7 ms·

Choice on Units of Measurement: Markings and Sales [pdf]

28 points by explaingarlic 4y ago

keeganjw 4y ago
I say this as an American who uses imperial units everyday, please don't.
- jacknews 4y ago
  Oh come now, we Brits are far too imperious to use your silly American measures. No to your Gills, we'll stick with our Hogsheads thank you.
sdbillin 4y ago
- dang 4y ago
  Please don't break the site guidelines, even when something is stupid or you feel it is. It just makes things worse. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
bediger4000 4y ago
Would the UK go back to imperial money as well? The system of guineas, crowns, pounds, quids, shillings, pence and farthings is really well-suited to the feudal system that Rees-Mogg and Johnson seem to admire and want. Would using imperial money let merchants do dark patterns better? Like the USA pricing gasoline to the mill, $4.499 feels a lot less than $4.50.
- drekipus 4y ago
  How would imperial money be more suited to a feudal system?
  - frutiger 4y ago
    If my memory of AoE2 serves, there’s even an entire Age between them.
- mytailorisrich 4y ago
  In the UK gasoline is also priced to the thousandth: prices are in pence per litre with one decimal point. E.g. at the moment you might see "182.9" for diesel, which of course means £1.829 per litre. I suspect this comes from a time when a Pound was a lot compare to the price of petrol...
Someone1234 4y ago
It isn't ideal bringing politics into this, but in my opinion it isn't possible to discuss it without. This is a political distraction designed to distract BOTH sides (pro & anti Tory government). It is working fantastically since people are discussing this rather than the PM committing crimes, getting caught, and then changing the ethics code to avoid resignation (and multiple no confidence letters from back-benchers). Ultimately this is a consultation with no teeth. Industry are against it since it will add significant cost and regulatory problems, and with the UK already struggling under Brexit importation issues, it would be very self-destructive. It only really appeals to a very old, very pro-Tory demographic, that is rapidly disappearing. But again this is all a political distraction, they will do this consultation, milk it as much as they can, and then pocket it. Or just make it officially optional which nobody will utilize but have some technicality they can point to.
- ShivShankaran 4y ago
- rayiner 4y ago
  I don’t follow UK politics. What are the crimes?
  - OJFord 4y ago
    Allegedly breaking own just-introduced rules on gatherings for staff parties during pandemic. (Is what I assume GP is referring to.)
    - rayiner 4y ago
      Is that what passes for "committing crimes" in the UK these days?
      - gbear605 4y ago
        It’s particularly galling when the prime minister introduces very strict regulations, that even the queen has to abide by (infamously mourning for her husband alone), and then members of the administration throw large parties at the prime minister’s residence. Sure, it’s not that bad from an absolute perspective, and probably no one was hurt by it, but the public generally expects individual members of the government to abide by the law no matter what.
tehwebguy 4y ago
Weird to seek out an expensive change with only downsides but the opening paragraph says it all: > The UK has a long and proud history of using imperial measures and their use is closely associated with our culture and language. Ah yes, the same pitch that sold Brexit.
labster 4y ago
Nothing like bringing back pints to distract from Partygate.
imglorp 4y ago
Imperial measurement guide: https://i.imgur.com/A23caRy.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/A23caRy.jpeg Good luck.
- nuker 4y ago
  There is a mistake. Foot —- 6080 -— nautical mile vs foot —- 3 * 2 * 10 * 100 = 6000 —- nautical mile.
windows2020 4y ago
I get the point of metric, but doesn't a centimeter seem a little too small and a meter a little too big?
- lokedhs 4y ago
  That's why there is the decimetre. For some reason I've noticed it's not that common here in Singapore, but back in Sweden where I grew up, it's used all the time.
  - mytailorisrich 4y ago
    Globally the decimetre is really only used for volumes via the cubic decimetre aka litre.
    - lokedhs 4y ago
      That's very weird, since it's such a useful unit. I've also noticed that the decilitre also seems to be underused outside of Sweden.
- arethuza 4y ago
  Simple answer - no. If pretty much all you've ever known is cm and m then they same as natural as anything else you grew up with.
aaron695 4y ago
Kon-Peki 4y ago
Well, you know that customary imperial fractional units work a lot better with IEEE754 math than metric fractional units…
seanbarry 4y ago
I was born in and have lived in the UK for my entire life. Although this document correctly asserts that we use imperial units in certain use-cases, my anecdotal experience is that I don’t really understand those units at all. When I buy milk, I know roughly how much “2 pints” is, and I know roughly how long it will last me. Similarly, when I see a distance in miles I mentally multiply it by 1.6 to roughly estimate what the distance is in kilometres. When people ask my height, I often give it in both feet/inches and centimetres, but the former means nothing to me. It’s just some words I’ve memorised that directly translate to my height. My point is - I see a divide in the UK. I was born after 1990 and I think many others like me have a similar relationship with imperial units - they don’t “think” in them or understand them at all. It’s my parent’s generation who seem to understand and think in imperial units.
- karakot 4y ago
  I grew up in a metric system country, and moved to the US. Miles are not a problem, I'm driving 60mph, I see that I have to drive 120 miles it will take me 2 hours. A pound is roughly a half kilo. A pint is about half a liter. But what drives me mad is Fahrenheits after 15 years in the US I still struggle with it.
  - seanbarry 4y ago
    It sounds like you have a similar process to me - you don’t actually “think” in or understand the imperial units - you have just memorised benchmark amounts and conversion metrics. That’s why you can’t get your head around fahrenheit - the conversion isn’t an easy one to mentally apply every time.
- arethuza 4y ago
  I'm in my mid 50s in the UK and I was only ever taught metric units - I have no idea how imperial units work. Miles are a unit I only use when driving (and always think of it as 1.6km) and distances and heights seem natural to me in km and m (even though I am working my way round the Munros!).
  - 4y ago

