Actually, Australia is
slightly
smaller than the 48 contiguous U.S. states. Adding Alaska, Australia becomes even smaller than the US.
Not that I care at all… just correcting a false fact.[/quote]
oh you hair-splitter, go and pick on someone your own size then… 
[quote]or a start, the earth is a sphere divided into 360 degrees. Circles were divided into 360 degrees because there are approximately 360 days in a year.
360 is also a readily divisible number:- it can be divisible by a total of 24 numbers. 24 is the amount of hours in a day. 24 can be divided by 12 and so can 360. There are 60 minutes in an hour. Hours can be divided into 12.
360 can be divided by every number between 1 to 10 with the exception of 7.
Units of distance measurement use nautical miles as they are the average length over the earth’s surface of one minute of arc. So nautical miles fit into the earth exactly. As a nautical mile is one minute of arc, again we can see that we are fitting in with the system of 12’s - the natural number for measurement as determined by time and the size of the earth.
Speed, distance and time are easy to work out using standard measurements[/quote]
I see someone has bee naviguessing. But isn’t it a nautical mile 1 min of arc angle only on a meridian? I always though that stuff was neat. it makes it much easier to celestial navigate since 1 sec of time = 1 sec of arcangle and = 1/60th of a mile oh shit, I don’t think I can remember all of that…
Also, the sun moves 15 degrees of arc angle an hour and the sun is approx. 1/3 an a degree wide so you can count sun widths x 5min to tell how much more visible light you will have before sunset.
Naviguessing?? I wasted nearly 2 years studying this bollocks.
Yes, that’s correct.
What, against the horizon you mean?
From “Good Omens”
[quote]NOTE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND AMERICANS: One shilling = Five Pee. It helps to understand the antique finances of the Witchfinder Army if you know the original British monetary system:
Two farthings = One Ha’penny. Two ha’pennies = One Penny. Three pennies = A Thrupenny Bit. Two Thrupences = A Sixpence. Two Sixpences = One Shilling, or Bob. Two Bob = A Florin. One Florin and one Sixpence = Half a Crown. Four Half Crowns = Ten Bob Note. Two Ten Bob Notes = One Pound (or 240 pennies). One Pound and One Shilling = One Guinea.
The British resisted decimalized currency for a long time because they thought it was too complicated.[/quote]
[quote]Naviguessing?? I wasted nearly 2 years studying this bollocks.
[/quote]
It sounds like you actually know where you’re going if you call it navigating. I was always so impressed by how well the whole system worked so that you could do pretty sophisitaced things with just an almanac, some addition & subtraction and a sextant.
What, against the horizon you mean?[/quote]
Yes…
It’s funny, I think the std. measurements are easier than metric. Going from 1/4ths to 1/8ths to 1/16ths seems easier to do in my head.
Yes, I was just wondering about this. What word do Canadians, Aussies, etc. use to kilometres per litre?
[quote]
Yes, I was just wondering about this. What word do Canadians, Aussies, etc. use to kilometres per litre?[/quote]
Don’t know what Canadians or Aussies use, but the common word for that is fuel consumption…
[quote=“Shiner”][quote]
Yes, I was just wondering about this. What word do Canadians, Aussies, etc. use to kilometres per litre?[/quote]
Don’t know what Canadians or Aussies use, but the common word for that is fuel consumption…[/quote]
we also use mileage in Canada.
damn, u mean when I buy an eighth, it’s really not… nm
[quote=“Jack Burton”][quote=“Shiner”][quote]
Yes, I was just wondering about this. What word do Canadians, Aussies, etc. use to kilometres per litre?[/quote]
Don’t know what Canadians or Aussies use, but the common word for that is fuel consumption…[/quote]
we also use mileage in Canada.[/quote]
Same in NZ. You’ll even notice the use of the term ‘yardstick’ in the OP. 