Standards Memes

Posts tagged with Standards

They'll Use Anything But The Metric System
Science Physics
4 days ago 15.5K views 0 shares
They'll Use Anything But The Metric System
The great American measurement rebellion continues! While the rest of the scientific world peacefully measures speed in kilometers per hour, our friends across the pond have developed their own proprietary system involving pastries and national birds. Converting from metric? Preposterous! Why use internationally standardized units when you could calculate velocity using the ratio of fried confectionery to endangered avian symbols? The expression of pure disgust on that penguin's face is basically every scientist who's ever had to convert units for an American colleague. Next time you're driving 100 km/h, just remember that's approximately 47.3 glazed donuts per bald eagle, depending on wind resistance and patriotism levels.

Let The Battle Begin
Physics Science Engineering
7 days ago 3.6K views 0 shares
Let The Battle Begin
The international measurement system cold war continues unabated. Pounds and kilograms maintain a fragile peace. Inches and centimeters coexist through gritted teeth. But temperature scales? Those pirates will fight to the death. Celsius users looking at Fahrenheit like "imagine needing 32 degrees just to freeze water." Meanwhile, Kelvin and Rankine are the weird cousins nobody invited to the party but showed up anyway with their absolute zero small talk.

From Simple To Quantum: The Meter's Identity Crisis
Physics Science
11 days ago 3.9K views 0 shares
From Simple To Quantum: The Meter's Identity Crisis
Top panel: "Oh cool, a meter is just a meter!" Bottom panel: *Brain explodes* The meter went from "simple unit of length" to "exactly 1,650,763.73 wavelengths of krypton-86 radiation" faster than light travels in 1/299,792,458 second! This is the perfect representation of that moment in physics class when you realize even the most basic measurements are actually defined by mind-bending quantum phenomena. The definition has evolved from a metal bar in France to atomic transitions to light speed calculations. Measurement standards committee really said "let's make this UNNECESSARILY precise!"

The Thermal Dilemma: 90 Degrees Of Separation
Physics Science
17 days ago 3.9K views 0 shares
The Thermal Dilemma: 90 Degrees Of Separation
The temperature conversion crisis strikes again! While Fahrenheit users are merely uncomfortable at 90°F (a warm summer day), Celsius users are literally experiencing HELLFIRE at 90°C (194°F) - hot enough to boil your laboratory specimens and melt your pocket protectors! This is why scientists standardized on Celsius - we secretly enjoy watching non-metric countries try to convert temperatures in their heads. *twirls thermometer maniacally*

Reality Is Often Disappointing
Physics Science
22 days ago 4.5K views 0 shares
Reality Is Often Disappointing
The meter: simple, elegant, one syllable. Then you check the actual definition and it's suddenly "the distance traveled by light in 1/299,792,458 of a second" or "1,650,763.73 wavelengths of krypton-86 radiation." Classic science move—take something straightforward and define it using increasingly obscure measurements that require three more textbooks to understand. Every unit in physics is secretly a Russian nesting doll of complexity. And they wonder why students switch majors.

There Is Always Something Worse
Engineering Science
1 month ago 4.3K views 0 shares
There Is Always Something Worse
The ultimate hierarchy of scientific confusion! First, we have the battle of date formats (MM/DD/YYYY vs. DD/MM/YYYY) where Americans and Europeans fight over who's got the most illogical system. Then imperial units join the fray because nothing says "I hate simplicity" like measuring things in feet, pounds, and whatever the heck a fluid ounce is. But wait! The final boss appears with a third-angle projection technical drawing from 2016. For the uninitiated, that's engineering notation that makes calculus look like kindergarten homework. It's the difference between "I'm confused" and "I've transcended confusion into a higher plane of existence." Engineers sitting in the corner: "You think unit conversion is your ally? I was born in it, molded by it. I didn't see the metric system until I was already tenured."

