Report Form: Change ruler Inch subdivisions from 8 to 10 2

[Rajesh Karunakaran]

Hi friends,

In report form windows, I am displaying ruler in Inch. But it shows 8 sub divisions within an Inch. How do we make it 10 sub divisions? Any idea?

Rajesh

 

[TamarGranor]

So yes, I was mistaken. Carter wasn't a nuclear engineer. OTOH, the Carter Center website says "he took graduate work at Union College in reactor technology and nuclear physics." So bottom line is that he would have been very comfortable with the metric system, which was my point.

As for why we didn't switch to the metric system ...

First, this is a fun story about why we didn't switch in the 19th century:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-be-why-the-u-s-doesnt-use-the-metric-system/

In the experience in our lifetime, it was more about people objecting (and I know that Chuck Grassley seems to be a particular villain here). From

https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2015/07/us/metric-road-american-story/:

"America began testing road signs in kilometers under President Jimmy Carter, who supported efforts to go metric. Interstate 19, which connects Tucson, Arizona, to Mexico, was one of them and today remains the only highway in America with distances posted solely in kilometers.

"By the late 1970s, automakers had begun building speedometers that showed both miles and kilometers. Somehow, setting a cruising speed of 88 seemed so much cooler than 55.

"But the debate over whether to go metric was acrimonious.

"Metric supporters argued the road signs were a crucial step in helping Americans get over any psychological blocks to switching measurement systems. But Republican Charles Grassley, then a congressman and now a senator from Iowa, killed proposed federal regulations that would have forced states to put up signs in kilometers.

"'Forcing the American people to convert to the metric system goes against our democratic principles,' Grassley declared in June 1977.

"Grassley had plenty of supporters in America. Anti-metric Americans came out of all corners and formed an unlikely coalition to make sure this country did not give an inch. They ranged from author Tom Wolfe to NPR chief Frank Mankiewicz."

Doesn't seem like Carter's to blame.

Tamar

 

[ggreen61]

Tamar--

Interesting stories... maybe if the storm had not occurred this post would not have happened. My intent (as you probably saw) was sarcasm; yes, Jimmy understood the metric system. But the "buck" still stops with ole Jimmy. He had to make the final decision and I do remember his television time: first to convince the public to adopt it and then later to "explain" why it was not so good an idea after all...

I do believe there was a lot of push back as it would have cost quite a lot to convert. Anything that measured volume or length for purchase; i.e., gas pumps, milk, water, lumber, wire, rope, etc. would have to be changed (all labelling changed) which would have to be paid for by the companies -- quite a hit at the profit margin. It would not have been a change overnight; but it would have impacted the profit.

Then there is the road distance signs (this would have been at cost of state or federal depending on the road funding source) which the states most likely were not wanting to pay for. The construction industry would have to update drawings to change to the metric. These are just the tip of the iceberg. The change/cost would have been massive. The financial benefit would have been to the sign companies...

Yes, it would have been best done at the beginning with Jefferson or anytime during the early 1800's. I would expect that even now an attempt to change would be hard fought.

Greg