Do you think in metric or imperial?
Discussion
As per thread title.
If you were buying carpet would it be £30 sq yard (in your mind) or metres?
Buying some wood?......2 metres or 6 ft.
Would you think of yourself as 6ft tall or i80cm?
Petrol.......1 gallon or 4.5 litres?
I expect the younger PH'ers think in metric, but have to look at road signs in miles, not kilometres.......(in the UK)
If you were buying carpet would it be £30 sq yard (in your mind) or metres?
Buying some wood?......2 metres or 6 ft.
Would you think of yourself as 6ft tall or i80cm?
Petrol.......1 gallon or 4.5 litres?
I expect the younger PH'ers think in metric, but have to look at road signs in miles, not kilometres.......(in the UK)
I'm 35, and I guess I mainly think in Metric.
Part of that probably comes from being an Engineer, so I work in Metres, Kilograms etc.
However, it does depend on what you're talking about.
If somebody asked me how tall I was I'd say 6ft.
If they asked me my weight, I'd tell them in stones or pounds.
I think in miles buts that's understandable because all of our signs are in miles, etc.
If somebody asked me the fuel tank capacity of my car I'd tell them in litres, but I work out my fuel consumption in MPG as it instantly means something to me. A figure in litres/km would be meaningless until I'd converted it.
I imagine most people my age are quite similar.
Part of that probably comes from being an Engineer, so I work in Metres, Kilograms etc.
However, it does depend on what you're talking about.
If somebody asked me how tall I was I'd say 6ft.
If they asked me my weight, I'd tell them in stones or pounds.
I think in miles buts that's understandable because all of our signs are in miles, etc.
If somebody asked me the fuel tank capacity of my car I'd tell them in litres, but I work out my fuel consumption in MPG as it instantly means something to me. A figure in litres/km would be meaningless until I'd converted it.
I imagine most people my age are quite similar.
Both.
Drive a 12 Tonne lorry,not 12 ton.
But the product I carry is mainly 8ftx4ft,other sizes too but also imperial.
And the thickness of the 8x4s are in MMs.
I doubt many in the UK use litre/100KMs instead of MPG.
When driving on the continent I instantly convert Distance signs in KMs to miles.
Drive a 12 Tonne lorry,not 12 ton.
But the product I carry is mainly 8ftx4ft,other sizes too but also imperial.
And the thickness of the 8x4s are in MMs.
I doubt many in the UK use litre/100KMs instead of MPG.
When driving on the continent I instantly convert Distance signs in KMs to miles.
Paul_M3 said:
I'm 35, and I guess I mainly think in Metric.
Part of that probably comes from being an Engineer, so I work in Metres, Kilograms etc.
However, it does depend on what you're talking about.
If somebody asked me how tall I was I'd say 6ft.
If they asked me my weight, I'd tell them in stones or pounds.
I think in miles buts that's understandable because all of our signs are in miles, etc.
If somebody asked me the fuel tank capacity of my car I'd tell them in litres, but I work out my fuel consumption in MPG as it instantly means something to me. A figure in litres/km would be meaningless until I'd converted it.
I imagine most people my age are quite similar.
I'm 60 and think a bit like you. The exception would be working with small measurements where I think (and work on the lathe and the mill) in thous.Part of that probably comes from being an Engineer, so I work in Metres, Kilograms etc.
However, it does depend on what you're talking about.
If somebody asked me how tall I was I'd say 6ft.
If they asked me my weight, I'd tell them in stones or pounds.
I think in miles buts that's understandable because all of our signs are in miles, etc.
If somebody asked me the fuel tank capacity of my car I'd tell them in litres, but I work out my fuel consumption in MPG as it instantly means something to me. A figure in litres/km would be meaningless until I'd converted it.
I imagine most people my age are quite similar.
iva cosworth said:
Both.
Drive a 12 Tonne lorry,not 12 ton.
But the product I carry is mainly 8ftx4ft,other sizes too but also imperial.
And the thickness of the 8x4s are in MMs.
I doubt many in the UK use litre/100KMs instead of MPG.
When driving on the continent I instantly convert Distance signs in KMs to miles.
Ditto, distances either way from far too much track running when I was younger. Also worked for a US owned British company where manufacturing was in the states. All designs in imperial and constant correction-tennis with US / British english on the drawings (over my dead body etc).Drive a 12 Tonne lorry,not 12 ton.
But the product I carry is mainly 8ftx4ft,other sizes too but also imperial.
And the thickness of the 8x4s are in MMs.
I doubt many in the UK use litre/100KMs instead of MPG.
When driving on the continent I instantly convert Distance signs in KMs to miles.
OH grew up in Europe so she can't handle imperial weights or measurements but can manage miles for distances...
Well I am mid 50's and think and measure in both.
I used to think only in imperial (inches / feet / yards / even furlongs!)
However, as time has moved on and a lot of what I buy is labelled in metric I have had to adapt.
In my mind now though, I surreptitiously change metres squared to yards squared to visualise it, I can't help it, there's not a lot of difference but I HAVE to do it!!
I used to think only in imperial (inches / feet / yards / even furlongs!)
However, as time has moved on and a lot of what I buy is labelled in metric I have had to adapt.
In my mind now though, I surreptitiously change metres squared to yards squared to visualise it, I can't help it, there's not a lot of difference but I HAVE to do it!!
Mainly metric but owning & working on old cars and boats I can use either at a pinch.
Never learnt how to convert one to the other though... at work we use metric for accuracy/precision stuff and imperial for knocking bits together (so if you're asked for something 34mm long it needs to be exact... if they say "about 2 inches"... not so much, an inch and 3/4 is fine...
I always have a tape measure and set of vernier callipers handy
Never learnt how to convert one to the other though... at work we use metric for accuracy/precision stuff and imperial for knocking bits together (so if you're asked for something 34mm long it needs to be exact... if they say "about 2 inches"... not so much, an inch and 3/4 is fine...
I always have a tape measure and set of vernier callipers handy
Edited by leafspring on Wednesday 1st October 22:07
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