View Full Version : Imperial or Metric?
Duke Malcolm
06-22-2005, 17:41
Which do the people of the Org prefer?
Imperial :
16 ounces to a pound, 14 pounds to a stone
12 inches to a foot, three feet to a yard, 1760 yards to a mile.
pints (that's all I know for fluids -- and need to know)
Advantages : Good for the brain, requires mental thought to add things up, makes people better at maths
Metric :
1000 grams to a kilogram
1000 millilitres to a litre
1000 millimetres to a metre, 1000 metres to a kilometre.
Advantages : Easy to use
In USA, they use good ol' Imperial units.
Here in the UK, we use an odd mix of both. Shopkeepers are forced by law to sell products in Metric, but many display both Imperial and Metric units (except on pre-packed thingies). Distances are measured in miles on roads, but OS and road maps are in kilometres. Schools teach Metric, but some pupils know Imperial, and I have made an effort to learn it, sort of. The Metricisaction process began in 1971 with the introduction of the decimal currency...
In Europe, they use Metric.
Kaiser of Arabia
06-22-2005, 17:43
Viva l'Mile!
The_Doctor
06-22-2005, 17:48
Imperial sucks. It is mad.
1760 yards for a mile, how the hell did they get number?
The_Doctor
06-22-2005, 17:49
Another thing, why is it so political?
Dutch_guy
06-22-2005, 17:51
metric system,
does the imp. system really make people smarter , or is just said by english people to promote their system ? just like us high schoolers like to say that chewing gum makes you think better.
In short is that proven ?
:balloon2:
Gawain of Orkeny
06-22-2005, 17:55
14 pounds to a stone
Wow I never knew that. Im gonna have to order a stone of weed then ~D
I think metric would be easier if you were brought up on it and makes more sense but Imperial is pretty much stuck in my brain at ths point. I remeber going to Canada and getting gas and it was 75 cents a gallon and I was like whoa thats expensive. Then I reaslized it was an imperial gallon. ~:confused: I guess thats another matter though.
Kaiser of Arabia
06-22-2005, 17:56
Sorry but I just never understood metric. I mean, is a kilomete less then a mile, as I always thought it was, or is it more than one, like my teachers say it is? Why does it go to centimeter to meter? I hate decimals!
The_Doctor
06-22-2005, 18:03
I mean, is a kilomete less then a mile
Yes.
Why does it go to centimeter to meter
A centimeter is 100th of a meter.
ShadesWolf
06-22-2005, 18:11
Imperial
every time
Sorry but I just never understood metric. I mean, is a kilomete less then a mile, as I always thought it was, or is it more than one, like my teachers say it is? Why does it go to centimeter to meter? I hate decimals!
a kilometer is 1000 meters.....
a mile is more....1600 meters i believe......
Kaiser of Arabia
06-22-2005, 18:16
Yes.
A centimeter is 100th of a meter.
yeah but a centemeter is like the equivilant measure of an inch (not size wize but useage wise) and a meter a yard, what bout somthing thats in between?
i think metric makes much more sense because all the measures and sub-measures are multiples of one another in a regular sense...
like....1 kilogram is 1000 grams....and 1000 kilograms is 1 ton...
on the other hand in imperial you get:
"12 inches to a foot, three feet to a yard, 1760 yards to a mile."
how does this make sense?....why is the foot 12 inches but then there are only 3 feet in a yard???? :dizzy2:
Duke Malcolm
06-22-2005, 18:19
It is much more practical, I feel, since a yard is roughly one stride
yeah but a centemeter is like the equivilant measure of an inch (not size wize but useage wise) and a meter a yard, what bout somthing thats in between?
there is a measure that equals to 10 centimeters....or 1/10 of a meter....
i´d not sure of it´s name in the english language.....but if i was to guess to a translation it would be something like "decimetre".....but it´s not commonly used...at least over here...
again...between the meter and the kilometer there are 2 intermediate units...that are equivalent to 10 meters and 100 meters......these are taught in schools but then are not used in everyday practice...
same thing for volumes...
yeah but a centemeter is like the equivilant measure of an inch (not size wize but useage wise) and a meter a yard, what bout somthing thats in between?
