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iknewdavidjacobsmum
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 336
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 7:42 pm Post subject: Metric vs Imperial measures |
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Anyone else feeling as hacked off as me?
Got a Thomas Cook holiday brochure today describing nearest beach as 700 metres from the hotel, main shopping area 1 and a half miles.
What is going on. |
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John W
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 3367 Location: Warwickshire, UK
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 7:47 pm Post subject: |
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You have to be multilingual these days. Try USA, gas (petrol) is still in gallons but their U.S. gallon is only 0.8 of our gallon. Americans don't know their U.S. gallon is 3.78 litres.
Oh and they still do ounces, lbs, but they don't do stones or kgs. |
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gfloyd
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 4861 Location: Here, There, Everywhere.
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 7:55 pm Post subject: Re: Metric vs Imperial measures |
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iknewdavidjacobsmum wrote: | Anyone else feeling as hacked off as me?
Got a Thomas Cook holiday brochure today describing nearest beach as 700 metres from the hotel, main shopping area 1 and a half miles.
What is going on. |
They should stick to one or the other consistently. Anything else is apples & oranges, so to speak. _________________ His name was ernie ........ and he drove the fastest milk cart in the west..... |
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SantaFefan
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 11258 Location: top of the cliffs in Norfolk
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:13 pm Post subject: |
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It's all a mess. I worked as a draughtsman for 25 years and it's much, much easier to work in metric for sure! but I was taught and think in imperial; even now.
I'd find it hard to guess the quantity in litres or weight in kilos but would be ok with imperial.
Why do we still speak of MPG? I can't see this country completely converting for a long long time...
Funny thing though, I was listening to a 1950's American sci fi radio show last night and they were talking in metres! |
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Barkingbiker
Joined: 11 Dec 2006 Posts: 2313 Location: Lincolnshire
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:26 pm Post subject: |
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Having lived and worked in Germany during the 70's & 80's, I became ambidextrous with imperial and metric measurement with the exception of MPG, I still cannot relate to miles per litre or kilometers per litre.
BB _________________ Old Bikers Never Die, our leathers just get tighter! |
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Ella Sailyour
Joined: 11 Dec 2006 Posts: 579 Location: Marbella, Spain
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Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:36 pm Post subject: |
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I don't understand why we haven't ditched Imperial altogether. We've had decimal coinage since 1971 yet beer and milk is still obtained in pint measures. Barmy.
Ella _________________ This week's $64,000 question: Why am I so gorgeous, possums? |
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John W
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 3367 Location: Warwickshire, UK
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 3:33 pm Post subject: |
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Barkingbiker wrote: | Having lived and worked in Germany during the 70's & 80's, I became ambidextrous with imperial and metric measurement with the exception of MPG, I still cannot relate to miles per litre or kilometers per litre.
BB |
At science uni in the 1970's and working in British industry for years got me fully metric, though two years in US put me back a bit. Certain selfish politicians both sides of the Atlantic have slowed the progress to full metrication.
Filling in company car expense forms for years got me to like the 'mixed unit' term miles/litre. If my expense form calculated my car was doing less than 11 miles per litre then I was either thrashing it or it needed a service. (11 m/l - 50 miles/gallon)
I've never got used to body weight metric. I'm 11 and a half stone which is about 73kg. Hmm, 73kg seems an awful lot
John W
Last edited by John W on Mon Mar 05, 2007 10:33 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Behind Geddon's Wall
Joined: 11 Dec 2006 Posts: 1553 Location: Kingston Upon Hull/ The Cloud Factory
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 4:27 pm Post subject: |
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John, Americans don't even have proper gallons. _________________ Geddon
You simply mustn't blame yourself -- the days were perfect
And so were exactly what I was born to spoil
For I am the Rider to the World's End
Bound across the cinder causeway
From the furnace to the quarry
Through the fields of oil |
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SantaFefan
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 11258 Location: top of the cliffs in Norfolk
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 4:30 pm Post subject: |
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not everything is bigger in the states..
mind you, we don't have a proper Ton any more do we... and we invented it all ......probably. |
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Cherskiy
Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 3701 Location: near Amble, Northumberland
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 4:41 pm Post subject: |
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Well, climbing a 3,000 foot high mountain sounds a little more impressive than a 914 metre one, so I know what I like best....
