Inches are typically divided in powers of two. So you don’t have to represent the 5 digitally when dividing (which you can’t in the binary system).
So, if the basic unit you’re designing with is inches, you can scale up easily and add a 3 with the base 12. Or divide using only 2 which helps the computer out
Because the inch is already metric. Has been for 100 years.
1 in == 25.4 mm
Therefore US customary units, while not being SI, are just as metric units as the calorie (energy to raise one (metric) gram of water one (metric) degre C.
Switching to metric doesn’t have too many advantages - learn the bloody definitions - but has trillions of dollars of disadvantages (think the capital in machining tools. Now add the cost of training the old guys to metric)
In fact the imperial system has some advantages over metric: the measures are often divided by powers of 2, meaning they can be better represented in binary.
Also, there are some very fun quirks with the imperial system that I love:
1 in == 2.54 cm = 2^8 /100 cm. Very useful if you need to convert from a 64th of an inch.
1 mi ~ phi km. Also very cool.
And then all the history behind those beautiful, since forgotten, customary units.
[im a European-Canadian who moved to the US as an adult; trained on metric my whole life]
Inches are typically divided in powers of two. So you don’t have to represent the 5 digitally when dividing (which you can’t in the binary system).
So, if the basic unit you’re designing with is inches, you can scale up easily and add a 3 with the base 12. Or divide using only 2 which helps the computer out