There is decimeter which is 10 cm or 0,1 m, but it's rarely used.
edit: too slow...
Kaiser of Arabia
06-22-2005, 18:38
there is a measure that equals to 10 centimeters....or 1/10 of a meter....
i´d not sure of it´s name in the english language.....but if i was to guess to a translation it would be something like "decimetre".....but it´s not commonly used...at least over here...
again...between the meter and the kilometer there are 2 intermediate units...that are equivalent to 10 meters and 100 meters......these are taught in schools but then are not used in everyday practice...
same thing for volumes...
yeah i know bout the decimeter, the prob is its never used. that saddens an old fasioned imperialist like me. :embarassed: ~:cool:
thrashaholic
06-22-2005, 18:48
It has to be metric I'm afraid, you can't do physics or mechanics at all easily with imperial measures, it's mathematically more sensible to measure in base ten when we count in base ten (despite the fact that base ten is perhaps the worst imaginable number base in existence, 12 or 24 are much better). Mathematicians always look to make things simpler as well, so in fact metric makes one a better mathematician, not imperial; measurement conversions are arithmetic anyway, not proper maths.
Having said this, I do more readily use imperial for everyday purposes, and it sounds nicer saying "6 feet 1 inch" or "13 and a half stones" or "3 pints" than "182.785 cm" etc. more poetic and pleasing to the ear.
Wow I never knew that. Im gonna have to order a stone of weed then ~D
I think metric would be easier if you were brought up on it and makes more sense but Imperial is pretty much stuck in my brain at ths point. I remeber going to Canada and getting gas and it was 75 cents a gallon and I was like whoa thats expensive. Then I reaslized it was an imperial gallon. ~:confused: I guess thats another matter though.
Where was that? Everything's Centigrade in Canada.
Uesugi Kenshin
06-22-2005, 19:07
Metric all the way. Much more precise, easier to use, let's you focus on keeping track of more important/advanced things and gets rid of crazy fraction measurements.
Big King Sanctaphrax
06-22-2005, 19:10
For people who count in base 10, metric is the only sensible way to measure things. Imperial is extremely inconsistent and unwieldy to use. I mean, 8/16s of an inch? Come on!
Samurai Waki
06-22-2005, 20:14
Actually if you know how to use Imperial measurements, it is every bit as accurate as Metric. I voted Gah, mainly because I don't care, but also because I've lived around both systems my entire life. When I measure everything in the US I almost always use Imperial, when I'm in the Caymans (like right now) everything is metric. Both sides have their drawbacks, for instance, Imperial is better (in my opinion) for measuring weight, and bulk, especially when it comes to Food OTOH Metric is much easier to use for measuring distance (not any more accurate, just easier.)
Uesugi Kenshin
06-22-2005, 20:47
The fact that the metric system's base units are smaller makes it more accurate. Mainly because it is easier to measure 368mm oh I don't know what that would be but let's just say 1/20th of an inch or more commonly 1/16th.
Fractions do make the Imperial system less accurate.
Duke Malcolm
06-22-2005, 20:51
The base unit is metres and kilograms, but the fractions are easier because instead of saying 34/100metres, one says 34 centimetres -- 34 hundredths of a metre.
Samurai Waki
06-22-2005, 21:33
The fact that the metric system's base units are smaller makes it more accurate. Mainly because it is easier to measure 368mm oh I don't know what that would be but let's just say 1/20th of an inch or more commonly 1/16th.
Fractions do make the Imperial system less accurate.
Yeah, but the scale is so minute that it really doesn't matter, especially for construction. If you are 1/100ths of inch off, but if you switched to metric you could be posibbly 1/250ths of a Centimetre off it still wouldn't matter that much. The only really important accuracy advantage that the Metric system has over the Imperial System is for Scientific Expirements, or drug dealing, but has no real advantages over Imperial for Practical uses.
Blodrast
06-22-2005, 21:49
They are both as accurate. That's not the point, though. The metric one is more natural; why do we count in base 10 ? Why not 16, or octal ? Simple, because we have 10 fingers. BKS nailed it right; it is much more natural to use a system based on the powers of ten, because that's what our entire arithmetic is based on.