I Think He Meant Pi Squared
Math Physics Academia Astronomy Universe
1 month ago 6.1K views 0 shares
I Think He Meant Pi Squared
The precision gap between disciplines is mathematical poetry. Mathematicians weep over a 0.01% error while cosmologists pop champagne when they're only wrong by a factor of 100,000. Meanwhile, some physics professor rounded π to 10 "for ease" and probably caused a disturbance in the mathematical force felt across campus. The standards are so different that if mathematicians built bridges, we'd need atomic-level precision, but if cosmologists did it, the bridge might start in New York and end up somewhere in Vermont.

When Engineering Nerds Play Video Games
Engineering Tech Materials
1 month ago 5.8K views 0 shares
When Engineering Nerds Play Video Games
Behold! The intersection of gaming and civil engineering that nobody asked for! Some eagle-eyed player spotted that Cyberpunk 2077's virtual streets contain a critical infrastructure error - they've used a DIN B125 manhole cover (rated for pedestrian areas) on a roadway that clearly needs the beefier Begu D400 model! The sheer AUDACITY of virtual civil engineering malpractice! This is what happens when game developers skip Municipal Infrastructure 101. Next thing you know, the virtual city's sewers will back up and we'll need a downloadable content pack just to fix the digital plumbing. Standards exist even in dystopian futures, people!

What Now: When Theoretical Physics Meets Electronic Reality
Physics Engineering Science
1 month ago 5.5K views 0 shares
What Now: When Theoretical Physics Meets Electronic Reality
That crushing moment when theoretical meets practical! Physicists venturing into electronics often design circuits with precise resistance values from their equations, only to discover the cruel reality of standardized resistor values. No, you can't just waltz into a store and ask for a 6.18457216 ohm resistor! The electronics world operates on the E-series system with standardized values (like 4.7Ω, 5.6Ω, 6.8Ω). The bewildered expression perfectly captures that "my beautiful equation is ruined" realization when theory collides with what's actually available on the shelf. Time to learn about resistors in parallel and series, my friend!

International System Of Arbitrary Decisions
Physics Science Engineering Math
1 month ago 7.5K views 0 shares
International System Of Arbitrary Decisions
The crushing disappointment when you discover that your beloved SI units aren't actually based on universal constants but are just as made-up as imperial measurements! That adventurer spent 15 years searching for the ultimate measurement truth only to find out we're all just playing a cosmic game of "let's agree these numbers make sense." The meter was originally defined as 1/10,000,000 of the distance from the North Pole to the equator—which is basically saying "we picked a random fraction of an arbitrarily-sized planet." Even with modern redefinitions using light and quantum mechanics, we're still just picking convenient reference points. Metric zealots in shambles right now.

The Universal Language Of "About This Big"
Engineering Tech
1 month ago 6.8K views 0 shares
The Universal Language Of "About This Big"
Engineering drawings with thumbs-up and hand gesture dimensions? Welcome to the world where "about yay big" is now an ISO standard! The drawing hilariously replaces precise measurements with hand gestures – because nothing says professional engineering like measuring a critical component with "roughly this wide" 👍 and "about that tall" 🤏. Next time your professor demands exact calculations, just submit a blueprint with "kinda circular" and "sorta rectangular" annotations. Works 60% of the time, every time!

The Metric System's Royal Rumble
Physics Science Engineering
1 month ago 7.8K views 0 shares
The Metric System's Royal Rumble
The noble knights of measurement unite around the glorious International System of Units! Time, distance, and weight sit proudly at the round table of science... but pressure? Oh, pressure has gone completely ROGUE! It's a chaotic pirate standoff between bars, torrs, pascals, mmHg, and atmospheres (hiding somewhere off-screen)! Scientists worldwide are twitching nervously as we speak! While most measurements bow to metric unity, pressure units are having their own civil war. And don't even get me started on temperature with its Celsius, Kelvin, Fahrenheit nonsense! The measurement multiverse is MADNESS! Fun fact: The psi in the title refers to "pounds per square inch" - yet ANOTHER pressure unit that refused to join the royal court! Truly the rebels of the scientific kingdom!