5.25 = five and a quarter? What?

[rukia_kuchiki]

Why do we say this? I mean its even referred to that on wikipedia, last time I checked 5.25 wasn't 5 1/4 (as inches go up to 12 instead of 10) Same with 3.5 (or three and a half)...

[technovore]

I think it's formatted in the same way time is formatted: 1.5 hours is 1 hour and 30 minutes.

edit: 1/4 of an inch is still 0.25 inch, even if inches go up to 12.

[fsx1997]

Coz Linus say so

[looney]

the sizes dont actually relate to the size of the bay anyway but the size of the flopydisk so I dont mind adding another error to the list.

[gastew15]

I guess I'm the only Imperial born one here then?   The Metric system is generally better, but its not like you can just completely ignore it like some say, as it's still a common unit of measurement.  : P

[Leonard]

We say 5.25" because the world was imperial at one time and even though we are now metric, we mix imperial terms in the metric system. You can also say 51/4" and mean the same. Even though inches go up to 12, 1 inch can be divided up into 4 which would make 4 quarters thus making a whole inch.

[Leonard]

I guess I'm the only Imperial born one here then?   The Metric system is generally better, but its not like you can just completely ignore it like some say, as it's still a common unit of measurement.  : P

 you can not be that old. The metric system was sanctioned for use in the USA in 18something, can't remember right now and if you were born in the imperial times then you are how old?

[Guest]

0.25 is a quarter

1/4 is a quarter

 

0.5 is half

1/2 is half

 

1 is a whole

1/1 is a whole

 

different ways of measuring/stating things all the same

 

but u Americans defy logic and Systéme International and decide to use the stupid imperial system

 

saying that no one uses kelvin as a standard for measuring temps in the real world =/

[Blackterror25]

aren't measurements in imperial mostly down with fractions. Like liquid cooling tubes being doen like 3/8th tubing 3/4 tubing and such.

also both 5.25 and 5 1/4 are correct. It's not that something is 1/4 that it has to be metric. You could say I'll have 1/4th of a pizza. I isn't limited to any sort of number or measurement.

[coen113]

Coz Linus say so

you have the sandisk extream in your signature. thought I let you know.

[pierrelucsav]

Did you pay any attention in math class? Jeez.

[Kobz360]

why would it matter? It's still a quarter of an inch regardless of what it scaled up too.

 

5 Inches

1/4 Inch

 

= 5 and a quarter or 5.25

 

Just like a quarter of an hour. Even though it's to 60 minutes and not a 100, 15/60 minutes is still a quarter. 

[Flynn]

 you can not be that old. The metric system was sanctioned for use in the USA in 18something, can't remember right now and if you were born in the imperial times then you are how old?

 

The US currently uses the Imperial system of measurements.  It has ALWAYS used the Imperial system of measurements with only a couple of exceptions:

 

Military - Metric and Imperial

Science - usually Metric, but often uses Imperial to simplify things for audiences

Medical - Metric and Imperial

Certain Engineering applications - Metric and Imperial

 

There are no "Imperial Times" considering the term Imperial is just a less used description for US measurements.  But US measurements are still Imperial.

 

So, to answer your question as to his age, he could be a 1 year old and still would be using Imperial or US Measurements.  Granted, the way he worded it "Imperial Born" is very strange, but that's probably because he's 16 years old and doesn't know the difference.

 

For the OP, the 200mm (8 inch), 133mm (5.25), and 90mm (3.5) sized disks were simply named what they were named for simplification do describe the disk being used.  In the 1960s they had 8 inch disks, late 70's to early 80's brought us the 5 1/4 disk, with the 3 1/2 becoming popular in the late 80's to early 90's.  I actually still have diablo characters sitting on a 3.5 disk somewhere LOL.

 

And to further the history lesson for you, ONLY the 8 inch disks were actually Floppy Disks, the 5 1/4 was called a MiniFloppy and the 3 1/2 was called a Micro Disk.  Floppy Disks were gone by time the vast majority of the people on this site were even born.  (They lost popularity around the time I was born, when I built my first computer we were on the MiniFloppy Disks or 5 1/4, along with still using some cartridges as well, by time I was gaming it was the 3 1/2 which most people my age just called floppy much to the chagrin of the older techs who thought magnetic recording was still the future of data storage just as the LaserDisk was coming out).

 

Hell, most people on this site (the 20 and younger crowd) probably never used any sort of magnetic medium, because by time you guys used computers in the late 90's we were using optical drives rather than magnetic.  So most likely not much of anyone here used anything prior to the 3 1/5 or MicroFloppy (which most of you know as a floppy disk).

[Flynn]

BTW, I went and dug this up if anyone is interested:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floppy_disk#Sizes.2C_performance_and_capacity

[rukia_kuchiki]

Hehe this is embarrassing... I for whatever reason was thinking of 5.2 instead of 5.25 (lack of sleep at 3AM) (My bad, just made myself look like an idiot) But uh, I still don't really understand why 3.5 is called what it is other than it rolls off the tongue well.

[Flynn]

Hehe this is embarrassing... I for whatever reason was thinking of 5.2 instead of 5.25 (lack of sleep at 3AM) (My bad, just made myself look like an idiot) But uh, I still don't really understand why 3.5 is called what it is other than it rolls off the tongue well.