There is also another argument, which is that it is easier to express things in metric, for the same reason; and people prefer shortcuts.
As for the "it keeps your brain active" argument, please. I sure hope that was a joke.
If we get to the point that that's what we rely on to keep our brain active, then we've got serious problems.
Evil_Maniac From Mars
06-22-2005, 21:50
metric system,
does the imp. system really make people smarter , or is just said by english people to promote their system ? just like us high schoolers like to say that chewing gum makes you think better.
In short is that proven ?
:balloon2:
Chewing gum DOES make you think better. It was proven in a study by Cambridge University.
Even though I live in the US I've always found the metric system to be much easier and...well... organized to put simply. As pointed out above there's 1760 yards to a mile. Something i can never remember. However I know by memory there's 1000 meters in 1 kilometer.
tibilicus
06-22-2005, 22:05
Go metric!
Goofball
06-22-2005, 22:20
Wow I never knew that. Im gonna have to order a stone of weed then ~D
Holy smokes!
That'll cost you a few Euros...
~;)
Imperial measuremeant originated from a foot being as long as a kings foot, so who the hell was the king that had a 12 inch foot. I have a 9 inch foot and am 6 feet tall.
Maybe that king had an irregular foot you know maybe under the same catgory as the 6 toe vice or odd number of toes ~D
Alexander the Pretty Good
06-23-2005, 00:28
It's not the Imperial system it't the American system!
And for those who say Imp- er, American is "unnatural," remember the backroom rule of thumb:
Originally posted by Everybody
Computers aren't natural...
Note: that's used to justify anything considered unnatural...
Gawain of Orkeny
06-23-2005, 00:58
Where was that? Everything's Centigrade in Canada.
So you dont use imperial or metric but Centigrade. What the hell is that? I thought that was only for temeratures. Again this was in 1972. Maybe things have changed since then. I know it was a lot more gas than a US gallon. Hell gas back then was like 30 cents a gallon. I had an MG midget. It got 35 miles to the gallon and only held 7 gallons so I could fill it up for 2 dollars. Imagine that. ~D My Fiat 850 spider got even better milage.
So you dont use imperial or metric but Centigrade. What the hell is that? I thought that was only for temeratures. Again this was in 1972. Maybe things have changed since then. I know it was a lot more gas than a US gallon. Hell gas back then was like 30 cents a gallon. I had an MG midget. It got 35 miles to the gallon and only held 7 gallons so I could fill it up for 2 dollars. Imagine that. ~D My Fiat 850 spider got even better milage.
Centigrade is metric. Still doesn't answer my question... >:-(
Gaiwan here in Canada you buy Gas by the Litre. Depending on the province and the local gas tax that could be anywhere from 75-95 cents a litre.
Gaiwan here in Canada you buy Gas by the Litre. Depending on the province and the local gas tax that could be anywhere from 75-95 cents a litre.
It hit over a buck per litre in Montreal the other day. It looks like the bus is the way to go.
Gawain of Orkeny
06-23-2005, 04:28
Gaiwan here in Canada you buy Gas by the Litre
So you think Im imagining it?
* A barrel is approximately 35 Imperial gallons, 42 U.S. gallons or 159 litres, roughly equivalent to the volume of liquid held by a standard bathtub.
* One U.S. gallon is 3.8 litres.
Some good stuff here. (http://www.energy.gov.ab.ca/2907.asp)
Conversion and Calculation Center Message Board
Let's take your example, gasoline is 59.9 cents Canadian a litre. ... There are
3.785 litres per US gallon (note in Canada they use Imperial gallons and .
Productivity
06-23-2005, 04:31
yeah but a centemeter is like the equivilant measure of an inch (not size wize but useage wise) and a meter a yard, what bout somthing thats in between?
Decimetre. 10cm, 0.1m. Admittedly it is not very commonly used.
