Wacky units of measurement

[Doctor Q]

I'm hooked on a new time-wasting pastime... looking for nutty units of measurement and conversion factors at onlineconversion.com. The only rule is that you must put the larger unit on the left, so that the conversion factor is greater than 1.

So far I've mostly played in the Length/Distance section, and I have already discovered that Q (sometimes called kyu) is a unit of length equivalent to a quarter of a millimeter. Which means that every time you travel a kilometer you've crossed four million of me!

Other length facts you should obviously know:

1 U = 177.8 Q

1 finger = 2 nail

1 arms-length = 70 centimeter

1 gnat's eye = 1.25 hair's breadth

1 klick = 328.0839895 stick

1 smoot = 96,479.3922558 twip

1 gigaparsec = 123,427,119,999,999,984,616,376,584,024.2342712e+29 Q​

If you switch over to the Weight/Mass section, you might learn that

1 slinch = 1,948,343.2830839 crith​

The Dictionary of Units of Measurement is a good place to look up more information about some of these obscure measurements.

 

[MongoTheGeek]

a c.h. The smallest unit measurable with the equipment at hand

 

[yellow]

Which means that every time you travel a kilometer you've crossed four million of me!

Does Mrs. Q know how much you get around?

I'm most intrigued by the smoot and the twip.

5 faust = 81.0461538 bee space, I knew that.

 

[balamw]

I'm most intrigued by the smoot and the twip.

Always fun counting smoots across the Harvard Bridge.

Had to look up twips though... (PostScript I remember theee not so well).

B

 

[yellow]

Those wild and crazy MITers.

 

[mad jew]

So now we can measure how long the Mac Basics forums is by counting the Qs?... So confused right now...

 

[Doctor Q]

Does Mrs. Q know how much you get around?

Yes, she knows it's 32 petrograds per second.

 

[.:*Robot Boy*:.]

1 Jiffy = 10 milliseconds

Link

 

[Applespider]

You should have a read through the BBC news magazine where the letters page is trying to compare various things to standard British measurements.

They started off, some months ago, comparing thing to Hyde Park and are now trying to figure out how many old (recently retired) London buses are needed to drive to the beautifully full moon using the equivalent fuel from the fuel storage facility that blew up last week.

My question is, after screwing up a few recipes by forgetting that US/UK measurements don't always match, is whether these are international standards or whether in fact, a smoot to closer to 1.1 twips on this side of the pond.

 

[rickvanr]

By the title of the thread I thought for sure this was going to be about the Imperial measurement system.

 

[Loge]

By the title of the thread I thought for sure this was going to be about the Imperial measurement system.

yes, for example

1 bushel = 4 pecks
1 furlong = 40 rods
1 chain = 4 perches

 

[Blue Velvet]

Just been reading about the astronomical second, one of which they're going to add to the end of the year, thus giving Lacero a leap-second to squeeze another post in.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/25/AR2005122500496.html

However, can't find out anywhere how much a drove is. As in, 'people in their droves'...

 

[steve_hill4]

Just been reading about the astronomical second, one of which they're going to add to the end of the year, thus giving Lacero a leap-second to squeeze another post in.

I didn't realise that's what the Astronomical Second was designed for, but I guess it's as good an excuse as any to try and bump up your post count.

How about this one:
Pikotuki

1/1000 of nanotuki or 0.0288 seconds of competent systems support. Likewise originally an inside joke at Nokia Research Center; pikotukihenkilö equals one thousandth of nanotukihenkilö (pikotukihenkilö thus meaning "grossly incompetent person assigned in systems support"). Equals one thousandth of a nanotuki or one millionth of mikrotuki. To describe work done by grossly incompetent work force.