Western Sydney
Posts: 19,021
Thanks: 1,325
Thanked 2,458 Times in 1,763 Posts
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bushie
The real problem lies with the 'imperial' system.
Mile - Nautical or Statute
Furlong/Chain/Yard/Foot
But then of course there was the imperial 'metric' measurements in land surveying where a chain was 100 links.
Not to mention acres, rods, roods and perches never did get the hang of them.
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Apropos your comments, I came across these relationships which are remarkable, really:
See Earth,Pi,Miles and Barleycorns
I particularly like:
Quote:
Taking the satellite figure means that our current mile is too long by 2.155 inches - the thickness of two thumbs. Which works out at less than the radius of the earth over a distance from here to the Sun. This minute discrepancy of a couple of inches can hardly be measured on a one to one map ( if we had one!), and means that our mile has been an accurate geodesic measure since goodness knows when.
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__________________
Ron B.
1995 P38A Range Rover HSE 4.6 V8 Auto; 1968 LR Series IIA trayback (Holden 202); Yamaha XJR1300, Suzuki DL650 V-Strom
RIP Bucko - Riding on Forever
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