What is the last unit of measurement you learned, when and why?

[subwit]

Today I learned that if i overstep with the left side then i have to prepare the other with a certain stretch.

 

[Broken_Erika]

The Furlong. I was reading random articles on wikipedia and found it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furlong

 

[Zkribbler]

Fun size for candy bars
Before them, fun had always been measured in barrels of monkeys.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

What exactly constitutes "learning a unit of measurement"?

I mean, I've known that the inch is a unit of measurement for as long as I can remember. Is that all it takes to "know" an inch?

At some point I learned that there are twelve of them in a foot and thirty six in a yard, probably from a teacher cracking me with a ruler and a yardstick, alternately. At some point I learned that it originated from the width of the thumb at the knuckle, probably from a book. Does that mean that I "know" an inch?

I just learned that there are 63,360 in a mile, from my calculator, but anticipate forgetting that. Do I "know" an inch now? Will I still know it after the anticipated forgetting?

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Probably the debye, svedberg, barn, or rate of reaction (mol/L/s). My reading list is fuzzy on the order.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Probably the debye, svedberg, barn, or rate of reaction (mol/L/s). My reading list is fuzzy on the order.

I like barns, as in hitting the broadside of one. I am particularly amused that there are a million outhouses per barn.

 

[Broken_Erika]

Facespitsphere: The maximum distance in which you can reliably spit in the face of someone who really deserves it while staying perfectly stationary.
yes, i did just make that up.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Facespitsphere: The maximum distance in which you can reliably spit in the face of someone who really deserves it while staying perfectly stationary.
yes, i did just make that up.

That wouldn't be a sphere. If you stay perfectly stationary it's more like a line directly in front of you.

 

[Lexicus]

I think the most recent units of measurement I learned were "rods" and "hogshead" which I learned for reasons having to do with memes

 

[Broken_Erika]

That wouldn't be a sphere. If you stay perfectly stationary it's more like a line directly in front of you.

Not if you get a demonic possession. Although that wouldn't be spit if that happened....

 

[warpus]

I think it was "stone". Somebody was saying they weigh 7 stone or whatever it was, and I was confused, so I looked it up

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Not if you get a demonic possession. Although that wouldn't be spit if that happened....

Theoretically, being possessed by a demon and being perfectly stationary are mutually exclusive.

 

[Broken_Erika]

Stationary as in not moving like leaning back then lunging forward as you spit. Head-spinning doesn't count.
Plus the whole idea took an entire 10 seconds to come up with. So it's not perfect, but still better than anything coming out of the white house.(and i'm pretty sure Pence's head spins regularly...)

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Stationary as in not moving like leaning back then lunging forward as you spit. Head-spinning doesn't count.
Plus the whole idea took an entire 10 seconds to come up with. So it's not perfect, but still better than anything coming out of the white house.(and i'm pretty sure Pence's head spins regularly...)

I'm still trying to figure out this "learn a unit" business.

Let's consider @warpus and the stone. From the context where he saw it it was obviously a unit of mass. Had he at that point "learned" the unit? Upon looking it up he no doubt found a conversion factor comparing it to kilograms and another comparing it to pounds. Did that constitute "learning the unit"? Does it still constitute such learning if he promptly forgot these fairly useless conversion factors? To really learn the unit would he have to be able to walk down the street estimating the weight in stone of various passers by?

 

[Birdjaguar]

The "handful". It can be used to measure trouble, children, money, breasts, acorns, lovers and wives.

 

[warpus]

Let's consider @warpus and the stone. From the context where he saw it it was obviously a unit of mass. Had he at that point "learned" the unit? Upon looking it up he no doubt found a conversion factor comparing it to kilograms and another comparing it to pounds. Did that constitute "learning the unit"? Does it still constitute such learning if he promptly forgot these fairly useless conversion factors? To really learn the unit would he have to be able to walk down the street estimating the weight in stone of various passers by?

All good questions, and while they are not directed at me, yeah, I can't remember how much a stone is. But if somebody tells me they weigh 6 stone I will probably assume they are fat

 

[Timsup2nothin]

The "handful". It can be used to measure trouble, children, money, breasts, acorns, lovers and wives.

I think when it is used with money it becomes the derived unit; fistful.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Yeah, but only for dollars and only since the 1970s........

 

[Timsup2nothin]

All good questions, and while they are not directed at me, yeah, I can't remember how much a stone is. But if somebody tells me they weigh 6 stone I will probably assume they are fat

Wait, gotta look that up.

Dude, six stone is only 84 pounds...38 kilograms. They are only fat if they are like three feet tall.

 

[BenitoChavez]

I'm still trying to figure out this "learn a unit" business.

I often wonder about this too, although usually not in the context of units, more in the general sense of what it means to say "I know this". The best answer I can come up with is that most things you learn about have multiple different aspects to them so it isn't really a matter of "I know this" or "I don't know this". Its more a matter of "How well do I know this" which is a function of if you know about all the different aspects of whatever it is.

In the case of units, I assume a basic understanding would be the name of the unit, what it measures (volume, mass, etc.), and it's relation to other common units you already know about. For a deeper understanding you could go into the historical origins, intuition (is this about 10 pounds or 20 pounds?), official standards, etc.