Can we also go back to red & black wires please...

[pc1966]

Yeah... that was my point.. the legally binding value is in metric. So I hope that we can move away from that and have legally binding units in imperial too !

You mean to use the industrial inch that was defined as 25.4 mm in 1930?

Or would you prefer to use the US survey inch, or maybe the the older Scottish inch? Or maybe go back to the Roman inch (standardized under Agrippa to about 0.97 inches or 24.6 millimetres)?

 

[nicebutdim]

I think it's important to keep in mind that the proposal isn't to abandon metric, but to allow goods to be sold by imperial measures.

We've never stopped buying pints of milk or beer, but legally we weren't actually doing so. Traders had to sell us metric equivalents when we asked for imperial measures. If an item has traditionally been produced to an imperial standard, and common sense dictates that it continues to be, I don't see any problem with that. It's not as though we're ever going to abandon the metric system and find ourselves suddenly banned from buying cable by the metre.

While the proposals are partly rhetoric aimed at appeasing those who intensely dislike the EU, it must be remembered that nothing was achieved when bureaucracy mandated that all goods had to be sold by metric measures - we asked for goods by the same measures before and after EU membership mandated change and we'll continue to to so in future. A sensible shopkeeper will happily serve their customers, regardless of whether they want to buy bananas by the lb or kg.

In short; this is a storm in a tea cup and will have no impact on daily life.

 

[R-fur]

No way should we try and go back to imperial units, why some people are still using them is beyond me. I am 62 and was only taught metric is school, when I started working everyone was talking in alien when it came to measurements. The imperial system was a nightmare to learn as a 16/17 year old. It is rediculous that 50 years on we are still using both systems we should be like Ireland or Canada and just be metric. I would happily buy my beer in half liters and would not have a problem with road signe and speeds in Kilometers.

 

[pc1966]

To be fair, road signs are a bit like the side of the road you drive on (or are supposed to!). Changing them has very little benifit but enormous negative consequences for years to come due to existing cars being equiped for another system, and "muscle memory" of where you try to drive/turn.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Just remember when driving on the right in a right hand drive car, turning in any direction stay in the gutter.

 

[R-fur]

To be fair, road signs are a bit like the side of the road you drive on (or are supposed to!). Changing them has very little benifit but enormous negative consequences for years to come due to existing cars being equiped for another system, and "muscle memory" of where you try to drive/turn.

I totaly accept that, but if we had done it 50 years ago when we 'went metric' we would be over it now.

I admit it would be fun watching the younger generation working things out without a calculator. We should bring back slide rules and realy teach Europe a lesson

 

[Mike Johnson]

I went all the way through UNI with a slide rule, but admit that when using one I often multiplied 2 x 2 or similar as I got into the mode of using it for long calculations, the beauty of a slide rule is the logarithmic results are only a turn of the rule, no saving into memory and then re-call to carry on the calculation, often foxed young engineers how I had the answer before them.

 

[nicebutdim]

No way should we try and go back to imperial units, why some people are still using them is beyond me. I am 62 and was only taught metric is school, when I started working everyone was talking in alien when it came to measurements. The imperial system was a nightmare to learn as a 16/17 year old. It is rediculous that 50 years on we are still using both systems we should be like Ireland or Canada and just be metric. I would happily buy my beer in half liters and would not have a problem with road signe and speeds in Kilometers.

What benefit would we gain from distance and speed being expressed in metric, rather than imperial? It's been some time since the change was made in IE, yet I still don't know of a single benefit. I can think of a number of detrimental issues which arose from the change.

Most of the metric measures we use came about through convenience. Many imperial measures remained as they were convenient and no real benefit would be derived from change. It's not as though kids have to learn about pounds, shillings and pence - I'm 46 and didn't learn about those at school.

 

[pc1966]

What benefit would we gain from distance and speed being expressed in metric, rather than imperial? It's been some time since the change was made in IE, yet I still don't know of a single benefit. I can think of a number of detrimental issues which arose from the change.

The usual argument is for the car maker's benefit, so they don't have so meany variations in specifications, etc. However as ROI drives on the same side as UK it seems to actually be detrimental there as you are creating yet another variation!

It's not as though kids have to learn about pounds, shillings and pence - I'm 46 and didn't learn about those at school.

You don't think the next "Brexit benefit" will be the return of lsd (and not the drug)?

 

[pirate]

I'm not really in favour of returning to pounds, shillings, pennies, florins, half-crowns etc, but I firmly believe tha the major cuses of inflation were the introduction of the decimal coinage, and...
the abolition of the ten bob note!

However, if we are to seek change, may I suggest that we all return to quoting our fees in guineas? An immediate %5 uplift while looking posh!

