So when did the pound get decimalized? 2024
Tim Kelly reply :
What on earth is going on with all these decimal fractions of a pound? Who decided that 16oz divisions weren't right and pounds should be decimalized to 10ths and 100ths of a pound? Makes no sense to me and it makes it much harder to compare weights of previous best fish to the current ones.
Just a rant. Will it be long before feet are decimalized too?
Logan S reply :
Many tournament trails use decimals instead of lb-oz becasue it decreases the likelihood of a tie, since you are more precise with the weight. Our trail still uses lb-oz becasue that little bit of 'gray' area helps to negate the tiny things like more/less water in weigh bag and other similar small details.
I'd hate to lose a tournament by 0.01 lbs, that's like a few extra drops of a water in the weigh bag.
Doesn't bother me outside of a tournament scenario.
Scott F reply :
I'm sure the decimal system came into play because that's the way electronic digital scales display weights. The majority of scales are used in the grocery business to weigh meat and produce for retail sale. It's easier and more accurate to calculate the price of an object using decimals than fractions.
MIbassyaker reply :
On 6/10/2017 at 9:31 PM, Tim Kelly said:What on earth is going on with all these decimal fractions of a pound? Who decided that 16oz divisions weren't right and pounds should be decimalized to 10ths and 100ths of a pound? Makes no sense to me and it makes it much harder to compare weights of previous best fish to the current ones.
Just a rant. Will it be long before feet are decimalized too?
Dividing oz by 16 to get a decimal is "much harder"? Granted, it's a little harder...
WRB reply :
Most electronic digital scales weigh in units of pounds and decimals and/or weigh in international metric units because it's a accurate conversion. Spring scales made in the USA weigh in pounds and fractions, standard weight measurement prior to adopting the international metric system. IGFA records are now in both pounds/ounce and metric units.
Then the Brits have their monetary pound.
Tom
RPreeb reply :
On 6/10/2017 at 10:45 PM, WRB said:Most electronic digital scales weigh in units of pounds and decimals and/or weigh in international metric units because it's a accurate conversion. Spring scales made in the USA weigh in pounds and fractions, standard weight measurement prior to adopting the international metric system. IGFA records are now in both pounds/ounce and metric units.
Then the Brits have their monetary pound.
Tom
For US measures, my digital kitchen scale is graduated in 1/8 ounce increments. It also does metric.
Chris at Tech reply :
Math is hard...
RoLo reply :
Blame it on the United States.
I well remember when we voted on adopting the metric system, but we voted down.
Today, we're one of the only primitive countries left who still toy with the outmoded fractional system.
Roger
WRB reply :
On 6/10/2017 at 11:37 PM, Chris at Tech said:Math is hard...
Go online and use a conversion table/formula where you enter the value and it's calculated for you.
Tom
On 6/10/2017 at 11:39 PM, RoLo said:Blame it on the United States.
I well remember when the U.S. voted on adopting the metric system, but we voted it down.
Today, we're one of the only primitive countries left who still toy with the outmoded fractional system.
Roger
We started "soft" metrication conversion on all military documents in '76. Brits and the USA still use outdated English units of weights and measures.
Tom
OCdockskipper reply :
On 6/10/2017 at 11:39 PM, RoLo said:Today, we're one of the only primitive countries left who still toy with the outmoded fractional system.
Roger
I would suggest that using an older but still effective measuring system is not what makes a country "primitive".
Soccer, socialism & the metric system do not equate to utopia.
RoLo reply :
On 6/11/2017 at 1:26 AM, OCdockskipper said:
I would suggest that using an older but still effective measuring system is not what makes a country "primitive".
The word "primitive" refers to the fractional system,
and by association, people willing to adhere to a primitive system (you & me).
Roger
WRB reply :
If you are using medication or any science based unit of measure it's in metric units worldwide. We are with the U.K. using the English units of measure. Does anyone know what a pound or ounce, foot or inch is based on? The answer primitive!
Tom
BassWhole! reply :
STOP!
I want to take bass anglers (or is it fishermen) seriously, but ya'll make it hard. Expressing the weight in lbs and fractions of a lb has nothing to do with the metric system, nor is it in any way more accurate than using lbs and ozs. It enables one to express the weight using one unit of measure instead of two and forgoes having to use fractions of an oz if the same degree of precision is desired.
Mike L reply :
Why does it even matter?
Mike
Raul reply :
On 6/10/2017 at 9:31 PM, Tim Kelly said:What on earth is going on with all these decimal fractions of a pound? Who decided that 16oz divisions weren't right and pounds should be decimalized to 10ths and 100ths of a pound? Makes no sense to me and it makes it much harder to compare weights of previous best fish to the current ones.
Just a rant. Will it be long before feet are decimalized too?
Easy, use kilos.
XpressJeff reply :
.
My teachers lied...