Metric makes a lot more sense, it follows standard rules and systems. On the other hand, I could imagine the difficulty converting between them, if it was suddenly legislated that everyone is going to change.
i use metric and in australia we use metric exclusively, imperial is usally only on imported products.
ok these are the measurements
millimetres, 1000mm to a metre, 10mm to centimetre, 100 cm to a metre, 1000 metres to a kilometre. its all about the prefix milli means 1000th, centi means 100th and kilo means 1000x, in between values aren't used and are rather pointless, most workman use millimetres alone.
volume.
again the same as distance, i can't remember exactly but a litre is somehow related to cm3, which is the other way to measure volume in the metric system
temperature.
Celsius aka centigrade.
it goes from negatives to 0 to positives..
0 is the point at which fresh water freezes
+100 is the point where fresh water boils
in physics we use another scale called kelvin
at 0 kelvin all motion of molecules stops.
imperial and american systems are just retarded, theres no regularity and all the significant numbers are quite random.
thanks,
dizzy
PyrrhusofEpirus
06-23-2005, 09:47
Metric is the commonly name for International System of Units: SI (Système International d'Unités in french).
It's been adopted from scientist for being more practical and non-arbitrary as it has a decimal basis.
* 1 kilometer = 10 hectometers
* 1 hectometer = 10 decameters
* 1 decameter = 10 meters
* 1 meter = 10 decimeter
* 1 decimeter = 10 centimeter
* 1 centimeter = 10 millimeter
and so on..
The units that are mainly used are the millimeter, the centimeter, the meter and the kilometer.
On the other hand Imperial system is simply a traditional one for UK and US.
Quote from wikipedia:
* 1 poppy seed = 1/4 barley corn = 2.11 mm
* 1 barleycorn = 1/3 inch ~= 8.467 mm
* 1 inch = 25.4 mm = 2.54 cm
* 1 foot = 12 inches = 304.8 mm = 3.048 dm
* 1 yard = 3 feet = 0.9144 m = 9.144 dm
* 1 rod, pole or perch = 5 1/2 yards = 5.0292 m
* 1 chain = 4 poles = 20.1168 m
* 1 furlong = 10 chains = 201.168 m
* 1 mile = 8 furlongs = 1.609 344 km
* 1 league = 3 miles = 4.828 032 km
No offense but I found this system chaotic! :dizzy2: Nevertheless I can understand the difficulty to convert from a system you are used to, to another one, even if the new is far more functional. In Greece we were used a dozen weight system based on "oka" = 1.28 kilograms which was fully declined about 20 years ago. The people find it difficult to convert to the new metric weight system especially the elder. Now oka has fully declined and most people don't even know the oka-kilogram ratio. (I search the internet to find it)
By the way here is a good program for conversions : Convert (http://www.joshmadison.com/software/convert/) :computer:
Mount Suribachi
06-23-2005, 11:15
Both.
I use the metric system almost exclusively at work (I work in a lab) with the exception of measuring pressure, where you can take your pick from torr, mbar, lbs per square inch, newtons per metre square, atmospheres, mm mercury.... :dizzy2:
Outside of work I use imperial almost exclusively.
What I would like to know, is how do countries that use the metric system handle navigation by plane or ship? The global system of latitude and longitude is based upon the nautical mile. IIRC there are 60 minutes in 1 degree and 1 minute = 1 nautical mile?
I know that RAF planes usually fly in multiples of 60 knots in order to make navigation easier (1 knot = 1 nautical mile per minute), so how do countries like say Germany who use metres for altitude and km/h for speed navigate?
What I would like to know, is how do countries that use the metric system handle navigation by plane or ship?
Planes use imperial units. With ships speed is often measured in knots, don't know what is used for distances.
PyrrhusofEpirus
06-23-2005, 13:32
What I would like to know, is how do countries that use the metric system handle navigation by plane or ship?
Aeroplanes used imperial units for feets for altitude, leagues for distance and miles per hour for speed.
Ships used a mixed system: Imperial (feets) for depth and non imperial neither metric for distance (nautical mile) and speed (knots: 1 knot = 1 nautical mile per hour)
My truck gets 28 furlongs to the hogshead, and thats the way I like it!
ichi :bow:
Sjakihata
06-23-2005, 14:42
planes does NOT use imperial. All russian fighter jets use metric, same goes for german and danish.