 

[nicebutdim]

The usual argument is for the car maker's benefit, so they don't have so meany variations in specifications, etc. However as ROI drives on the same side as UK it seems to actually be detrimental there as you are creating yet another variation!


You don't think the next "Brexit benefit" will be the return of lsd (and not the drug)?

I guess Japanese car makers would build RHD vehicles with metric displays for their domestic market, although Japanese cars sold in IE would be built in Europe.

Most issues surrounding Brexit are complete and utter nonsense - either people trying to extoll benefits that aren't beneficial to anyone or people moaning about issues for the sake of moaning. I don't think the average person cares much for either extreme and have more interest in getting on with their lives.

It's also worth noting that the EU backed down from forcing full UK adoption of metric almost 15 years ago and that metric currency was adopted in the UK before we joined the EC.

 

[littlespark]

It’s a little strange when we buy petrol and diesel in litres, but fuel economy is given as mpg….

 

[nicebutdim]

It’s a little strange when we buy petrol and diesel in litres, but fuel economy is given as mpg….

One thing I noted when pricing switched to litres was the change in people's perception of price fluctuations.

They see price increases in monetary terms per unit, not realising that the old unit was 4.54 times greater than the new and that an increase of 5p/litre is 22.7p/gallon. £1.50/litre is expensive to most people, but I can't help wondering what their thoughts might be about fuel costing £6.81/gallon.


On a different note; when I see people in the US complain about the rising cost of fuel per gallon, I can't help wondering how they'd feel if they used proper, full sized gallons

 

[DPG]

One thing I noted when pricing switched to litres was the change in people's perception of price fluctuations.

They see price increases in monetary terms per unit, not realising that the old unit was 4.54 times greater than the new and that an increase of 5p/litre is 22.7p/gallon. £1.50/litre is expensive to most people, but I can't help wondering what their thoughts might be about fuel costing £6.81/gallon.


On a different note; when I see people in the US complain about the rising cost of fuel per gallon, I can't help wondering how they'd feel if they used proper, full sized gallons

I've given you a like. However I've had a few beers with the Mrs so can't fully work it out.

 

[telectrix]

At least 2440 x 1220 allowed old duffers to visualise the size as 8 x 4.

how can you explain that? to visualise that i need to read the mm off a dual tape measure.

 

[telectrix]

We call it a “pint of milk” but it’s 568ml marked on the label.
Most are sold as 500ml, 1L or 2l now

We should be clever enough to deal with both systems. One is not better than the other.

and in most cases the result is that you get less content for the same money. e.g. 2 litres of milk costs same as 4pints. but it's only 3 1/2 pints.

 

[telectrix]

and lets not forget our scottish friends that measure cable in cabers.

 

[pc1966]

It’s a little strange when we buy petrol and diesel in litres, but fuel economy is given as mpg….

There are a number of oddities in car figures. As you say we in the UK use "fuel economy" in mpg based on our historic units, where as in the EU it is "fuel consumption" in l/km for much the same reason, but choosing to give it inversely (i.e. fuel used per unit distance, rather than distance covered per unit fuel).

I presume the USA is also mpg but a different g!

However, the UK as always (going back to 1920s at least) given engine displacement in litres, where as the USA uses cubic inches.

 

[nicebutdim]

There are a number of oddities in car figures. As you say we in the UK use "fuel economy" in mpg based on our historic units, where as in the EU it is "fuel consumption" in l/km for much the same reason, but choosing to give it inversely (i.e. fuel used per unit distance, rather than distance covered per unit fuel).

I presume the USA is also mpg but a different g!

However, the UK as always (going back to 1920s at least) given engine displacement in litres, where as the USA uses cubic inches.

Displacement in cubic inches sounds great when talking about what's under the bonnet of your Charger, but it's one unit of measure I've never had any desire to learn the conversion for. Same with temperatures in fahrenheit - I don't need to know.

 

[Mike Johnson]

It's why estate agents still tell you the sq/ft of a building/house instead of m/sq it sounds more.

 

[R-fur]

Absolutly, The media annoys me by quoting summer temperture in F and winter temp in C just because it gives a more dramatic number.

 

[littlespark]

which weather report to you watch? Never know them to do anything but centigrade….

Cooking programmes give Celsius, Fahrenheit and a gas mark

 

[Mike Johnson]

Have you ever noticed on TV weather channels that Southern Ireland does not have weather.

 

[R-fur]

which weather report to you watch? Never know them to do anything but centigrade….

they never say Britain swelters in 30 degrees its always Britain swelters in the high 80's

 

[Mike Johnson]

they never say Britain swelters in 30 degrees its always Britain swelters in the high 80's

Oh which millennium was that?