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                       Some musings on the Metric system
                                        
I just watched this amusing video “Why Didn't America Go Metric? Now I
Finally Get It [1]” where Busted Knuckle Woodworks goes into the history of
the matric system and why the US (United States) doesn't use it. Yes, it goes
into the whole “pirates stole the metric system from the US” story, but it
also mentions the late 1800s Pyramid Power movement that also put the kibosh
on the metric system here in the US (and one I had not heard and sadly, such
mystical thinking is still very much in the main stream). And it's
interesting that the Imperial System is still in main stream use in the UK
(United Kingdom) [2].

But one advantage I see for the Imperial System is that it's mostly based on
factors of two and three, like two cups per pint, two pints per quart, three
teaspoons per tablespoon, and three barlycorns per inch. The downside of that
advantage is the sheer number of units available, like drams, furlongs,
pennyweights and gills. I don't think it's that bad though.

For instance, the chocolate ice cream recipie I've been using contains the
following ingrediants:

* 1 cup whole milk
* 1 pint heavy cream (or 2 cups)
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* ¾ cup sugar (using 1 cup makes the ice cream too soft in my experience)
* ¾ cup cocoa powder

In the metric system, you get some really weird values though:

* 237mL (milliliter) whole milk
* 474mL heavy cream
* 5mL vanilla extract
* 150 grams sugar (using 200 grams makes the ice cream too soft in my
  experience)
* 72 grams cocoa powder

I think the amount for cocoa powder is correct, as I found answers from
75‥95g (grams) of cocoa powder per cup, and as I like chocolate, I used ¾ the
upper value.

I suppose one could get by with:

* 250mL whole milk
* 500mL heavy cream
* 5mL vanilla extract
* 150 grams sugar
* 70 grams cocoa powder

for more “round” amounts in metric. I do wonder if such rounding up (or even
down) might affect the results though (probably not). Personally, I find the
Imperial version easier to remember, but that might be bias on my part.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKMEDZp7ZZs
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_the_United_Kingdom

Email Sean Conner at sean@conman.org

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