So you think Im imagining it?
Some good stuff here. (http://www.energy.gov.ab.ca/2907.asp)
Guess you were, unless you were in Alberta. Those crazy Albertans do everything bass-ackwards.
It hit over a buck per litre in Montreal the other day. It looks like the bus is the way to go.
Well it's never been that expensive here in the maritimes. If a gas station 'round here tried to charge that much for gas for a long time they'd be out of buisness. I mean when gas hit 90 cents a litre for a couple days here my parents and grandfather had a puppy 2 kittens a canary and a flying monkey shooting out of their asses. My grand-father blamed Irving, but he always blames Irving. He thinks that Irving oil is the devils kingdom on earth, and that K.C. Irving was the anti-christ.
Uesugi Kenshin
06-23-2005, 21:08
For pressure I prefer kpa's, mainly because that was all we used in Chem this year...
For some reasonj my honors chemistry teacher said that atmospheres were outdated, anybody know why this is?
One reason why we should switch to metric is guns. The US uses both metric and imperial measurements for bullet diameter. We have .45 caliber H&K Mark 23 pistols for our Spec Ops and 5.56mm NATO standard bullets for M-16's. The Abram's has a 120mm cannon I believe and all heavy artillery that I know of is measured in metric. But Civilians use .30 caliber and such.
So we already have a lot of the knowledge of metric, but continue to perpetuate the Imperial system, even though we have admitted that the Metric system is more accurate and more logical.
Duke Malcolm
06-23-2005, 21:16
We are using kiloPascals for pressures in calculations in Physics, but the teacher constantly refers to atmospheres. To me, the imperial system is just about as accurate and logical. A pint is the perfect measurement of fluid. Inches, feet, and yards are easily implemented as roughly the length of the thumb, the length of the foot, and a stride respectively.
PyrrhusofEpirus
06-23-2005, 21:30
planes does NOT use imperial. All russian fighter jets use metric, same goes for german and danish.
OK I 'm wrong! :surrender:
I considered, taking into account what Silvouz and Mount Suribachi wrote, that nautical and aviation units, that are used in Greece have a global apply! :stupid:
OK I 'm wrong! :surrender:
I considered, taking into account what Silvouz and Mount Suribachi wrote, that nautical and aviation units, that are used in Greece have a global apply! :stupid:
i´m pretty sure that civilian aviation uses imperial.....nacional airforces can use whatever naturally.
kpa is better then atm because of the relationships kpa has with other things.
thanks,
dizzy
Uesugi Kenshin
06-24-2005, 03:41
Ah that makes sense. We have done only a bit of work with it. Mainly Gas Laws work, nothing very complicated.
Imperial may seem more logical for everyday use because of its relationship to some people's appendages, but it is less accurate with small measurements, because fractions are harder to read and are not as accurate when used in calculators due to rounding of some digits. It is only a small difference, but metric is also more logical due to the number of fingers and the nice round way the numnbers 10, 100 and 1000 work in math.
Well it's never been that expensive here in the maritimes. If a gas station 'round here tried to charge that much for gas for a long time they'd be out of buisness. I mean when gas hit 90 cents a litre for a couple days here my parents and grandfather had a puppy 2 kittens a canary and a flying monkey shooting out of their asses. My grand-father blamed Irving, but he always blames Irving. He thinks that Irving oil is the devils kingdom on earth, and that K.C. Irving was the anti-christ.
Irving IS to blame, man! ~;p Seriously, though, whenever I head back down east, it's all everyone ever complains about. "Irving bought this guy out, Irving moved in across the street from this guy and took him out of business, Irving just bought this company, &c...". Irving may be the anti-Christ, but he's a wonderful Capitalist.
Procrustes
06-24-2005, 21:40
Metric's pretty simple - I just remember that a meter is the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299 792 458 second. ~;)
BTW - I was in Newfoundland a couple of weeks ago - gasoline was CA$0.99 per liter just about everywhere. It's about US$2.25 per gallon here in Upstate New York right now (I think that's about US$0.60 / liter.)
