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Metric vs Imperial measures

 
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iknewdavidjacobsmum



Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 336

PostPosted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 7:42 pm    Post subject: Metric vs Imperial measures Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 7:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 7:55 pm    Post subject: Re: Metric vs Imperial measures Reply with quote

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.
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SantaFefan



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PostPosted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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 Twisted Evil
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Ella Sailyour



Joined: 11 Dec 2006
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Location: Marbella, Spain

PostPosted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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
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John W



Joined: 07 Dec 2006
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Location: Warwickshire, UK

PostPosted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 3:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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 Twisted Evil


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 Confused


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
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 4:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

John, Americans don't even have proper gallons.
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SantaFefan



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PostPosted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 4:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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. Rolling Eyes
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Cherskiy



Joined: 08 Dec 2006
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 4:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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.... Smile

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.
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SantaFefan



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PostPosted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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
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Location: near Amble, Northumberland

PostPosted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 9:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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.
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Last edited by Cherskiy on Mon Mar 05, 2007 9:28 pm; edited 3 times in total
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gfloyd



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PostPosted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 9:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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.
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iknewdavidjacobsmum



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PostPosted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 9:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 9:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 2:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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
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Location: Kingston Upon Hull/ The Cloud Factory

PostPosted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No! That's American.
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From the furnace to the quarry
Through the fields of oil
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