Too used to miles, yards and feet for measurements even though I was schooled after metric measurements were introduced. Like John, I can't get used to metric weights, either - end up converting to pounds and ounces. Have to accept litres, though, as petrol isn't sold in gallons any more. _________________ Author: “To the Ends of the Earth: A Snapshot of Aviation in North-Eastern Siberia, Summer 1992”
(Free to read via Kindle Unlimited) |
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SantaFefan
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 11258 Location: top of the cliffs in Norfolk
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:32 pm Post subject: |
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You'll probably know this Cherskiy, what about airlines? do they all talk in terms of feet in terms of altitude? and are the instruments marked in metric or imperial? |
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Cherskiy
Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 3701 Location: near Amble, Northumberland
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 9:20 pm Post subject: |
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SantaFefan wrote: | You'll probably know this Cherskiy, what about airlines? do they all talk in terms of feet in terms of altitude? and are the instruments marked in metric or imperial? |
Heights are measured in feet - "Flight Level 270" = 27,000 feet, etc, pressure settings (for altimeters) are given in inches, distances are in miles, whilst indicated airspeed is given in knots. IIRC, most aircraft gauges read in Imperial measurements although many of the new digital layouts can be programmed to read in either. Eurocontrol apparently works in Imperial whilst many of the former Warsaw Pact nations had to convert from Metric once the wall came down - Tu154 crews coming into Newcastle have had to do manual calculations in the past. Domestic Russian services were in metres and kilometres. American services were in miles and feet. _________________ Author: “To the Ends of the Earth: A Snapshot of Aviation in North-Eastern Siberia, Summer 1992”
(Free to read via Kindle Unlimited)
Last edited by Cherskiy on Mon Mar 05, 2007 9:28 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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gfloyd
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 4861 Location: Here, There, Everywhere.
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 9:23 pm Post subject: |
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Cherskiy wrote: | SantaFefan wrote: | You'll probably know this Cherskiy, what about airlines? do they all talk in terms of feet in terms of altitude? and are the instruments marked in metric or imperial? |
Heights are measured in feet - "Flight Level 270" = 27,000 feet, etc, pressure settings (for altimeters) are given in inches, distances are in miles, whilst indicated airspeed is given in knots. |
I've heard inflight announcements (on Air Canada and Air France for starters) that only refer to altitude in metres. _________________ His name was ernie ........ and he drove the fastest milk cart in the west..... |
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iknewdavidjacobsmum
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 336
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 9:24 pm Post subject: |
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I'm interested in this as I went to a school that was part of the trials for "O"level maths in metric. Never taught imperial after the age of 11.
I was therefore a bit bewildered as a child.
Still get really annoyed when I have to buy a kilo of sugar, but 454 gr butter. And oh, houses, when I have asked square meterage, I get treated like an insane person.
Still like John, do my height in feet & inches, when the last Passport issue, 15? years or so came out, I had to put height in metric. Discovered I was claiming to be just over 7 feet tall. Odd really as I just scrape in at 5. |
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iknewdavidjacobsmum
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 336
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Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 9:25 pm Post subject: |
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I'm interested in this as I went to a school that was part of the trials for "O"level maths in metric. Never taught imperial after the age of 11.
I was therefore a bit bewildered as a child.
Still get really annoyed when I have to buy a kilo of sugar, but 454 gr butter. And oh, houses, when I have asked square meterage, I get treated like an insane person.
Still like John, do my height in feet & inches, when the last Passport issue, 15? years or so came out, I had to put height in metric. Discovered I was claiming to be just over 7 feet tall. Odd really as I just scrape in at 5. |
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nod
Joined: 24 Dec 2006 Posts: 3558
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Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 2:40 pm Post subject: |
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I saw a technical drawing from the US the other day that showed a pice of equipment to be APPROX 21 foot (6400.7962mm), now that's approx ! |
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Behind Geddon's Wall
Joined: 11 Dec 2006 Posts: 1553 Location: Kingston Upon Hull/ The Cloud Factory
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Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:49 pm Post subject: |
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No! That's American. _________________ Geddon
You simply mustn't blame yourself -- the days were perfect
And so were exactly what I was born to spoil
For I am the Rider to the World's End
Bound across the cinder causeway
From the furnace to the quarry
Through the fields of oil |
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