[jimktrains2]

I've actually become quite fond of liquids being powers of 2 and lengths being broken fractionally. The base unit doesn't really matter (and you can always use decimal length, as is often done when building precision items).

So, for liquids,

2 tablespoon = 1 ounce 2 ounce = 1 jack 2 jack = 1 gill 2 gills = 1 cup 2 cup = 1 pint 2 pint = 1 quart 2 quart = 1 pottle ( ½ gallon) 2 pottle = 1 gallon

I find it much easier to switch units and do conversions in my head, especially when scaling recipes.

With respect to base-2 fractional length measurements, I just find it much easier to work with fractions than than with decimals. Half of ⅛ is ¹/₁₆ with next to no thought. I don't need to do division of 25 to get 12.5. It's a personal thing, but I find it nice.

[jbay808]

Fractions are nice when the numerator is always 1. They're a pain when it isn't; sorting drill bits or buying material from McMaster Carr, you constantly have to sort out whether 17/64 is larger or smaller than 3/8, and by how much, and it becomes quite burdensome.

[jimktrains2]

It's not immediate like it would be with decimals, but ⅜ -> 6/16 -> 12/32 -> 24/64 is still something I find I can do (and track) in my head with ease. Yeah, doing it repeatedly on a task would get a little tiresome. Also, who knows where the numbered and lettered series drill bits fit in without a chart.

The fractional system isn't perfect for all use cases by any means. (My understanding is that a lot of machining just deals with decimal inches directly.) I just find it convenient for many everyday tasks. I'm also weird, I guess, in that arithmetic on fractions feels easier than on decimals.

Thinking more about my original statement, a lot of it has to do with halving (e.g. finding a center) being a common operation for many tasks. It also helps that most things are sold in those fractional increments too :)