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the system probably originated in england....
It makes sense from an early industrial period when the standards were probably developed (google tells me the whitworth standards was in 1841) With poor and relatively innacurate measuring devices it is probably a lot more reliable to divide in 2, and all the measurements are basically in powers of 2. It might be a lot easier if they didn't simplify the fractions and keep everything at x/16th of an inch. Also, the meter hadn't been adopted yet in 1841.
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