4 ms·

UK: we work in Imperial but things are officially priced in metric, except for beer. Petrol is in pence/litre. So you get price per lb and per kg. Lengths are i

UK: we work in Imperial but things are officially priced in metric, except for beer. Petrol is in pence/litre. So you get price per lb and per kg. Lengths are in millimetres on builders plans (to avoid mistakes with decimal points) but road signs are in miles. Makes teaching basic maths to adults a bit more fun... http://sohcahtoa.org.uk/pages/maths_market-metric-proportion.html http://sohcahtoa.org.uk/pages/maths_market-metric-proportion... You would be surprised how many people have issues with decimal place notation still. The low denominator fractions make a lot of sense for a lot of people. French speaking African students of mine will naturally price food in half and quarter kilos.

dalke 12y ago
The UK is a very odd place when it comes to metrication. My experience in Sweden is that things sold in the 1/2 and 1/4 kg sizes are often measured in grams or sometimes hectograms rather than kg. Meat, for example, is usually given in values which are a multiple of 25 g, even when there's more than 1kg. This bypasses the need to use low denominator fractions.
- kps 12y ago
  > Meat, for example, is usually given in values which are a multiple of 25 g Those used to be 28g, and called ‘ounces’.
  - dalke 12y ago
    Point taken, though "usually" also means "not always." For example, http://www.mathem.se/varor/fransyska-o-notstek/fransyska-nat-1220g-ica http://www.mathem.se/varor/fransyska-o-notstek/fransyska-nat... is 1220 grams and https://www.handla24.se/hovslatt/pc-60-288-flskfil-frsk.aspx https://www.handla24.se/hovslatt/pc-60-288-flskfil-frsk.aspx is "about 570 grams". That's 43.6 and 20.4 oz, respectively.
  - lotsofmangos 12y ago
    Ounces are also anything from 27.4g, up to 100g, depending on which ounce is being used. There are loads of different ounces.
allegory 12y ago
UK calling here. My Fiat doesn't have mph on the speedo as it was replaced (like most things ln the car it broke). I've been doing conversions for years from miles to km, gallons to litres etc. It's annoying but kmh is easy. I want to drive 200 miles. How much will it cost at 44.9mpg and 135.9ppl? 200 / 44.9 x 4.456 x 1.359 - yep random unit conversion in the middle. Beer is metric as well until they sell it to you. Whilst I understand all the problems I can only assume its an issue with education as doing decimal math is no more difficult than any other. Sometimes its easier especially when comparing or scaling magnitudes.
UnoriginalGuy 12y ago
It depends a huge amount on age. Younger people in the UK use metric except where imperial is already the de-facto standard (pints, MpH, etc). It is really just older generations who continue to use imperial and to push it all over the place (often inappropriately). At least all food labeling has been standardised on metric (which honestly for cooking and monitoring food intake is a huge improvement). I can like with other areas remaining oddly imperial for now. I just hope as the older generation disappear we start moving closer and closer to true metrification (I'd even want to see km/h so it is consistent with continental europe).
- keithpeter 12y ago
  "Younger people in the UK use metric except where imperial is already the de-facto standard (pints, MpH, etc)." News to me. I teach a few hundred 17-19 year olds each year. They are very hazy about any form of actual measurement.
- rmc 12y ago
  (I'd even want to see km/h so it is consistent with continental europe). Or even, consistent with the country the UK has a land border with.
walshemj 12y ago
I think for "work" the UK has switched to metric as Imperial is just such a PITA for anything technical. For social/general use it still pretty much Imperial
- arethuza 12y ago
  Anyone into walking/climbing is probably used to metric for heights and distances as OS maps have been metric for ages.
lutusp 12y ago
> The low denominator fractions make a lot of sense for a lot of people. There's a funny story about fractions and innumerate Americans. The McDonald's hamburger chain had a successful product in their 1/3-pound hamburger, such that they decided to upgrade to 1/2 pound. But the marketing campaign failed and they couldn't figure out why, so they interviewed their customers. They discovered that people thought 1/2 pound was smaller than 1/3 pound, on the basis that 2 < 3. True story.

dalke 12y ago

The UK is a very odd place when it comes to metrication. My experience in Sweden is that things sold in the 1/2 and 1/4 kg sizes are often measured in grams or sometimes hectograms rather than kg. Meat, for example, is usually given in values which are a multiple of 25 g, even when there's more than 1kg. This bypasses the need to use low denominator fractions.

kps 12y ago
> Meat, for example, is usually given in values which are a multiple of 25 g Those used to be 28g, and called ‘ounces’.
- dalke 12y ago
  Point taken, though "usually" also means "not always." For example, http://www.mathem.se/varor/fransyska-o-notstek/fransyska-nat-1220g-ica http://www.mathem.se/varor/fransyska-o-notstek/fransyska-nat... is 1220 grams and https://www.handla24.se/hovslatt/pc-60-288-flskfil-frsk.aspx https://www.handla24.se/hovslatt/pc-60-288-flskfil-frsk.aspx is "about 570 grams". That's 43.6 and 20.4 oz, respectively.
- lotsofmangos 12y ago
  Ounces are also anything from 27.4g, up to 100g, depending on which ounce is being used. There are loads of different ounces.

allegory 12y ago

UK calling here. My Fiat doesn't have mph on the speedo as it was replaced (like most things ln the car it broke). I've been doing conversions for years from miles to km, gallons to litres etc. It's annoying but kmh is easy. I want to drive 200 miles. How much will it cost at 44.9mpg and 135.9ppl? 200 / 44.9 x 4.456 x 1.359 - yep random unit conversion in the middle. Beer is metric as well until they sell it to you. Whilst I understand all the problems I can only assume its an issue with education as doing decimal math is no more difficult than any other. Sometimes its easier especially when comparing or scaling magnitudes.

UnoriginalGuy 12y ago

It depends a huge amount on age. Younger people in the UK use metric except where imperial is already the de-facto standard (pints, MpH, etc). It is really just older generations who continue to use imperial and to push it all over the place (often inappropriately). At least all food labeling has been standardised on metric (which honestly for cooking and monitoring food intake is a huge improvement). I can like with other areas remaining oddly imperial for now. I just hope as the older generation disappear we start moving closer and closer to true metrification (I'd even want to see km/h so it is consistent with continental europe).

keithpeter 12y ago
"Younger people in the UK use metric except where imperial is already the de-facto standard (pints, MpH, etc)." News to me. I teach a few hundred 17-19 year olds each year. They are very hazy about any form of actual measurement.
rmc 12y ago
(I'd even want to see km/h so it is consistent with continental europe). Or even, consistent with the country the UK has a land border with.

walshemj 12y ago

I think for "work" the UK has switched to metric as Imperial is just such a PITA for anything technical. For social/general use it still pretty much Imperial

arethuza 12y ago
Anyone into walking/climbing is probably used to metric for heights and distances as OS maps have been metric for ages.

lutusp 12y ago

> The low denominator fractions make a lot of sense for a lot of people. There's a funny story about fractions and innumerate Americans. The McDonald's hamburger chain had a successful product in their 1/3-pound hamburger, such that they decided to upgrade to 1/2 pound. But the marketing campaign failed and they couldn't figure out why, so they interviewed their customers. They discovered that people thought 1/2 pound was smaller than 1/3 pound, on the basis that 2 < 3. True story.