Decimeters

I wonder why we don't use decimeters for anything. Both millimeters and centimeters get used for measuring appropriate lengths. But somehow decimeters don't seem to get their due. To measure anything we use units that are appropriate for the typical lengths involved. If we are measuring cloth, we typical use meters for anything that is more than a meter but use centimeters if we are buying a small piece. Dimensions of a mobile are typically measured in millimeters.

So what are the things we can measure in decimeters. I think that height of people can be better measured in decimeters. One of the reasons we still measure height in feet could be that the alternate metric unit people try to use is centimeters which is not very convenient. It is very difficult to get a feel of large numbers like 174 cms. I feel that if decimeters were used and the same height was mentioned as 17.4 dms, people will slowly get a feel for what it means.

We understand feet very well. We understand that most people are between 5 feet and 6 feet height. Average Indian woman is about 5 feet 3 inches and men are about 5 feet 7 inches. People about 6 feet are considered very tall and those below 5 feet are considered short. Consider these thoughts in decimeters. Most people will be between 15 dms and 18 dms. Average Indian woman is about 16 dms, and men are about 17 dms. People above 18 dms are very tall and those below 15 dms are considered short. I find thinking in terms of dms even more convenient than thinking in feets and inches. And it certainly is better than thinking in cms.

We have moved to the metric system for measuring many things that are very short or very long. But feet still rule for things in between. I believe decimeters may help us displace feet. Or perhaps it's the other way around, we do not use decimeters because of the competition from the well established feet.