Imperial or metric...

[Aberdonian Stu]

Pineapple claims to be a from "outside the pale", so don't lump his backward opinions on the rest of us.

[Peadar]

Pineapple claims to be a from "outside the pale", so don't lump his backward opinions on the rest of us.

Sorry!

[pete]

Yeah yanks are the biggest problem for keeping the imperial system.

Over yonder a gallon is 3.75 litres whereas its 4.5 litres in Europe.

[Aberdonian Stu]

Seeing as no-one else has posted it yet

"Who keeps the metric system down? Who controls the British Crown? We do! We do!"

And pineapple don't take the "We do" literally. I know you would!

[Macy]

Awful lot of wrong/silly points going around though...

Why? I hate these "arguments" - "Imperial is wrong because I can't work in it". At least have a (proper!) reason!

Metric is all divisible by 10, so therefore it is easier to understand, whereas imperial measurements it changes even within the same measurement type, let alone across the range - hence it's stoopid.
10mm = 1cm
100cm = 1m
1000m = 1km
1000mg = 1gram
1000g = 1kg
1000kg = 1 tonne
etc etc

12inches = 1 foot
3foot = 1 yard
1760 yards = 1 mile
There's no logic to it, so it is stoopid, so stick your pinapple up your arse

[Peadar]

Metric is all divisible by 10, so therefore it is easier to understand, whereas imperial measurements it changes even withing the same measurement type, let alone across the range - hence it's stoopid.

It's so stupid in fact that in order to measure small lengths they had to go metric.
i.e 1/100 of an Inch.

[noby]

It's so stupid in fact that in order to measure small lengths they had to go metric.
i.e 1/100 of an Inch.

I think you're confusing metric with fraction. What's a 1/4pounder so? Metric?

[Peadar]

I think you're confusing metric with fraction. What's a 1/4pounder so? Metric?

I meant that they divided it into 100.
What's a 1/4pounder?

[Macy]

What's a 1/4pounder?

Mines a Royale with Cheese if you're buying....

[pineapple stu]

We're much more advanced outside the Pale than you Jackeens are!

backward opinions

What's so backward about feet and inches, or so advanced about metric? Seriously? Just repeating the one, groundless, line doesn't make it in any meaningful...

I never learned what a yard was.

I honestly find that hard to believe. Even just by hearing it in coversation, you'd pick it up...

My dad works in the construction industry and even though he only learned imperial in school he always uses metric in his job.It's the industry standard. Having grown up over 320Km from the Pale I can assure you that practically everything you buy from the butcher or grocer is sold in a metric weight.

I never mentioned construction...? I know of plumbers who deal in imperial. I know of a company who sell machine-grade drill bits and the like who have an option for imperial or metric on their website. I've seen supermarkets in Tipp where all meat is prices by the pound with the metric in beside. I've been in butchers in Limerick where they weren't even priced in kilos. These are just examples (so don't bother pointing out that there's only four! I'm not going to list all I can think of!), so to say we're practically metric is nonsense.

Every baby's weight is recorded in metric as well as imperial.

I can honestly say I've never heard of anyone referring to a 2kg baby (or whatever is normal). They might give the weight in metric, but no-one pays any attention to it.

You're a crusty student who lives on Pot Noodles, what do you know about cooking and recipies?

Oh, good point! Actually, I'm a qualified accountant who has never touched Pot Noodles in my life. What does that say about your point now? Let's try and keep this in some way intelligent!

I've two chefs in the family and they dispute your point.

Fair enough. All the recipes in our house - and in the extended family, from what I've seen - are in imperial. I happened to pick up a cookery book only the other week with quantities in both measures, so I dispute your point.

The next time you see roadworks and there's markings sprayed onto the road you'll see that the unit used is also metric.

True, but not what I was talking about. If you look at the distance signs, you'll see a good many of them in miles still. More so in smaller towns than on motorways and the like.

I know what a metre looks like so I can visualise 1,000 of them just in the same way that someone like you tries to visualise what a mile looks like.

But how do you picture exactly a thousand? That's far more difficult than it sounds. And it's also completely different - not the same - as I picture a mile (to the shops and back).

It's so stupid in fact that in order to measure small lengths they had to go metric. i.e 1/100 of an Inch.

Not true - the standard is 1/64th of an inch. You'll see it on many precision tools. There's no reason you can't use 1/100th of an inch, but it's not that common.

Metric is all divisible by 10, so therefore it is easier to understand.

Is that true though? The reason you find metric easier is because you're used to it. The dodderiest aul wan can work in pounds and ounces without even thinking about it - are you saying she's more intelligent than you? I think the supposed advantage of it is that it deals in smaller numbers (i.e. when you start getting to 20-odd ounces, you can switch to pounds, and then to stone, hundredweight, tonne, etc.), so it's easier to work with in your head.

I still don't see why we have to waste millions changing everything just because the youth of today don't have the cranial capacity to deal in anything other than factors of ten...

There's no logic to it, so it is stoopid, so stick your pinapple up your arse

...or even have the cranial capacity to make intelligent points!

[noby]

What's a 1/4pounder?

Y'know. A Royale with cheese

[Peadar]

Mines a Royale with Cheese if you're buying....

You'll have a Spicy Tender Crisp and be happy with that!

*EDIT* Just for Pinhead, Spicy Tender Crisp sandwich sold in the UK is 5.2oz

[pineapple stu]

Mine's a Royale with Cheese if you're buying....

Y'know. A Royale with cheese

Now that's scary! Within seconds of each other too!

[noby]

I know. Freaked me out too.

[Schumi]

Not true - the standard is 1/64th of an inch. You'll see it on many precision tools. There's no reason you can't use 1/100th of an inch, but it's not that common.

The milli-inch (I $hit you not!) is what the Yanks use for precision measurement, showing that metric methods are the best way to measure precise distances.

[Macy]

Is that true though? The reason you find metric easier is because you're used to it. The dodderiest aul wan can work in pounds and ounces without even thinking about it - are you saying she's more intelligent than you? I think the supposed advantage of it is that it deals in smaller numbers (i.e. when you start getting to 20-odd ounces, you can switch to pounds, and then to stone, hundredweight, tonne, etc.), so it's easier to work with in your head.

I still don't see why we have to waste millions changing everything just because the youth of today don't have the cranial capacity to deal in anything other than factors of ten...


...or even have the cranial capacity to make intelligent points!

Certainly easier to learn metric, I agree, but then more time to give students a more rounded education rather than then by wrote all the different imperial measurements. Only a nerd would actually rather learn imperial measurements than the easy peasy metric.

[Peadar]

But how do you picture exactly a thousand? That's far more difficult than it sounds. And it's also completely different - not the same - as I picture a mile (to the shops and back).

There's nothing exact about it.
It's an approximate.

What you're talking about with regard to the shops and back is not a mesurement at all. Just a statement. Back to what I said earlier about a "country mile."

You're on about how you see imperial in shops and butchers.
Fair enough, it still exists because we still have people alive who haven't learned metric. When they're dead we'll have a country full of people who think in metric.

[Risteard]

I always wondered about the clock.
Is there any reason (astrological or other) why there is 24 hours in the day?

[pineapple stu]

The milli-inch (I $hit you not!) is what the Yanks use for precision measurement, showing that metric methods are the best way to measure precise distances.

Ah, the Yanks! With their fine reputation for precision in bomb-building and the like!

[Schumi]

I always wondered about the clock.
Is there any reason (astrological or other) why there is 24 hours in the day?

The Babylonians liked their 6s I think, hence 60 minutes in an hour and 60 seconds in a minute.