Imperial System (1 Viewer)

[GaP42]

DickyP - notice I was not converting between imperial and metric - it was about conversion between units within one system or the other, not converting units between systems (which does cut both ways when one has to do it). The conversion argument as shown still stands, and so is not sophistry. Thanks for the exemplar you provided.

My personal preference is to work in metric units. The force of law is a matter of the laws applicable within a jurisdiction and have no weight except that of legal authority.

The position of the US in not adopting the metric system for everyday use I suspect has an ongoing hidden cost - in education, in trade, science, engineering, ...
Perhaps the bullet should have been bitten a long while ago. We exist within an environment of our own making.

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

The position of the US in not adopting the metric system for everyday use I suspect has an ongoing hidden cost

Since when does your government worry about the cost! In fact the more it costs, to them, the better. There's more chance of them milking the system for more money for their own personal gain!

 

[GaP42]

The cost is not to government .. everyone bears the cost ultimately, and the cost may not just be monetary. Failures associated with using different measurement systems have cost lives. Maintain the rage Uncle!

 

[NauticalGent]

Now, where’s my pint?

The most relevant remark made on this thread...!

 

[Isaac]

There's always been a debate on whether the Imperial system or the Metric system is better.

Here's my two pennies worth! From a practical point of view, the Imperial system is just superior, especially when you're working with wood or steel in the garage.

A foot divides nicely into thirds, quarters, sixths, twelfths, and eighths. Likewise, an inch splits into quarters, eighths, sixteenths, and thirty-seconds, very handy when you are measuring and cutting.

Try holding a metric measurement in your head, Imagine something is 32 and a half inches long. Simple, right? Now, what would that be in metric? About 825.5 millimeters, or eighty and a half centimeters. Metric numbers quickly get big and unwieldy.

I was in school in 1965, when the UK switched from Imperial to Metric. I got a solid grounding in the Imperial system, and while I understand Metric, I always gravitate back to Imperial when I can. It's just easier for practical work.

We still hold onto our pints and miles, especially for day-to-day use.

From the point of view of introducing it as stated above to make it easier to collect taxes, I noted that every single measurement, "equivalent" meant you got less. For example the equivalent to a pint was half a litre which is less than a pint.

Mind you, if you compare a metric ton and an imperial ton, you actually get slightly more in the metric ton than the imperial.

From a practical point of view, the Imperial system wins hands down. It's flexible, easy to remember, and the best for anyone doing hands-on work. Now, where’s my pint?

Excellent summary!! thank you UG. they each hvae some usefulness

 

[Pat Hartman]

The US as far as I can tell, does not use stones, hundredweights or furlongs?

We don't use stones but we use furlongs to measure horse races and some industries use hundredweights.

 

[ColinEssex]

We don't use stones but we use furlongs to measure horse races and some industries use hundredweights.

The USA has a different size gallon to the norm.
Col

 

[NauticalGent]

The USA has a different size gallon to the norm.
Col

Our miles are different as well, unless you specify statute or survey - which no one ever does.

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

Our miles are different as well,

I didn't know that!

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

Our miles are about 5000ft. It's a good thing to know because the Elon Musk starship is a tad short of 500ft, a tenth of a mile....

And when the pilot says we are cruising at 30,000ft you can easily convert it into miles:-

6 Miles!

 

[Cotswold]

In Britain we use a mix of everything. Buy fuel in litres but road signs are in miles. Buy fruit by kilos but we'll put half a dozen in the bag to weigh them. Often they are packaged in half dozens, never fives or tens. Wood and plumbing is usually referred to in imperial but steel has converted to metric with 8x5¼ pointlessly becoming 203x133, or 8x4 now 203x102. We should have gone with kilometres and not retained miles. But who the devil knows what a hectare is? We've had them for decades now and nobody in England has a clue.
It is actually illegal to have a road or path sign in kilometres, believe it or not. You'd have to be British to come up with that one! A bit like the only people who ever try to row across the Atlantic in a bathtub, will only ever be the Brits.

Personally, I was sad and upset to see rods, poles and perches fall from regular use.

 

[ColinEssex]

Personally, I was sad and upset to see rods, poles and perches fall from regular use.

I agree. At school we were taught rods, poles, perches, chains, hundredweights, tons (not tonnes) etc etc.

Don't forget the new money. I still convert new money into pounds, shillings and pence. I paid sixteen shillings for a tin of coke the other day.

Col

 

[Cotswold]

Don't forget the new money. I still convert new money into pounds, shillings and pence. I paid sixteen shillings for a tin of coke the other day.

Spot on Colin! We were in Waitrose the other day and a pizza was discounted. My wife said "not much off that" but I said "14 shillings isn't bad"
We bought the pizza.

I can remember if you went out for the night, cinema, chips, fags etc. Leaving the house with five half-crowns in your pocket was enough.

 

[ColinEssex]

And petrol was 4/10d per gallon. So 4 gallons under a quid with Redex shots and double green shield stamps.
.BTW, Waitrose is a bit posh innit? I'm a Sainsbury's man meself.
Col

 

[CJ_London]

Wood and plumbing is usually referred to in imperial

Locally you buy timber 3m of 2x4 (inches)

when I started working my salary was £600/year - after deductions that worked out at £45/month. £5 went on monthly tube season ticket, £20 on rent and £1 would buy you 5 pints and fish and chips on the way home.

TV’s were too expensive to buy so you paid around £10/month rental. A fortnight in Majorca cost around £200. both these now pro rata a lot cheaper now than then.

 

[Isaac]

Spot on Colin! We were in Waitrose the other day and a pizza was discounted. My wife said "not much off that" but I said "14 shillings isn't bad"
We bought the pizza.

I can remember if you went out for the night, cinema, chips, fags etc. Leaving the house with five half-crowns in your pocket was enough.

I literally can't remember the last time I went out for fags, with or without a crown!

 

[ColinEssex]

when I started working my salary was £600/year - after deductions that worked out at £45/month. £5 went on monthly tube season ticket, £20 on rent and £1 would buy you 5 pints and fish and chips on the way home.

TV’s were too expensive to buy so you paid around £10/month rental.

That sounds like 1967ish. I shared a flat in Belsize Park then. We paid £10 a week rent, rented a TV from Radio Rentals, the remainder went on fags and birds and bus fare to work near Tottenham Court Road.
Col

 

[CJ_London]

Bit later - early 70’s

 

[Cotswold]

Waitrose is a bit posh innit? I'm a Sainsbury's man meself.

Not sure Waitrose is posh but the food is decent quality. Only problem is, quite a few snobs in there and as we all know, the only difference between a snob and a yob is disposable income.

Never took to Sainsburys, prefer Tesco. Morrisons used to be OK, but since being taken over by the Yanks it’s gone downhill. Presumably they’ll asset strip it and clear off in time. Same as the ASDA crew. The customers in ASDA, Lidl & Aldi remind me of the Irish Sea, rough or very rough.

I will add though. English supermarkets are way, way better than those in the USA and they thought of them.

 

[ColinEssex]

Sainsbury's big supermarket is about 1/2 a mile from me, plus they do Nectar points,, I've built up 14 quid now. Never been to Aldi or Lidl and Tesco is the other side of Colchester. We haven't got a Morrison or Waitrose in Colchester.
BTW I used to live in Frome and my Mother was born in Glastonbury and I worked in North Somerset near Chew Magna.
Col