Imperial Nonsense
Discussion
otolith said:
grumpy52 said:
As the vast majority of the driving public didn't have a metric education they default to imperial.
Schools went metric in the late 60's / early 70's, so to have not had a metric education at all one would really need to have been born in the late 50's at the latest.The UK's median age is 40.5
I suppose the driving population might be a little older, but I suspect not that much older.
As a Brit brought up on a mixture of metric and imperial it's confusing.
Mm Cm and metres for me, but I can't think in Km. I can picture 40 miles an hour or 400 miles. Aircraft fly in feet to me, not metres. 50 yards? Not a clue. 50 metres? I get that.
I understand knots and fathoms.
My car does MPG yet I don't get gallons but understand litres.
I know how many Stone I weigh but if I am weighing something it's Grammes and KG. I understand a Tonne but can't tell you how many pounds there are in a ton.
Whats a hundred weight? Is that a tenth of a ton?
Mm Cm and metres for me, but I can't think in Km. I can picture 40 miles an hour or 400 miles. Aircraft fly in feet to me, not metres. 50 yards? Not a clue. 50 metres? I get that.
I understand knots and fathoms.
My car does MPG yet I don't get gallons but understand litres.
I know how many Stone I weigh but if I am weighing something it's Grammes and KG. I understand a Tonne but can't tell you how many pounds there are in a ton.
Whats a hundred weight? Is that a tenth of a ton?
Wildcat45 said:
As a Brit brought up on a mixture of metric and imperial it's confusing.
Mm Cm and metres for me, but I can't think in Km. I can picture 40 miles an hour or 400 miles. Aircraft fly in feet to me, not metres. 50 yards? Not a clue. 50 metres? I get that.
I understand knots and fathoms.
My car does MPG yet I don't get gallons but understand litres.
I know how many Stone I weigh but if I am weighing something it's Grammes and KG. I understand a Tonne but can't tell you how many pounds there are in a ton.
Whats a hundred weight? Is that a tenth of a ton?
Mm Cm and metres for me, but I can't think in Km. I can picture 40 miles an hour or 400 miles. Aircraft fly in feet to me, not metres. 50 yards? Not a clue. 50 metres? I get that.
I understand knots and fathoms.
My car does MPG yet I don't get gallons but understand litres.
I know how many Stone I weigh but if I am weighing something it's Grammes and KG. I understand a Tonne but can't tell you how many pounds there are in a ton.
Whats a hundred weight? Is that a tenth of a ton?
I'm much the same, although having spent a lot of time on the continent in adulthood I've become happy with most of the metric measures I used to struggle with (km and kph for driving, kg for a person's weight, cm for a person's height, etc.). The sooner we go fully metric the better as far as I'm concerned not so much because metric measurements are "better" (although they are) but because they're what almost everyone else in the world uses. I rather hope my daughter will be able to grow up never having to use any of the imperial measurements, but I'm not particularly hopeful.
Edited by kambites on Sunday 23 February 13:04
Metrication was first debated by UK Parliament in 1818, 202 years and we're still confused... I mean really... Wtf?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_the...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_the...
DoubleD said:
grumpy52 said:
As the vast majority of the driving public didn't have a metric education they default to imperial.
I would have thought that there were more drivers under 50 on the roads than over 50? Stenasev said:
Mort7 said:
3.37.
It's closer then to three feet four, so longer than you thought before.
1m = 3.28 feet.It's closer then to three feet four, so longer than you thought before.
3' 3" would be 3.25 feet
3' 4" would be 3.33 feet
All rounded to two places of course. So closer to 3' 3" and sorry I don't have a rhyme.
I never understood why people get so hot under the collar about it all, whether it's people from outside the Anglosphere* shouting in YouTube comments about how Imperial units are outdated or Daily Mail readers being obtuse about hectare's per millilitre.
As a nation, the UK is crap at speaking multiple languages (excluding Wales, parts of Cornwall and diaspora communities). At least we're (mostly) bilingual in unit systems. I appreciate that many road users will be coming from the Continent so would have to scratch their head at an Imperial width but then again... once more than a mile or two (a 1.6km or 3.2km) from the ports I don't recall seeing road signs in English in France, nor would I expect to.
* I'm sure someone will say "but Canada, Australia and New Zealand are all-metric"... Legally yes, but in day-to-day conversation Imperial is still common even amongst the younger generations. My cousins back in Canada are all in their 20s and use metric less than I do in the UK.
As a nation, the UK is crap at speaking multiple languages (excluding Wales, parts of Cornwall and diaspora communities). At least we're (mostly) bilingual in unit systems. I appreciate that many road users will be coming from the Continent so would have to scratch their head at an Imperial width but then again... once more than a mile or two (a 1.6km or 3.2km) from the ports I don't recall seeing road signs in English in France, nor would I expect to.
* I'm sure someone will say "but Canada, Australia and New Zealand are all-metric"... Legally yes, but in day-to-day conversation Imperial is still common even amongst the younger generations. My cousins back in Canada are all in their 20s and use metric less than I do in the UK.
kambites said:
DoubleD said:
grumpy52 said:
As the vast majority of the driving public didn't have a metric education they default to imperial.
I would have thought that there were more drivers under 50 on the roads than over 50? Either way measurement is just a number.
What’s easier is to round a number up. Doesn’t actually make things logical though.
My work start and finish times used to be 6.24am to 3.36pm Monday and Tuesday
6.24am to 1.06pm Wednesday-Friday
Then a late shift was
3.36pm to 10.06pm Monday and Tuesday
1.06pm to 10.06pm Wednesday and Thursday
1.06pm to 7.24pm Friday
Basically 37.5hr week
When work start and finish times are like the above you realise numbers are just a distance point to point no matter the units no matter the fraction.
Only one is weird. A metric ton and an imperial tonne. The metric ton is lighter
What’s easier is to round a number up. Doesn’t actually make things logical though.
My work start and finish times used to be 6.24am to 3.36pm Monday and Tuesday
6.24am to 1.06pm Wednesday-Friday
Then a late shift was
3.36pm to 10.06pm Monday and Tuesday
1.06pm to 10.06pm Wednesday and Thursday
1.06pm to 7.24pm Friday
Basically 37.5hr week
When work start and finish times are like the above you realise numbers are just a distance point to point no matter the units no matter the fraction.
Only one is weird. A metric ton and an imperial tonne. The metric ton is lighter
DoubleD said:
grumpy52 said:
As the vast majority of the driving public didn't have a metric education they default to imperial.
I would have thought that there were more drivers under 50 on the roads than over 50? We still think in pints of beer , mpg , peoples height in feet and inches ,,miles on our roads etc .
Many that deal mostly with metric do seem to get unusually frustrated with those that default to imperial.
I have dealt in both as I have worked in fabrication and machine workshops as well as car restoration.
I have experience where technical drawings had been converted from imperial to metric and mistakes were made and then were multiplied along the line with many headaches caused trying to solve the problem.
My generation had to deal with BSW BSF UNC UNF BA AF and Metric in the workshop .
I still can't tell you my height in metric but only know my weght in kgs .
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