Dennis writes: > BTW: one inch now equals 2.54 cm *exactly*, in case you haven't been > keeping up! (Used to be approx 2.54 cm.) This is what I mean by > arbitrary. Don't like the conversion ratio? Then just change it!
It wasn't a change in conversion ratio. It was change in definition. Originally US length measures were defined by a physical standard derived from the British yard such that the inch worked out to close to 2.54cm. In 1893 the inch was defined as 2.54cm and BIPM-supplied meter and kilogram standards became the official US measurement standards. It took until 1930 for the Brits to catch up. -- John Hasler jhas...@newsguy.com Elmwood, WI USA
