4 ms·

I look forward to everywhere using metric. I'm in the UK, 27 and still struggle at times to comprehend lbs, ounces, stone, feet, inches, yards, miles etc., whe

I look forward to everywhere using metric. I'm in the UK, 27 and still struggle at times to comprehend lbs, ounces, stone, feet, inches, yards, miles etc., when everything I was taught in school was in metres, litres, newtons and kilogrammes.

ErrantX 14y ago
Also in the UK. Apart from lengths (feet vs. metres) I don't really find myself needing to calculate between the different units. I couldn't tell you how many litres in a 4 pint bottle of milk (or a pint of beer :)) but all other milk (or beer) is sold with those units, so I can easily compare. I mean, we are supposed to be metric - but there are plenty of imperial measures in use (height, is another obvious example).
- mootothemax 14y ago
  height, is another obvious example Strangely enough, whilst I'm fine with lengths and distances in metres, the minute someone tries to tell me how tall they are in metres and centimetres, I'm completely thrown. It's the one conversion I pathetically still really struggle with (UK -> Poland in this case).
  - nathell 14y ago
    I had the very same problem, only in the opposite direction, living in Poland for the first 27 years of my life and moving to the UK just over a year ago. Just bear in mind that 6ft is approximately 180 cm, anything above is above, and anything lower is lower. This gives you a first approximation with only remembering one number. Also, 4in is about 10cm and is easy to add/subtract both ways. This might not be very exact, but it will give you a quick idea.
    - jamesjguthrie 14y ago
      One note I like to remember is that a foot is the length of a school ruler, everybody remembers the size of a school ruler.
jamesjguthrie 14y ago
We ask for a footlong, a quarter pounder etc when we go out for fast food. Our fat friends are 16 stone, 17 stone. We live miles away from each other. Penalties in football are taken in the 18 yard box. We use cup measures for flour, sugar etc in cooking. The average penis is ~6 inches when fully erect. I've got two 4 pint cartons of milk in my fridge. I could go on. Imperial units are absolute muck and I cannot wait for a entirely metric world.
- SideburnsOfDoom 14y ago
  > We ask for a footlong, a quarter pounder etc when we go out for fast food. So? There's nothing wrong with asking for something called a "footlong" and getting a 30cm meal. Nothing wrong with asking for a "pint" and getting 500ml of beverage.
  - jamesjguthrie 14y ago
    I don't mean that we only ask for these things, we are served these things. We are served 6 inch or foot-long subs; pints - not half litres - of beer; etc. It's not just a simple lingual thing. We actually buy products that are divided into round imperial measurements, i.e. 1 foot, 1/4 of a pound, 2 pints, etc.
    - SideburnsOfDoom 14y ago
      > We actually buy products that are divided into round imperial measurements ... Imperial units are absolute muck and I cannot wait for a entirely metric world. Ah sorry, I misread your grandparent post, I thought you wanted to keep the Imperial names & sizes.
- macca321 14y ago
  a gallon of milk, eh? you must drink a lot of it
  - jamesjguthrie 14y ago

ErrantX 14y ago

Also in the UK. Apart from lengths (feet vs. metres) I don't really find myself needing to calculate between the different units. I couldn't tell you how many litres in a 4 pint bottle of milk (or a pint of beer :)) but all other milk (or beer) is sold with those units, so I can easily compare. I mean, we are supposed to be metric - but there are plenty of imperial measures in use (height, is another obvious example).

mootothemax 14y ago
height, is another obvious example Strangely enough, whilst I'm fine with lengths and distances in metres, the minute someone tries to tell me how tall they are in metres and centimetres, I'm completely thrown. It's the one conversion I pathetically still really struggle with (UK -> Poland in this case).
- nathell 14y ago
  I had the very same problem, only in the opposite direction, living in Poland for the first 27 years of my life and moving to the UK just over a year ago. Just bear in mind that 6ft is approximately 180 cm, anything above is above, and anything lower is lower. This gives you a first approximation with only remembering one number. Also, 4in is about 10cm and is easy to add/subtract both ways. This might not be very exact, but it will give you a quick idea.
  - jamesjguthrie 14y ago
    One note I like to remember is that a foot is the length of a school ruler, everybody remembers the size of a school ruler.

jamesjguthrie 14y ago

We ask for a footlong, a quarter pounder etc when we go out for fast food. Our fat friends are 16 stone, 17 stone. We live miles away from each other. Penalties in football are taken in the 18 yard box. We use cup measures for flour, sugar etc in cooking. The average penis is ~6 inches when fully erect. I've got two 4 pint cartons of milk in my fridge. I could go on. Imperial units are absolute muck and I cannot wait for a entirely metric world.

SideburnsOfDoom 14y ago
> We ask for a footlong, a quarter pounder etc when we go out for fast food. So? There's nothing wrong with asking for something called a "footlong" and getting a 30cm meal. Nothing wrong with asking for a "pint" and getting 500ml of beverage.
- jamesjguthrie 14y ago
  I don't mean that we only ask for these things, we are served these things. We are served 6 inch or foot-long subs; pints - not half litres - of beer; etc. It's not just a simple lingual thing. We actually buy products that are divided into round imperial measurements, i.e. 1 foot, 1/4 of a pound, 2 pints, etc.
  - SideburnsOfDoom 14y ago
    > We actually buy products that are divided into round imperial measurements ... Imperial units are absolute muck and I cannot wait for a entirely metric world. Ah sorry, I misread your grandparent post, I thought you wanted to keep the Imperial names & sizes.
macca321 14y ago
a gallon of milk, eh? you must drink a lot of it
- jamesjguthrie 14y ago