Reply to: Demise of imperial units continues

[alluvial]

Petrol was put in litres as it made the price seem cheaper.

OK what happened as far as I can remember from reading it in various news sources is that the UK got a dispensation for alcoholic beverages measured in pints from some EU committee.

Everything else including loose fruit and veg at market stalls had to be sold in metric measurements.

Then due to a back lash as many people over 40 (at that time) couldn't work out what a quarter of a kilo was for loose goods they allowed such places to continue to use the two different measurements.

However someone like me who has grown up with long distances in miles, short distances in metres, packaged goods in grammes or kilos and loose goods in pounds is completely confused.

Especially when milk came in pints but now is in litres and babies were measured in pounds and now are measured in kilos.

All I want is not to be ripped off by dodgy shop keepers.

Agree with the history lesson there but it doesn't explain how everything being metric helps the weights and measures police to nick the rip-off artists.

[alluvial]

Unfair comparison: you are comparing quality; a cheap imperial rule is as poor as a cheap metric rule

It’s easy for me SMM7 (standard method of measurement rev 7) says metric, so metric it is

No, I was pointing out that precision has nothing to do with the unit of measure and everything to do with the method of measurement so stating that we should go metric because it is more precise is a silly argument.

[Halo Jones]

Precision has nothing to do with the system of measurement. I have a number of very old Rabone steel and boxwood imperial rulers and I'd bet that they are far more precise than any of the tulip metric rules you can buy in B&Q.

Unfair comparison: you are comparing quality; a cheap imperial rule is as poor as a cheap metric rule

It’s easy for me SMM7 (standard method of measurement rev 7) says metric, so metric it is

[Gonzo]

"British horse racing is set to trial metric measures in a move that could make the furlong a thing of the past."

BBC Sport - Sandown goes metric as metres are tested alongside furlongs

Next they'll be wanting to price the horses in euros instead of guineas.

Recently I had to explain to a youngster serving me at the tobacco counter what half an ounce was and it's metric equivalent. Do people really ask for 12.5g?

Heresy.

Next, they'll be doing away with proper bookmakers' odds and going all totaliser. Nobody will ever need to know again whether 11/4 is more than 15/8.


EDIT: Having said that, I have heard that speed limits being signposted in imperial measures in the USA while they are metric in Canada does cause some issues when people drive across the border so I can see that there is a case for standardisation.

[alluvial]

Octal? You may as well use chains, or, groats, or some other ridiculous number system. Hex is clearly the future.

But octal and hex are just an easy way of representing binary that in turn is an easy way of showing different voltages within an electronic component. Of course for common consumption, this is converted into decimal or even symbols. All different ways of supporting the same thing. Perhaps we should be standardising this?

[VectraMan]

Octal? You may as well use chains, or, groats, or some other ridiculous number system. Hex is clearly the future.

[Cliphead]

At primary school I had to learn LSD (pounds, shillings and pence not to mention half crowns and guineas), furlongs, chains and other pish I can't remember. Then we changed to decimal currency and now we have a hybrid when it comes to weights and measures (oh for a quarter gill again in pubs). Now I have to think in octal, hexadecimal and very occasional binary.

At least they dropped morse when flying but still had to learn it to pass the RT exam back in the day.

Confused? Nah, I'm on top of it all

[SueEllen]

Why is it more difficult to police the pub dispensing spirits in 1/6 of a gill instead of 35ml or petrol in gallons instead of litres?

Petrol was put in litres as it made the price seem cheaper.

OK what happened as far as I can remember from reading it in various news sources is that the UK got a dispensation for alcoholic beverages measured in pints from some EU committee.

Everything else including loose fruit and veg at market stalls had to be sold in metric measurements.

Then due to a back lash as many people over 40 (at that time) couldn't work out what a quarter of a kilo was for loose goods they allowed such places to continue to use the two different measurements.

However someone like me who has grown up with long distances in miles, short distances in metres, packaged goods in grammes or kilos and loose goods in pounds is completely confused.

Especially when milk came in pints but now is in litres and babies were measured in pounds and now are measured in kilos.

All I want is not to be ripped off by dodgy shop keepers.

[alluvial]

To ensure the unit police can police it easily, and consumers i.e. the general population don't get ripped off more than they do.

Why is it more difficult to police the pub dispensing spirits in 1/6 of a gill instead of 35ml or petrol in gallons instead of litres?

[SueEllen]

What Alluvial said. If people understand something and there is no international dimension, ie we are not trying to sell it to the Chinese, why change it?

To ensure the unit police can police it easily, and consumers i.e. the general population don't get ripped off more than they do.

[alluvial]

The beer thing was an example. It can equally apply to anything that is measured in a unit that is commonly understood by the general population.

There is nothing wrong with a mixture of units that are used in the right context. The Americans will commonly use imperial for woodworking and metric for engineering purposes, horses for courses. Speaking of which, I don't think that Sandown's metric trial caught on, the bookies were still taking bets on races measured in miles and furlongs.

Oh, and what Xoggoth said, a man of intelligence I think.

[Spacecadet]

Here's one pair of Imperial Units I hope aren't going anywhere soon

http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/stormtrooper%20babe.jpg

[Old Greg]

What Alluvial said. If people understand something and there is no international dimension, ie we are not trying to sell it to the Chinese, why change it?

Butt out of it.

[xoggoth]

What Alluvial said. If people understand something and there is no international dimension, ie we are not trying to sell it to the Chinese, why change it?

[SueEllen]

UK pint = 0.5682 of a litre

To be honest I don't really notice if I'm drinking a pint or half a litre as lots of European countries sell "large beers" depending on the beer.