2006-07-20 10:26:41 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
Oh don't give them any more loony ideas... please...
Just how many changes in one lifetime are we expected to put up with?
I'm still translating what things are worth in real money (pounds shillings and old pence) from my youth!
Still weighing up in lbs and ozs too...
Still measuring things in feet and inches... and it was so much nicer!
For hundreds of years, our ancestors had the same currency, measurements and weightings systems... in less than forty years, we've turned everything inside out and back to front, and made a mess of it!
2006-07-20 10:39:36 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Good question
It has already in a way been done because using the SI standard of units for the physical world the unit we measure time in is the second. The second is usually divided into 100. Any calculations use the second as the unit so the minute, hour, day etc are not absolutely necessary. However we do use them and if you would issue a cheque to every person on the planet for several 100s they can start changing their clocks!
The real question is, who made the first clock with 12 or 24 divisions???
I'll leave that one with you!
2006-07-20 10:31:24 · answer #2 · answered by Tim T 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sure- it would make sense, wouldn't it? After all, having minutes run on base 60, hours on base 60, days on base 24, weeks on base 7, months on base... well, 28, 29, 30, or 31, and years on base 12- sure would be nice to round those out, metric-style.
It's ironic that while most of the world runs on the metric system for all other units of measurement, the United States remains the main hold-out (along with brave little Liberia and that bastion of antiquation, Myanmar), staying a bastion of antiquated and awkward numbering systems. How many gallons (U.K.) in a hogshead again?
However, even the good folks at Système international d'unités aren't offering metric time as a cure-all for our woes. I'm sure when the time comes to switch, us Yanks will remain the sole hold-out of any new system in that regard as well.
2006-07-20 10:36:44 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Even if you did decimilise time, there is only so far you can go. A year is 365 days long (roughly), i.e. the sun sets and rises 365 times in the time it takes for the earth to orbit - you can;t change that.
There is no easy way of dividing 365 decimaly.
Anyway, why bother? Most people don't need to do calculations using dates and times.
2006-07-21 04:34:38 · answer #4 · answered by Bomb Jack 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It has been done in the past. Amongst others the French did it in 1793 (I think) and it was called Revolutionary Time.
The day was divided into 10 hours, each hour into 100 minutes and each minute into 100 seconds.
If my memory is correct at some point they even had a ten day week.
2006-07-20 20:57:34 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I worked at Norwich Airport in 1979 and the clock was decimal ie. if you came in at 6:15 it would stamp 6:25 bloody confusing though when you came in at " Shown" 6:07 terrible trying to work out when you could clock out to get the hours pay
2006-07-20 10:35:39 · answer #6 · answered by BackMan 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it has been decimalized (the simpsons had it in an episode a while ago) but nobody uses it.
2006-07-20 10:29:00 · answer #7 · answered by twinsfan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why don't you decimalise it?
2006-07-20 10:31:16 · answer #8 · answered by Jude 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That sound interesting
2006-07-20 10:31:12 · answer #9 · answered by angelcake 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they have its an abstract concept now
2006-07-20 10:35:01 · answer #10 · answered by itsa o 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