Don Corleone
06-24-2005, 21:55
Well, I hated the metric system until I started taking some of my engineering courses. Different engineering disciplines in the US use different systems. Mechanical & civil use imperial, electical (me), computer & chemical use metric.
The beauty of the metric system is that all unit conversions are done by sliding a decimal point. Somebody tells you an object falls out of a plane at 2Km. As it experiences 9.8 m/(sec)^2 acceleration the whole way down, it's a rather trivial matter to convert 2km to 2000 meters and calculate the speed at impact.
In the Imperial system, that would be 1.25 miles, which is 6600 feet. (5280 feet/mile). Yes, it's just one additional multiply, but when you're doing mesurements, they can really add up.
Either one is difficult to convert to the other, but as long as you use metric only, it's pretty easy. Imperial can be difficult to use, even when that's all your using. And I'm an engineer, the challenge is the problem I'm solving, not the calculations to do it... that's just arithmetic. If I wanted to multiply by 12, then 3, then 5280 (to go from miles to inches) instead of just shifting a decimal point 6 places (kilometers to millimeters), I'd be an accountant.
Sasaki Kojiro
06-25-2005, 06:30
I know metric for weight (my weight set is in kilograms) and liquid volume (they sell liter bottles) but not distance. Metric is easier.
Gawain of Orkeny
06-25-2005, 06:47
Originally Posted by Gawain of Orkeny
So you think Im imagining it?
Some good stuff here.
Guess you were, unless you were in Alberta. Those crazy Albertans do everything bass-ackwards.
What about this part?
Conversion and Calculation Center Message Board
Let's take your example, gasoline is 59.9 cents Canadian a litre. ... There are
3.785 litres per US gallon (
note in Canada they use Imperial gallons and .
I believe that just means when there is a gallon of anything, it's an Imperial gallon, not a US gallon. That, in any case, is rare; I've never bought anything by the gallon.
Crazed Rabbit
06-25-2005, 07:52
If by Imperial you mean American (which I assume you are), then of course Imperial! It's used by America, and therefore the best. Sure, it's unlogical but it makes you think, plus the distances are all longer, so you know you're tougher when you run 5 miles than 5 km.
Crazed Rabbit
PS. The dark side of unit measurement does tempt me when I do physics problems, however. So far I have resisted, but I may one day give in to the dark side like the Don.
Gawain of Orkeny
06-25-2005, 10:14
I believe that just means when there is a gallon of anything, it's an Imperial gallon, not a US gallon. That, in any case, is rare; I've never bought anything by the gallon.
Again I was talking of 1973. Maybe some of you should ask your parents about it. ~D
InsaneApache
06-25-2005, 10:25
the UK and US 'Imperial' systems are different.
The US has what we (UK) call a 'short' mile and a 'short' ton and so on.
Imperial is very easy once you understand it. An inch is supposed to come from the width of your thumb, and a yard comes from one stride. (well it IS very old)
However in the UK we have a mess. A mix of the two. I believe it was going to be introduced when we went decimal in 1971, but because of the balls up that created (and inflationary pressure) it was drip fed in.
Prosecuting someone in the UK for not adhering to a dictat from Brussells is a crime in itself. If someone wants to buy a £ of bananas they should be allowed to. Just as long that is what they get and are not short measured.
Still now that the EU is in the start of it's centralist death throes we might regain some common sense in the UK.
Ah, well, now you're talking, Gawain. Gas was sold by the Imperial (that being the UK version) gallon prior to 1978.
_Martyr_
06-25-2005, 20:25
As an engineer (well, still in Uni...) I seriously pitty my American counterparts who use Imperial. :bow:
The worst part of the Imperial system (actually, is it even part of the Imperial system???) is Fahrenheit. I hate Fahrenheit with a passion! :furious3:
Metric for science, imperial for everyday life. Some of the metric units are too big and/or too small to be useful.
What units get used for home-building in Europe? I heard a rumor that the construction business made up a unit since meters are too big for this.
Well there are decameters (a tenth of a meter). So that would be better for home building.
I think they/we use Millimeters.
