Minch IS metric

["Paul S. Anderson" <psanders@ilstu.edu>]

Stovers and all,

Among Ron's recent comments to me was his dislike of "minch" because it is 
not metric.

But it is metric:  one minch is exactly  2.50000000 cm or 25.00000000 mm.

The value of the minch is that those who are stuck with the English system 
"think" and visualize in inches and feet.   And a minch is like an 
inch.   After all, the classic board of wood in the USA is a "two by 
four"  (2 inches by 4 inches), but everybody knows that it is actually 
about 1.75 inches by 3.75 inches, which is actually LESS than 2 by 4 minches.

If you can multiply or divide by 2.5, you can use minches with the standard 
metric measurements.

By the way, the English "foot" is also a useful "visual" unit that metric 
does not have, but it is 30.5 cm.  But 12 minches is EXACTLY 30 cm.

So why not have a standard 30 cm measurement that has meaning of about the 
size of a man's foot?   A metric foot.

(No, I am reluctant to call it a "moot" or "muut" or  to have multiple 
English feet be called "meet".   But African languages have a clear sound 
of the "mf" combined letters, so it could be called a "mfoot" or pronounced 
as an "m-foot" or denoted as "mft).

Note that the differences between minches and inches is only 1 sixtyth 
(1/60), just as is the difference between an English food and a metric foot 
(or mfoot).    1/60 is only 0.00625 or only 0.625 percent.   Why, we have 
tons and tonnes, with a 10 percent difference between them.  As we try to 
get the Americans (and a few others) to finally go metric, I think the 
"minch" makes sense.

Personally, I like the minch as "an approximate of one inch", just a little 
bit less than a standard inch.   And I also know how big it is in metric 
units, which is why it is important.

I am NOT trying to recruit "minch-users" nor to debate this on the Stoves 
listserve.  But if anyone uses the "minch", just be sure to define it so 
other readers will know that it means 2.50 cm.

(Write to me separately if you wish, but no need to discuss this on the 
Stoves list serve.)

Paul
Paul S. Anderson, Ph.D.,  Fulbright Prof. to Mozambique 8/99 - 7/00
Dept of Geography - Geology (Box 4400), Illinois State University
Normal, IL  61790-4400   Voice:  309-438-7360;  FAX:  309-438-5310
E-mail: psanders@ilstu.edu - Internet items: www.ilstu.edu/~psanders


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