Following a comment by someone on another thread: Who uses metric measurement and who has stuck with imperial. A few years ago I could quite happily switch between the two depending on who I was talking to, but now when someone gives me some measurements in imperial (at least once a week) it annoys me that they are still using it and I have to convert.
Decimalisation
- Thread starter hermes
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hermes said:
Me on both counts.....
Long live imperial measurements...... They are not logical so they keep you on you toes when measuring and calculating. In Metric the decimal point can easily get into the wrong place. But there is no decimal point between feet and yards or between yards and miles.....
At least imperial and LSD ( pounds shillings and pence ) kept the brain active. 1lb 7 ounces of mushrooms at one and tuppence hap-penny a pound plus 2 lbs 13 ounces of granny smiths at 7 pence a pound. Worked out using mental arithmetic and the running total kept in the head until the customer had finished shopping. No electronic tills in those days and people had good maths. We ( I was a Saturday boy in a green grocers ) could sell by candle light if there was a power cut.
All too easy today.....
Imagine someone never ever being used to imperial measurementshermes said:
you learn very, very quickly to convert feet into cm and inches too. Fortunately those are the only ones we have to deal with, no yards to transfer into meters (square), but square feet always remind me of some unknown animal disfigurement
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However it comes ... Prefer Metric, but, used to working in both ...(Imperial for the 'old glory' wavers)...
Some useful conversion (page) calcs here
http://www.cleavebooks.co.uk/scol/index.htm
Here's an interesting one .. from SPREAD RATE (by volume), one inch of rain on one acre deposits 3630 ft³ of water ... more than 101 Imp' tons !!
And one of the best freeby calculators..
http://www.graphcalc.com/index.shtml
If you should install this one, checkout the right lower corner of the CONVert and CONStants buttons... well
Some useful conversion (page) calcs here
http://www.cleavebooks.co.uk/scol/index.htm
Here's an interesting one .. from SPREAD RATE (by volume), one inch of rain on one acre deposits 3630 ft³ of water ... more than 101 Imp' tons !!
And one of the best freeby calculators..
http://www.graphcalc.com/index.shtml
If you should install this one, checkout the right lower corner of the CONVert and CONStants buttons... well
I'm ambiguous. Both have their uses. Imagine if I walked into a merchant's and said:
"I'd quite like a coupling with a female thread measuring 20.5mm please"?
Guffaws all round.
Whereas "Gimme a 1/2" BSP FI compression coupling" tends to demonstrate that I've been around long enough to know the heredity of what I'm fitting.
"I'd quite like a coupling with a female thread measuring 20.5mm please"?
Guffaws all round.
Whereas "Gimme a 1/2" BSP FI compression coupling" tends to demonstrate that I've been around long enough to know the heredity of what I'm fitting.
In The Netherlands they also still use 'thumbs' (verbatim translation of 'duim' in plumbing fittings)ellal said:
B
Belrose
Softus wrote:
"I'm ambiguous"
ROFL -
(Doesn't pay to mess with me, punk! )
"I'm ambiguous"
ROFL - (Doesn't pay to mess with me, punk! )
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bernardgreen nearly said:
I guess this thread is refering to this but as its not been mentioned
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6637587.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6637587.stm
Metric is the future. Whether America likes it or not
I would welcome it......been told its much easier. I didnt even know it was called "Imperial"......course I also didnt know you used "stones" either. Dont know if I could get use to weighing everything though...lots easier with cups and teaspoons. (in recipes)....
I would welcome it......been told its much easier. I didnt even know it was called "Imperial"......course I also didnt know you used "stones" either. Dont know if I could get use to weighing everything though...lots easier with cups and teaspoons. (in recipes)....
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But your measures are different to ours.
Your gallons are smaller. 3.79l as opposed to our 4.54l.
Pint is 16 oz, not our 20.
And your ton is 2000lbs, not our 2240.....
Your gallons are smaller. 3.79l as opposed to our 4.54l.
Pint is 16 oz, not our 20.
And your ton is 2000lbs, not our 2240.....
