Jamie

Jamie

Well Known Member
For those out there like me that may be a little math-challenged...

Have you ever seen some random decimal value in the project and wondered if there was a fractional equivalent without having to resort to trial and error with a calculator or a chart? Well, me too. I wrote this little utility that allows you to enter any decimal value and it will give you exact as well as approximate fractions. I thought some of you may find it useful.

Fraction Finder
 
hmmm.... "math challenged" and writes code to do this? I think you and I have a little different definition of challenged !! :D

Looks cool! Thanks - now I just have to get a laptop and wireless in the shop!

Thomas
-8 wings
 
Having to resort to such a crutch tells us that our way (U.S.A.) of measuring is right out of the stone-age. Once you have had a taste of the metric system, you will never want to go back to the Imperial system. I have one of the neat rulers from Avery which has the standard Imperial markings on one side, then a faux metric (inches which have been divided into 100ths on the other side) Guess which side I use? Didn't President Carter attempt to launch the US on the path of the metric system?
Rant over
Tinman (All 68KG of me)
 
Tinman,

Funny you bring this up, we were just talking abou this the other day. I just hate working in the Imperial system, Metric is so much easier.

Last night a friend came by so I cold help install a hitch on his new Dodge pickup and wouldn't you know it, they aren't metric. I had to dig out my old sockets and wrenchs, the big ones.

I now have two complete set of tools, one for the plane and one for almost everything else.

My $.02 worth from all 98KG of me.
 
tinman said:
Having to resort to such a crutch tells us that our way (U.S.A.) of measuring is right out of the stone-age. Once you have had a taste of the metric system, you will never want to go back to the Imperial system. I have one of the neat rulers from Avery which has the standard Imperial markings on one side, then a faux metric (inches which have been divided into 100ths on the other side) Guess which side I use? Didn't President Carter attempt to launch the US on the path of the metric system?
Rant over
Tinman (All 68KG of me)
Click to expand...
OK,
I have 3/16 of a millimeter. What is that in decimal?

Looks like the same issue to me.

-mike
 
I agree. Metric is almost always a better system of measurement.

I went to Sears yesterday to buy a 7.9mm drill bit to use on my gear legs (the plans call for 0.311 and a 7.9mm bit is 0.311023622). But nope...I can't find a metric drill bit anywhere....Sears...Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware -- nobody has 'em.
 
N941WR said:
Jamie,

Try Wholesale Tools. They have 7.9mm Drill bits.
Click to expand...

Nevermind. I just realized that Avery has a reamer that's the correct size for the gear legs. It is listed as "5/16? UNDER SIZE CHUCKING REAMERS -- HIGH SPEED STEEL", SKU# 15358.
 
<snip>
OK,
I have 3/16 of a millimeter. What is that in decimal?

Looks like the same issue to me.

<end snip>

In case you are not kidding us, I will take the bait and answer...
The metric system does not use fractions. It is a decimal system. You should never have 3/16th of a mm. If you do, you have picked up a virus along the way while trying to do the math of conversion :)
Tinman
 
tinman said:
<snip>
OK,
I have 3/16 of a millimeter. What is that in decimal?

Looks like the same issue to me.

<end snip>

In case you are not kidding us, I will take the bait and answer...
The metric system does not use fractions. It is a decimal system. You should never have 3/16th of a mm. If you do, you have picked up a virus along the way while trying to do the math of conversion :)
Tinman
Click to expand...
Apparently I was a little too brief with my answer. Converting fractions to decimals (or vice versa) is a unit-independent operation. It has nothing to do with Metric versus US. That argument (M vs US) is separate.

If I have a 1/4 liter of something, I can convert it to thousandths of a liter and call it 250 ml.
If I have a 1/4 inch of something, I can convert it to thousandths of an inch and call it 250 thousandths of an inch or 250 milli-inches.

Same process both ways with the same numerical result.

I stick with Same-O-same-O

-Mike
 
I get it.
That is why I like the Avery ruler with inches divided into 100ths. It is like the metric system...only different!
Tinman
 
Good point. I propose that we universally start using decimals for distance measurement instead of these stupid fractions (5/16, 3/32, etc). And let's just stick to yards, no inches or miles with confusing conversion factors. We'll use milliyards and kiloyards instead. Wait a second, this is starting to sound familiar.
 
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