...they were POSITIVE the entire world would be metric by 1970
Oh well
fishwizzard reply :
The shooting sports still use "grains" for powder and bullet weights, a unit of measurement last popular when eye of newt was still a common cold remedy. Not even getting into the madness that is land vs groove measuremnts.
I had hoped that fishing would be a little more reasonable, but then discovered how line strength is rated and how a 1/2oz jig might end up weighing 5/8oz or more.
Choporoz reply :
On 6/10/2017 at 9:31 PM, Tim Kelly said:So when did the pound get decimalized?
Right about the same time that a fisherman realized that it sounded better, and some would think it smaller..... when he called his opponent's fish 4.8 pounds instead of 4 pounds, 13 ounces.
Turtle135 reply :
Hey, NASA crashed a $ 125,000.000.00 orbiter into Mars back in 1999 because one team was using English units of measurement and another team on the same project was using the Metric system.
George Perry's bass was just 10 Kilograms (no, that does not sound right at all!) 
Tim Kelly reply :
It's even funnier over here in Europe where rods are sold with lengths in feet (generally), or if they are sold with lengths in meters then they just the length in feet turned metric, rather than say a 2m or 2.5m rod. Same with the casting weights, they're given in grams, so you might typically get a 3.5 to 14g rating, which is 1/8 to 1/2oz, so again, the graduations are in fractions of an ounce translated into metric.
Would all make perfect sense to Cheech and Chong.
Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :
Americans are weird. Mile instead of kilo-meter, gallon instead of litre, yard and foot instead of meter and pound instead of kilo. What else's? Now let me go find my 3/8 drill bit. Lol
papajoe222 reply :
So, should I recalibrate my arm to tenths of a pound? If so, which eye do I press to go back to the default setting? Wait the eye is for zeroing it's the belly button for resetting, right?
Jacob Phelps reply :
Any measurement can get broken down into any amount of increments you desire. It just so happens that people long ago decided to make the ounce 1/16 of a pound. Personally, i think it makes more logical sense to break things down into tenths or hundredths as opposed to 16ths.
Tim Kelly reply :
Yep, and that's the internationally popular metric system. The regionally popular imperial system is 1/16 of a pound and the ounce is subdivided into 16 drams, so there is great accuracy to be had if you want to go there.
Fishing Rhino reply :
Just be glad you don't have to deal with track and field competition. They have the hundred yard dash, and the hundred meter dash. Some events are measured in feet and inches such as the high jump, pole vaulting, and the long jump, and the mile run. Yet other races are run with the distances in meters.
fissure_man reply :
The decimal system is pretty much ubiquitous in modern human (not machine) numeracy regardless of measurement units. Familiarity aside, there’s no benefit to splitting measurements into combinations of archaic, fractional units (lb/oz, ft/in, etc). The decimal system with a single unit already enables whatever precision you need.
“4 lb 8 oz” requires you to know the meaning of “lb” and “oz,” 4.5 lb requires only one unit. The same could be applied to metric units (e.g. 4.5 kg vs. 4 kg, 500 g) but no one would do this because it’s… dumb.
If any kind of computation is required, sticking to decimals or fractions with a single unit makes things much simpler and less error-prone (“I caught 18 bass for a total weight of 34 lb, 4 oz, 15 drams – what was the average weight per bass?”).
Somewhat off-topic, but the reason the metric system and SI units ARE BETTER than the imperial system is because they are complementary to our deeply entrenched decimal numeracy. Converting between units is as simple as shifting the decimal point, and units of mass/length/force/energy/power/pressure/etc are consistently scalable by the same set of prefixes. The imperial system is a hot mess in comparison, clung to by old fuddy-duddies unwilling to adjust their ways for the benefit of society.
MIbassyaker reply :
On 6/15/2017 at 11:05 PM, fissure_man said:The decimal system is pretty much ubiquitous in modern human (not machine) numeracy regardless of measurement units. Familiarity aside, there’s no benefit to splitting measurements into combinations of archaic, fractional units (lb/oz, ft/in, etc). The decimal system with a single unit already enables whatever precision you need.
“4 lb 8 oz” requires you to know the meaning of “lb” and “oz,” 4.5 lb requires only one unit. The same could be applied to metric units (e.g. 4.5 kg vs. 4 kg, 500 g) but no one would do this because it’s… dumb.
If any kind of computation is required, sticking to decimals or fractions with a single unit makes things much simpler and less error-prone (“I caught 18 bass for a total weight of 34 lb, 4 oz, 15 drams – what was the average weight per bass?”).
Somewhat off-topic, but the reason the metric system and SI units ARE BETTER than the imperial system is because they are complementary to our deeply entrenched decimal numeracy. Converting between units is as simple as shifting the decimal point, and units of mass/length/force/energy/power/pressure/etc are consistently scalable by the same set of prefixes. The imperial system is a hot mess in comparison, clung to by old fuddy-duddies unwilling to adjust their ways for the benefit of society.
I endorse this rant.
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