4230mm = 4m 23cm(or 4m 2dm 3cm, or 4,23m, or 42,3dm or 423cm ~;) ), from what I read here I would be way too lazy to do that in Imperial which I don´t really know. ~D
I live in a country using metrics but work in a business that uses imperial/US units of measurement. Experience has taught me that the Norwegian oilrigs use US units and the Scottish uses imperial. That is not saying this is always so. I am sure there are cases where it’s reverse.
I lied, the Norwegian oilrigs uses a hybrid of units. A drill pipe can be 5 ½" with 4 ½" inner diameter and a 7" Tool Joint and 3 ¾" tool joint ID. The connection threads can be 6" but the pipe length is 9, 35 meters (Range III) or 14 meters (Range II).
InsaneApache
06-26-2005, 20:01
ok...but just to complicate things, is that British Standard, Whitworth or Imperial?
:book:
Duke Malcolm
06-26-2005, 20:10
what are the differences between US and Imperial?
InsaneApache
06-26-2005, 20:17
Do try and keep up King Malcolm ~;)
King Henry V
06-26-2005, 20:18
I generally use the metric system because that' the system I learnt, but I would use imperial measurements if it weren't quite so complicated and if I had more oppurtinity to use them.
InsaneApache
06-26-2005, 20:25
Good God, our sovereign Lord can only add in the French system ???? ~:confused: ????
Gadzooks the king must be infested with demons and succubus.....
Nail him up. Nail some sense into him.
Nay an imposter...he should be let free to live on a island.
God Save the King.
what are the differences between US and Imperial?
Not sure if it bothers with other aspects of measurement, but the US gallon is 4/5 of the UK gallon. Or the other way around...
Duke Malcolm
06-26-2005, 20:52
This is all getting so confusing... why can't it just be simple measurements, the width of the thumb, the length of one foot, the length of a stride. There is always plenty of oppotunity to use the imperial system, by the by. Ask for fluids in pints; speak about feet, inches, and miles; use ounces, pounds and stones for weight.
A lesson in proper measurements:
16 ounces (oz) = 1 pound (lb)
14 pounds (lb) = 1 stone
12 inch (") = 1 foot (')
3 feet (') = 1 yard
1760 yards = 1 mile
1 inch = 1 width of your thumb
1 foot = 1 length of your foot
1 yard = 1 good stride
1 pint = perfect measurement of drink, especially beer, cider and whisky
The Wizard
06-26-2005, 21:11
Metric, well duh. Damn crazy island folk and their wayward subjects ~;p
King Henry V
06-26-2005, 22:00
Good God, our sovereign Lord can only add in the French system ???? ~:confused: ????
Gadzooks the king must be infested with demons and succubus.....
Nail him up. Nail some sense into him.
Nay an imposter...he should be let free to live on a island.
God Save the King.
Blame my parents for not sending me to the International school, instead of having to do the french system.
This is all getting so confusing... why can't it just be simple measurements, the width of the thumb, the length of one foot, the length of a stride. There is always plenty of oppotunity to use the imperial system, by the by. Ask for fluids in pints; speak about feet, inches, and miles; use ounces, pounds and stones for weight.
A lesson in proper measurements:
16 ounces (oz) = 1 pound (lb)
14 pounds (lb) = 1 stone
12 inch (") = 1 foot (')
3 feet (') = 1 yard
1760 yards = 1 mile
1 inch = 1 width of your thumb
1 foot = 1 length of your foot
1 yard = 1 good stride
1 pint = perfect measurement of drink, especially beer, cider and whisky
Haha. A stone has been 20 (or 22) pounds over here for quite some time. Face it, a decimal system is just sensical.
Tachikaze
06-27-2005, 04:51
The metric system isn't "what the Europeans use", it's what almost the entire world uses, except backward countries. For that reason alone, the US should convert. It's absurd to have more than one system.
The ideal system would be for us to count in base 12 and use a metric system in base 12. Base 12 allows divisions by 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 12. Base 10 only allows divisions by 1, 2, 5, and 10.
Muska Burnt
06-27-2005, 07:48
impeial since im used to it and what 14 pounds to a stone?
ok...but just to complicate things, is that British Standard, Whitworth or Imperial?
