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xkcd #3065: Square Units (xkcd.com)

submitted 20 hours ago by schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de to c/xkcd@lemmy.world

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The biggest I've seen in a published source in the wild is an 80-fold error in a reported distance, which I think came from a series of at least three unit conversions and area/length misinterpretations.

https://explainxkcd.com/3065/

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[–] NeoNachtwaechter@lemmy.world 2 points 11 hours ago

People who still use body parts for measurement.....

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 5 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

Honestly a special name for area units wouldn't be awful

[–] Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz 1 points 9 hours ago

Same goes for volume. People use cubic meters, but I would prefer to use liters instead.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 5 points 16 hours ago

Hectare

[–] Artyom@lemm.ee 2 points 14 hours ago

By a square inch, they much mean a column of infinite height extending upwards. Saying they consume the grassy surface of Australia is a dramatic underestimate.

[–] Donjuanme@lemmy.world 9 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Always bothers me that I can't trust 90% of people (myself included) to properly state area, square feet or feet squared, very different scales.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 3 points 16 hours ago

Square feet are feet squared.

[–] kbal@fedia.io 6 points 19 hours ago

The ones in my garden only eat round inches.