Unit Conversion Debates

Commenters correct errors in unit conversions (e.g., liters vs. cubic meters, area vs. volume), debate metric vs. imperial systems, and suggest relatable analogies like football fields or cubes for large quantities.

📉 Falling 0.4x Science
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Keywords

COE wolframalpha.com US IMHO XX e.g theregister.co XXXXXX clemente.org www.spk cubic square meters feet ft football volume meter gallons sq

Sample Comments

connicpu Jan 15, 2025 View on HN

We'll use anything but metric lol. It's about 1,233 cubic meters of water.

Phenomenit Dec 14, 2023 View on HN

Didn’t it say cubic meter, not square?

pg Mar 12, 2012 View on HN

Oops, I was conflating cubic meter and liter; fixed, thanks.

ojii Feb 16, 2017 View on HN

Football fields are area though, not volume. Maybe washington-monument-football-fields for an easy and relatable unit?

lgessler Nov 24, 2023 View on HN

I think you're right. Here's my math:https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=%28%281+square+mile+*+1...

anorphirith May 27, 2023 View on HN

i like how they have the surface area in hectares, kilometers and acres

userbinator Dec 16, 2022 View on HN

Imagining a 10m cube gives a good idea of the amount.

lnsru Jun 20, 2023 View on HN

I failed. It were indeed liters and not cubic meters. 950 cubic meters are not much.

genewitch Sep 7, 2021 View on HN

The difference between 185 million ft^2 and whatever you pick doesn't matter. It may as well be in hectares or "multiples of some lake somewhere", it's a massive number.You have, and are probably using right now, a voice controlled computer that can convert anything to anything else, by just asking.Is it really worth typing this every time an American site uses American language? We all get it, Americans with their imperial units, ha ha.

bruce343434 Sep 8, 2021 View on HN

You're thinking of a "(185 million feet) square"