 

Because 3.5 is 3.5 inches in diameter lol

 

Get some sleep! 

[Leonard]

The US currently uses the Imperial system of measurements.  It has ALWAYS used the Imperial system of measurements with only a couple of exceptions:

 

Military - Metric and Imperial

Science - usually Metric, but often uses Imperial to simplify things for audiences

Medical - Metric and Imperial

Certain Engineering applications - Metric and Imperial

 

There are no "Imperial Times" considering the term Imperial is just a less used description for US measurements.  But US measurements are still Imperial.

 

So, to answer your question as to his age, he could be a 1 year old and still would be using Imperial or US Measurements.  Granted, the way he worded it "Imperial Born" is very strange, but that's probably because he's 16 years old and doesn't know the difference.

 

For the OP, the 200mm (8 inch), 133mm (5.25), and 90mm (3.5) sized disks were simply named what they were named for simplification do describe the disk being used.  In the 1960s they had 8 inch disks, late 70's to early 80's brought us the 5 1/4 disk, with the 3 1/2 becoming popular in the late 80's to early 90's.  I actually still have diablo characters sitting on a 3.5 disk somewhere LOL.

 

And to further the history lesson for you, ONLY the 8 inch disks were actually Floppy Disks, the 5 1/4 was called a MiniFloppy and the 3 1/2 was called a Micro Disk.  Floppy Disks were gone by time the vast majority of the people on this site were even born.  (They lost popularity around the time I was born, when I built my first computer we were on the MiniFloppy Disks or 5 1/4, along with still using some cartridges as well, by time I was gaming it was the 3 1/2 which most people my age just called floppy much to the chagrin of the older techs who thought magnetic recording was still the future of data storage just as the LaserDisk was coming out).

 

Hell, most people on this site (the 20 and younger crowd) probably never used any sort of magnetic medium, because by time you guys used computers in the late 90's we were using optical drives rather than magnetic.  So most likely not much of anyone here used anything prior to the 3 1/5 or MicroFloppy (which most of you know as a floppy disk).

I was sharing some light humor to his comment which what i am sure he was doing by saying he is "imperial born". I started my PC building in the late 80s so i too know about the "magnetic day" I still have my external floppy or as it is properly called micro floppy disk and Iomega drives.  Only recently have i been taking the data from those disks and putting them on my HDDs so i can get rid of the many boxes of micro floppy and Iomega disks i have. 

 

Regarding the adoption of metric from imperial, it was in the 1819 or there abouts the US signed for metric to be implemented, i had to do this crap for my studies for school crap, anyhoo, as too the reason why we still have this mix up today would be due to the fact that the world uses imperial expressions for calculations today and it is why we can have 5.25' = 51/4"=133.35mm and so on.

[Xorbot]

Stop mentioning Imperial after this post.

 

It is irrelevant in measuring the fraction of a unit.  An example of this is using bananas as a unit of measurement.  A bundle of bananas is usually 4-7, which is certainly not a multiple of 10.  Yet, you can still eat half of a banana by cutting it in half and then eating it.  A half of a banana is always a half of a banana even if a bundle of bananas is 5 bananas in quantity.

 

It is irrelevant if there are 12 inches in a foot, or 63360 inches in a mile.  An inch of any unit of measurement can be divided into a quarter of an inch of the same unit.

[Flynn]

Stop mentioning Imperial after this post.

 

Imperial.  

[carolkarine]

the fishy bit is that they're actually 5.5 inches wide. the 5.25 refers to the spacing between the mounting holes.

[JordanMac]

I don't want to take the p*ss but how old are you? this is basic maths which you should have been taught. 0.25 = 1/4, doesn't matter what unit you are measuring 5.25 = 5 1/4

[aEi1aesainee2]

saying that no one uses kelvin as a standard for measuring temps in the real world =/

 

No one uses Kelvin in "real world" application for a very good reason, because Celsius is much more clever for daily use :

 0° is the (kinda) melting point and 100° is the boiling point, it's simple, clever and easy to understand

 

Kelvin would be much more "complicated" to use in daily life, 273.15 K and 373.15 K wouldn't be very practical numbers (think about pronouncing those number every day...)

 

Now I'm going to make some tea.

[Xorbot]

No one uses Kelvin in "real world" application for a very good reason, because Celsius is much more clever for daily use :

 0° is the (kinda) melting point and 100° is the boiling point, it's simple, clever and easy to understand

 

Kelvin would be much more "complicated" to use in daily life, 273.15 K and 373.15 K wouldn't be very practical numbers (think about pronouncing those number every day...)

 

Now I'm going to make some tea.

 

Just be sure to bring the water temperature to 373.15 K first.

[IdeaStormer]

Fractions, not everyone can do them.

[gastew15]

 you can not be that old. The metric system was sanctioned for use in the USA in 18something, can't remember right now and if you were born in the imperial times then you are how old?

I'm a few hundred is all, I'm kind of sensitive about my age though you jerk! Pretty much all over though everywhere I've been in the US pretty much everyone still uses the Imperial system, and doesn't actually know much about the Metric. The only real reason I even use the Metric system are some computer parts, and Chemistry and Physics.