Remember the 60s? Far-out man!

Question

Can you convert the following to my unusual currency?

1.25, 1.75, 2.75, 3.25

Having done that, can you explain why some people think the smallest of these is somehow the biggest - at least as far I'm concerned. After all, the odd (and some would imagine negative) result of it wasn't entirely of my making!

Anyway, it provided my partners and me with a short break (and quite a lot of money).

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Who am I and what does all of this mean?

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EDIT

My puzzles are usually too easy. It looks like I may have strayed the other way this time.

Solution strategy (steps added in sequence as they appear in the question)

1. "Remember the 60s?" - Nothing clever here, just setting the era.

2. "Far out man!" - There are three clues here. One regarding punctuation (or lack of), one etymological - setting the milieu, and one gender specific.

3. "convert" - This refers to a basic arithmetic operation than most numerate 15-year-olds or younger could do.

4. "unusual currency" - Look at the tags. Different disciplines use different currencies. The definition of currency here is the last (d) in this dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/currency Why is it unusual? Well sometimes people step outside of the ordinary and explore new ideas - that is the case here. They can still express their ideas using the customary language.

1.25, 1.75, 2.75, 3.25 - Mathematicians should spot something about this sequence although something may mislead them. The sequence is incomplete because it excludes the "usual" numbers, not because of anything to do with Euclid's achievements. Note that the sequence can be extended downwards a short way but, the higher you get, the less likely will the numbers be (in this discipline).

"the smallest of these is somehow the biggest - at least as far I'm concerned" - "I" is the person you are trying to identify. The smallest number (in that numerical series after conversion) was his biggest number!

More tomorrow

Answer 1

You are

Dave Brubeck

and those numbers are

unconventional time signatures used by Brubeck:
1.25 = 5/4 -> Take Five
1.75 = 7/4 -> Unsquare Dance
2.75 = 11/4 -> Eleven Four
3.25 = 13/4 -> World's Fair

Of particular note is the smallest of these, since

Take Five is the biggest selling Jazz single ever. Note that this piece was actually composed by the Dave Brubeck Quartet saxophonist Paul Desmond and hence was not entirely of Brubeck's making (he composed the other songs, though).

The title is a reference to

the album Time Out (although the album was actually released at the end of 1959).

Answer 2

I think the unusual currency you're referring to is

British, specifically the farthing

And the conversions are as follows

1.25 (a penny and a farthing).
1.75 (a penny and three farthings).
2.75 (2 pennies, 3 farthings).
3.25 (3 pennies and a farthing).

Can you explain why some people think the smallest of these is somehow the biggest

I think this refers to the Penny-farthing which was a type of bicycle used in the Victoria era, named because the proportions of the wheels resembled a penny and a farthing.

After all, the odd result of it wasn't entirely of my making!

The high bicycle seems to have originated in France rather than in Britain.

Anyway, it provided my partners and me with a break (and quite a lot of money).

Not exactly sure about this line but I think it provides a "break" in terms of yielding a smaller denomination, i.e, the pound and penny can be broken down into smaller parts.

Title

The farthing ceased to be legal tender in 1961 but many would remember them still being around during that period.
There is a pun in the title representing far thing ("Far out, man")

Also

The farthing represented 1/960th of a pound sterling (a further reference to 1960).