:book:
Please don't tell me I am going to send a Pipeline crashing into the seabottom because there are differences in the imperial units??
Proletariat
06-27-2005, 15:10
Please don't tell me I am going to send a Pipeline crashing into the seabottom because there are differences in the imperial units??
...oh boy.
Duke Malcolm
06-27-2005, 16:15
Haha. A stone has been 20 (or 22) pounds over here for quite some time. Face it, a decimal system is just sensical.
Where is "over here"?
PyrrhusofEpirus
06-27-2005, 16:34
Please don't tell me I am going to send a Pipeline crashing into the seabottom because there are differences in the imperial units??
In fact various problems arise from the diversity of units:
For example, a NASA mission to Mars(I don't remember what or when) drove in no place, because NASA used a french device which was measuring in metric and nobody convert its results to Imperial! :book:
In fact various problems arise from the diversity of units:
For example, a NASA mission to Mars(I don't remember what or when) drove in no place, because NASA used a french device which was measuring in metric and nobody convert its results to Imperial! :book:This happened not too long ago, they wrecked the vehicle due to a units discrepancy. The main problem with this is that NASA should be using metric, metric should be the standard for science. Just don't ask me how tall I am, or how much I weigh in metric units!
Uesugi Kenshin
06-27-2005, 22:07
Another NASA mission was dropped into Mar's atmosphere too fast because I believe Grumman used one type and NASA used the other. So they wasted a ton of money to create a nice light show above Mars...
EDIT: Messed up an acronym, if anyone noticed. *Inserts foot into mouth, chews vigorously*
Where is "over here"?
Canada. If you scoff and use the word "colony"... :furious3:
I had the discussion not two days ago, actually.
Duke Malcolm
06-28-2005, 17:09
Ahem, I would never use the word colony. We let it stop being that in 1867. It has been a dominion ever since.
Metric makes so much more sense for most stuff.
There are a couple of things that seem to work better in imperial though, like person heights, lengths about a foot & boat dimensions.
Quite like the idea of a hex based version of decimal perhaps
Papewaio
06-28-2005, 21:53
Which do the people of the Org prefer?
Metric :
1000 grams to a kilogram
1000 millilitres to a litre
1000 millimetres to a metre, 1000 metres to a kilometre.
The US lost a quarter of a billion dollars from a poor imperial to metric conversion.
Metric
Grams for mass
Litres for volume
Metres for length.
milli = 1/1000th of the base unit, so 1 millimetre (1mm) = 1/1000th of a metre.
kilo = 1000 times the base unit (1x10^3), so 1 kilometre (1km) = 1000 metres.
or 1000 grams = 1 kg.
1 litre = 1000 cubic centimetres (1000cc) or 1 decimetre cubed (1/10 of a metre cubed), so there are 1000 litres or 1 kilolitre to a cubic metre.
micro = 1/1,000,000th of the base unit. (1x10^-6)
mega = 1,000,000 times the base unit (1x10^6) prefix M
Procrustes
06-28-2005, 22:17
After I replied to this thread I started thinking about all the conversion formulas I have to carry in my head. (I live in the US.) So....
Farenheit = 1.8*Celcius + 32
1 gallon = 3.8 liters
1 kilometer = 0.6 miles
1 cm = 0.4 inches
1 meter = 39 inches
1 foot = 30 cm
1 ounce = 28 grams
1 kilo = 2.2 pounds
And those are just the ones I have used enough to memorize. I'd be very happy if we ever convert - it will make life simpler.
el_slapper
06-29-2005, 14:23
Another thing, why is it so political?
Because it is a reference.
References are highly important in the collective unconscious. That's what makes peoples different. That kind of thing is part of a people's identity. You cannot deal with such things simply with reason - as it does'nt shake one's brain. It does shake one's unconscious.
Many are bathed soooooo deep in the imperial system that it simply went a part of them. I'm a metric boy, but god knows that if I was imperial, I wouldn't want to give up a part of myself.
vBulletin® v3.7.1, Copyright ©2000-2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.