European numbers

[notb665]

How come is it that European nations and Anglosphere nations write certain characters different?

e.g. the number 1. We would write it as an 'l', but our European friends extend the top part of 1 and leave out the line at the bottom so it looks like a triangle without the bottom line. I think I almost prefer the European of writing '1' as it avoids confusion with 'l', but it'll never catch on.

e.g They put a line across a '7'. And that would look like how some people write their 'F's.

What about differentiating between O and 0 when handwriting? A line across the 0, or a dot in the middle?

 

[mlb3c]

well, for some reason, when I say it,...it's going to come out all wrong, but

don't german people put a line through their zeros--(remember old letters when boyfriend was in army stationed in germany)

here if you make the 1 like I it is a roman numeral and but if you write it it can be either way.

3's can be written 3 different ways---not to change subject, but would you give me a quick lesson in weights and measurements....I've heard in different posts ....so and so "stone"

 

[Brightness]

A stone is 14lbs & there are 16oz to a lb (pound).

 

[Gary_M]

s ....so and so "stone"

This is the 'imperial' weight measurement used in the UK (and still commonly used). It is not so 'simple' as the metric system as it is not based on a decimal system - i.e. one stone = 14lbs = approx 6.35Kgs

 

[mlb3c]

again...hate to interrupt....(i know if I was sorry i wouldn't do it)

but if someone is telling their weight....and they are 165 pounds here (US), is it said differently there?

 

[Gary_M]

again...hate to interrupt....(i know if I was sorry i wouldn't do it)

but if someone is telling their weight....and they are 165 pounds here (US), is it said differently there?

We would tend to convert it to 'stones' and 'pounds' - i.e. 11st 9lbs

 

[AdamW]

There is something on the EU website all about how to write Euros. IIRC, the correct , EU-mandated fashion is to write it the same way as we write pounds.

E.g. €1.50 rather than 1€50

In the past, other countries write monetary values in differing fashions. If memory serves correct, in France one would write 1F50 to represent 1 Franc and 50 centimes.

In fact, in English you supposedly use the collective noun "Euro" instead of "Euros".

Thinking about it, a lot of people say "five pound" instead of "five pounds", and I always think it sounds odd when someone gives their weight in "stones" rather than "stone"...

As to differing scripts... my mum was a librarian in Berlin in the mid-70s... Even then, Germans still used gothic script! Y'know all those WW2 Nazi posters you saw in history textbooks? That fancy font? Yup, books were still printed in that font.

I think you will find more variation in the way people write in one country than you do across the whole of Europe. I write my 7's in the way you find it "looks a bit like an F". Reason? I am a physicist and therefore have c**p handwriting.

I do a lot of mathematical work, and it is important to ensure I disambiguate any numbers, symbols and letters... I can read it, but there are instances when I need to pass work on to a colleague or a secretary. A "7", in my scruffy handwriting, looks very much like one of my T's. My 1's are not like a triangle, but I have a serif to the upper left to show it isn't a capital-I.

I had a Polish teacher at school who would deduct marks for a horizontal line at the top of the capital letter "J"... for chrissakes, even here you can see there is a definite serif!

 

[AdamW]

A stone is 14lbs & there are 16oz to a lb (pound).

Yet the US pint is equivalent to a "fluid pound", but ours is 20 fluid ounces.

I know it makes our beers larger and therefore more manly, but the US pint is definitely more logical than ours.

(note: I have never been served 16oz of beer in the US, 20oz servings seem far more popular there )

 

[mlb3c]

yikes....no wonder i don't get out more......

 

[Steve]

This is the 'imperial' weight measurement used in the UK (and still commonly used).

On the continent, imperial is never used, as far as i know. In the UK, imperial is still used for dispensing beer, and DIYers often use imperial for stating measurements. On the market, prices are stated in imperial and metric in smaller letters. In the UK, it is illegal (i think) to sell things by imperial measures, so a pint is actually 568ml, and a lb is actually 0.45kg. On-packet sizes are stated in metric. On the whole, metric is used a lot more than imperial. Its a lot simpler to use (based on SI measures such as centi, nano, giga, kilo, mega) and is the system taught in schools. Kids aren't taught imperial in the UK.

Bit of info there mainly for mlb3c!

 

[JohnD]

This is the 'imperial' weight measurement used in the UK (and still commonly used).

On the continent, imperial is never used, as far as i know. In the UK, imperial is still used for dispensing beer, and DIYers often use imperial for stating measurements. On the market, prices are stated in imperial and metric in smaller letters. In the UK, it is illegal (i think) to sell things by imperial measures, so a pint is actually 568ml, and a lb is actually 0.45kg. On-packet sizes are stated in metric. On the whole, metric is used a lot more than imperial. Its a lot simpler to use (based on SI measures such as centi, nano, giga, kilo, mega) and is the system taught in schools. Kids aren't taught imperial in the UK.

Bit of info there mainly for mlb3c!

Continentals still (sometimes) talk of a pound of butter or sugar, (livre in French, Pfund in German) but they now mean a "metric" pound, 250g. Germans also have a word for an inch, I suppose by now they would mean 25mm.

Non-SI units are no good for international trade as we'd all mean something different. US gallons are smaller than UK ones. How big was an Italian mile? In parts of the UK, there used to be regional differences in a foot, or yard, or inch, it took time and effort to get then standardised.

How many acres are there in a piece of ground three furlongs by five? And how many square yards is that? Now do it in km, Ha and m2

 

[WoodYouLike]

Continentals still (sometimes) talk of a pound of butter or sugar, (livre in French, Pfund in German) but they now mean a "metric" pound, 250g.

Sorry to disappoint you (being a continental from origin), but a pound of butter ALWAYS had been used for 500 gr

 

[JohnD]

Continentals still (sometimes) talk of a pound of butter or sugar, (livre in French, Pfund in German) but they now mean a "metric" pound, 250g.

Sorry to disappoint you (being a continental from origin), but a pound of butter ALWAYS had been used for 500 gr

Stupid of me... I knew that really

 

[empip]

A pile of free on-line calculators ...
look at :-
For finding equivalent sizes of units within the category named
final section on page.
http://www.projects.ex.ac.uk/trol/scol/index.htm

Just for JohnD
http://www.projects.ex.ac.uk/trol/scol/ccarea.htm

 

[AdamW]

I asked for "un demi" of beer in Paris, expecting half a litre...

The guy looked at me and asked "wouldn't you prefer a pint?" (it is thoroughly weird hearing the words "un pint" )

Turns out that in some French bars, they regard a pint (yes, a 568ml pint) as "a beer", in the same way as in British bars.