28 points by explaingarlic 4y ago

keeganjw 4y ago

I say this as an American who uses imperial units everyday, please don't.

jacknews 4y ago
Oh come now, we Brits are far too imperious to use your silly American measures. No to your Gills, we'll stick with our Hogsheads thank you.

sdbillin 4y ago

dang 4y ago
Please don't break the site guidelines, even when something is stupid or you feel it is. It just makes things worse. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

bediger4000 4y ago

Would the UK go back to imperial money as well? The system of guineas, crowns, pounds, quids, shillings, pence and farthings is really well-suited to the feudal system that Rees-Mogg and Johnson seem to admire and want. Would using imperial money let merchants do dark patterns better? Like the USA pricing gasoline to the mill, $4.499 feels a lot less than $4.50.

drekipus 4y ago
How would imperial money be more suited to a feudal system?
- frutiger 4y ago
  If my memory of AoE2 serves, there’s even an entire Age between them.
mytailorisrich 4y ago
In the UK gasoline is also priced to the thousandth: prices are in pence per litre with one decimal point. E.g. at the moment you might see "182.9" for diesel, which of course means £1.829 per litre. I suspect this comes from a time when a Pound was a lot compare to the price of petrol...

Someone1234 4y ago

It isn't ideal bringing politics into this, but in my opinion it isn't possible to discuss it without. This is a political distraction designed to distract BOTH sides (pro & anti Tory government). It is working fantastically since people are discussing this rather than the PM committing crimes, getting caught, and then changing the ethics code to avoid resignation (and multiple no confidence letters from back-benchers). Ultimately this is a consultation with no teeth. Industry are against it since it will add significant cost and regulatory problems, and with the UK already struggling under Brexit importation issues, it would be very self-destructive. It only really appeals to a very old, very pro-Tory demographic, that is rapidly disappearing. But again this is all a political distraction, they will do this consultation, milk it as much as they can, and then pocket it. Or just make it officially optional which nobody will utilize but have some technicality they can point to.

ShivShankaran 4y ago
rayiner 4y ago
I don’t follow UK politics. What are the crimes?
- OJFord 4y ago
  Allegedly breaking own just-introduced rules on gatherings for staff parties during pandemic. (Is what I assume GP is referring to.)
  - rayiner 4y ago
    Is that what passes for "committing crimes" in the UK these days?
    - gbear605 4y ago
      It’s particularly galling when the prime minister introduces very strict regulations, that even the queen has to abide by (infamously mourning for her husband alone), and then members of the administration throw large parties at the prime minister’s residence. Sure, it’s not that bad from an absolute perspective, and probably no one was hurt by it, but the public generally expects individual members of the government to abide by the law no matter what.

tehwebguy 4y ago

Weird to seek out an expensive change with only downsides but the opening paragraph says it all: > The UK has a long and proud history of using imperial measures and their use is closely associated with our culture and language. Ah yes, the same pitch that sold Brexit.

labster 4y ago

Nothing like bringing back pints to distract from Partygate.

imglorp 4y ago

Imperial measurement guide: https://i.imgur.com/A23caRy.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/A23caRy.jpeg Good luck.

nuker 4y ago
There is a mistake. Foot —- 6080 -— nautical mile vs foot —- 3 * 2 * 10 * 100 = 6000 —- nautical mile.

windows2020 4y ago

I get the point of metric, but doesn't a centimeter seem a little too small and a meter a little too big?

lokedhs 4y ago
That's why there is the decimetre. For some reason I've noticed it's not that common here in Singapore, but back in Sweden where I grew up, it's used all the time.
- mytailorisrich 4y ago
  Globally the decimetre is really only used for volumes via the cubic decimetre aka litre.
  - lokedhs 4y ago
    That's very weird, since it's such a useful unit. I've also noticed that the decilitre also seems to be underused outside of Sweden.
arethuza 4y ago
Simple answer - no. If pretty much all you've ever known is cm and m then they same as natural as anything else you grew up with.

aaron695 4y ago

Kon-Peki 4y ago

Well, you know that customary imperial fractional units work a lot better with IEEE754 math than metric fractional units…

seanbarry 4y ago

I was born in and have lived in the UK for my entire life. Although this document correctly asserts that we use imperial units in certain use-cases, my anecdotal experience is that I don’t really understand those units at all. When I buy milk, I know roughly how much “2 pints” is, and I know roughly how long it will last me. Similarly, when I see a distance in miles I mentally multiply it by 1.6 to roughly estimate what the distance is in kilometres. When people ask my height, I often give it in both feet/inches and centimetres, but the former means nothing to me. It’s just some words I’ve memorised that directly translate to my height. My point is - I see a divide in the UK. I was born after 1990 and I think many others like me have a similar relationship with imperial units - they don’t “think” in them or understand them at all. It’s my parent’s generation who seem to understand and think in imperial units.

karakot 4y ago
I grew up in a metric system country, and moved to the US. Miles are not a problem, I'm driving 60mph, I see that I have to drive 120 miles it will take me 2 hours. A pound is roughly a half kilo. A pint is about half a liter. But what drives me mad is Fahrenheits after 15 years in the US I still struggle with it.
- seanbarry 4y ago
  It sounds like you have a similar process to me - you don’t actually “think” in or understand the imperial units - you have just memorised benchmark amounts and conversion metrics. That’s why you can’t get your head around fahrenheit - the conversion isn’t an easy one to mentally apply every time.
arethuza 4y ago
I'm in my mid 50s in the UK and I was only ever taught metric units - I have no idea how imperial units work. Miles are a unit I only use when driving (and always think of it as 1.6km) and distances and heights seem natural to me in km and m (even though I am working my way round the Munros!).
- 4y ago