Lab Lessons: Mils, Not Millimeters
This post is a little embarrassing, but I think it's a funny learning lesson...in hindsight.
Once upon a time, I was given a task. At the end of this task I had to give a measurement in "mils." Me, having never worked in a lab or with science or engineering in the real world (college was a few years ago, and I was more focused on the military than my studies), thought perhaps this meant "millimeters." The man who asked me this is a very smart man. Sometimes I felt like he asked questions he knew the answers to in order to test me. He can do math in his head like a genius, so when he asked me to convert this millimeters into mils, I was baffled. What the %#*@ are mils?!
An hour or so ago, I had sat down with my measurements, converting my inches to meters to millimeters. What where mils?!
I told him I would figure out the "mils" and get back to him. It makes me nervous when he stares me down while I'm trying to do math in my head. This conversion was impossible to me. I would have to Google or Wikipedia or Call a Friend to get this answer.
I stared at my office mate, who is somewhat of a younger version of the man who had tasked me. "What the hell are "mils"? I thought it was short for millimeters!" Luckily, he explained that it was inches. I looked at my paper. All my original answers were in inches. I didn't have to do any converting in the first place. Silly me.
I hope whoever reads this will learn this lesson before looking stupid in front of someone who asks you to give them a unit in mils.
A mil is a unit of length. A thou is also a unit of length. A "mil" is used in the United States, because we have to be different. The plural of "mil" is "mils" (10 mils, 1 mil). The plural of "thou" is "thou" (10 thou, 1 thou).
Of course, being a track runner and having a mother from Ireland, I have no problem with using the metric system. It made sense someone would want something in millimeters. Who uses inches anyways?
Units of Length: Mils and Thou
one thousandth of an inch = "thousandth" = "thou" (in the rest of the world)
1 mil = 0.001 inch = one thousandth of an inch
1 mil = 1 thousandth
1 mil = 1 thou
Now, I also talk to machine shops every now and then. When I ask them to make something to the nearest 0.0001 inch, it is called a "tenth." I didn't realize this at first. I only realized it during a long talk with a salesman a while ago. He explained to me (because I kept saying "point zero zero zero one" or "one ten-thousandth of an inch") that I can say "to the nearest tenth" and people won't think I mean 0.1 inches. I thanked him.
1 tenth = one tenth of a thou = one tenth of a mil
Dear America, thank you for making everything more complicated than it needs to be once again. No wonder you're referred to as a "she"...haha.
Once upon a time, I was given a task. At the end of this task I had to give a measurement in "mils." Me, having never worked in a lab or with science or engineering in the real world (college was a few years ago, and I was more focused on the military than my studies), thought perhaps this meant "millimeters." The man who asked me this is a very smart man. Sometimes I felt like he asked questions he knew the answers to in order to test me. He can do math in his head like a genius, so when he asked me to convert this millimeters into mils, I was baffled. What the %#*@ are mils?!
An hour or so ago, I had sat down with my measurements, converting my inches to meters to millimeters. What where mils?!
I told him I would figure out the "mils" and get back to him. It makes me nervous when he stares me down while I'm trying to do math in my head. This conversion was impossible to me. I would have to Google or Wikipedia or Call a Friend to get this answer.
I stared at my office mate, who is somewhat of a younger version of the man who had tasked me. "What the hell are "mils"? I thought it was short for millimeters!" Luckily, he explained that it was inches. I looked at my paper. All my original answers were in inches. I didn't have to do any converting in the first place. Silly me.
I hope whoever reads this will learn this lesson before looking stupid in front of someone who asks you to give them a unit in mils.
A mil is a unit of length. A thou is also a unit of length. A "mil" is used in the United States, because we have to be different. The plural of "mil" is "mils" (10 mils, 1 mil). The plural of "thou" is "thou" (10 thou, 1 thou).
Of course, being a track runner and having a mother from Ireland, I have no problem with using the metric system. It made sense someone would want something in millimeters. Who uses inches anyways?
Units of Length: Mils and Thou
one thousandth of an inch = "thousandth" = "thou" (in the rest of the world)
1 mil = 0.001 inch = one thousandth of an inch
1 mil = 1 thousandth
1 mil = 1 thou
Now, I also talk to machine shops every now and then. When I ask them to make something to the nearest 0.0001 inch, it is called a "tenth." I didn't realize this at first. I only realized it during a long talk with a salesman a while ago. He explained to me (because I kept saying "point zero zero zero one" or "one ten-thousandth of an inch") that I can say "to the nearest tenth" and people won't think I mean 0.1 inches. I thanked him.
1 tenth = one tenth of a thou = one tenth of a mil
Dear America, thank you for making everything more complicated than it needs to be once again. No wonder you're referred to as a "she"...haha.
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