Do you think in Metric or Imperial ?

[Mike Ameling]

I don't bother with that ... Euro-trash ... measurement system - unless absolutely forced to. And conversions are a pain in the rear! So I stick with a system that worked well for many centuries, instead of grovelling at the feet of some intellectual snobs.

And when somebody really starts pushing me about using the metric system, I calmly ask them WHICH metric system? Yes, there are SEVERAL! That usually shuts them up!

Mikey - that grumpy ol' luddite German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

 

[Grebby]

I don't bother with that ... Euro-trash ... measurement system - unless absolutely forced to. And conversions are a pain in the rear! So I stick with a system that worked well for many centuries, instead of grovelling at the feet of some intellectual snobs.

And when somebody really starts pushing me about using the metric system, I calmly ask them WHICH metric system? Yes, there are SEVERAL! That usually shuts them up!

Mikey - that grumpy ol' luddite German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

But your pints aren't even full pints!

I'm similar to bigshot except the conversion thing isn't to bad for me.

I just generally work in what's easiest to say at the time.

Grebby

 

[LazySod]

I was taught LSD (pounds, shillings and pence) and survived the conversion over to metric money but still use '10 bob' or 'shilling' every now and then.

Primary school was all imperial then secondary school was during the introduction of metric, so that was real messed up.

Then i became an apprentice engineer and found it depended on the age of the person you were talking to as to wether it was mm or ".

When i got my first car i survived the changeover at the pumps from gallons to litres, i've still got a conversion card somewhere that shows the price per gallon and litre and that went all the way up to the unbelievable price of 32p/lt.

After 25 years in engineering i can convert lengths quickly in my head and use both.

Temps are in C for me.
Distance in miles.
Volume in cubic feet.
Area in sq feet or sq miles.
Liquids are in pints and gallons.
Weights are in pounds and stones.

BUT......

Beer will always be in pints.

 

[Toddy]

Metric just means in tens Mike, it's simple. Imperial is a logistical nightmare of old measurements that don't relate across anything.
A British cup measurement is different from an Australian one and different again from an American one.
Inches can be divided in tens, twelves or sixteenths.......... 1,760 yards to a mile ?
A pint is an eighth of a gallon, how many to a hogshead though ??? and what *is* a *stick* of butter ?

And old money ? 12 pennies or four thrupennny bits to the shilling, five sixpences to the half crown, but four to the florin. 21 shillings to the guinea or 20 to the pound.

Gimme metric every time

 

[Tadpole]

and what *is* a *stick* of butter ?

Gimme metric every time

Half a pack

 

[Grooveski]

Inches can be divided in tens, twelves or sixteenths..........

...or thou'. A metric division of an imperial unit. Oh joy!

I use a similar mishmash as a lot of others have described. I think I think mostly in metric though(I think).
At uni we had an imperial day in the mechanical design class and worked out the forces through a gear train in wiggles and squiggles per square whasisname. What a palava. It's not that it's any harder, just unnecessarily complicated.

 

[MartiniDave]

I'm lucky in that I can use both and interchange quite readily, I suppose it's due to doing an engineering apprenticeship in the late 70's where we had to use both.
I do often have a wry grin to myself when the 2 systems start to get muddled over though. For instance I often listen to guys at the gun club talking about having shot "a 1 inch group at 50 metres" or even "a 125 grain 9mm bullet".

Oh, and time to split hairs. It was drummed into me by the instructors many years ago that "there is no such thing as a centimetre". I don't know if that's really true, but we never use them in engineering.

Dave

 

[gregorach]

Of course there's a thing called a centimetre. They're just not used in engineering (or joinery) to avoid any potential confusion.

Nobody uses decimetres or decametres either, but they're perfectly valid units.

 

[Toddy]

Oh, and time to split hairs. It was drummed into me by the instructors many years ago that "there is no such thing as a centimetre". I don't know if that's really true, but we never use them in engineering.

Dave

Well, I routinely stitch 4 to the cm or for very fine 10, that's 25 to the inch. I know however that Viking weaves are generally between ten and 16 threads per cm, Egyptian hand spun go up to nearly 30 and linen lea numbers are weight per given length divided by the ply and are a logistiacal nightmare, cos wool ones are different and so are modern threads, n/m.
Cms just let me miss out the point in the figures.

I *like* Metric.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Grooveski]

Of course there's a thing called a centimetre. They're just not used in engineering (or joinery) to avoid any potential confusion.

Nobody uses decimetres or decametres either, but they're perfectly valid units.

Yeah, I had it drummed into me the same way and have said the same thing to others myself. The "no such thing" attitude is just a way of enforcing that it should never ever be used under any circumstance.

....even though it does exist.

 

[John Fenna]

Metric just means in tens Mike, it's simple. Imperial is a logistical nightmare of old measurements that don't relate across anything.

Surely ....decimal - based on tens and metric - based on the metre, (an inacurate division of the earths circumference devised by a meglomaniac Corsican corporal)
At least imperial measurements were originally based on Real Measurements ie a foot was based on a foot etc....n ot euro-crazy mistakes....

 

[Toddy]

Surely ....decimal - based on tens and metric - based on the metre, (an inacurate division of the earths circumference devised by a meglomaniac Corsican corporal)
At least imperial measurements were originally based on Real Measurements ie a foot was based on a foot etc....n ot euro-crazy mistakes....

Aye, maybe so, but my foot is a size 3, (or a 4 if I'm buying K's) what's yours ? and I reckon I take three steps to my six foot son's two...how the hang does that work out at 1000 paces to the mile ?

cheers,
M

 

[John Fenna]

My foot is 12" long....so I am OK!
The whole lot was standardised to the body of one of the kings - forget which - after comments like the ones you make......
The French for an inch is puce(sp) which also means thumb......
My thumb is 1 mile long to 1/50000 scale which makes my navigation work well - quite litterally - by rule of thumb!
Inept astro-calculation could never get me to that point

 

[pothunter]

I recently received a drawing to make a valve and got very exited at the size of the thing, it clearly showed imp. measurements. But the longer I looked at it the more concerned I got and phone to confirm the details only to find that all dimensions should have been in mm.

I also get old drawing clearly in imp. with amendments in mm. all dimensions then have to be converted to 'minches', to avoid confusion.

Pothunter.

 

[BorderReiver]

I can't be havin with all these here furrin measurements.

When we had gallons, I could fill my petrol tank for £1. Now look what's happened with litres.

No good'll come of it, you mark my words.

 

[SimonM]

I can't be havin with all these here furrin measurements.

When we had gallons, I could fill my petrol tank for £1. Now look what's happened with litres.

No good'll come of it, you mark my words.

....and I bet you could get a bag of chips and a pint of mild with the change eh?

Simon

 

[Bimble]

did you know that the distance from the tip of your nose to the tip of your finger on your right hand is exactly the same distance as the tip of your nose to the tip of your finger on your left hand!

How weird is that?

 

[BigShot]

Bimble
I'd be surprised if that was the case actually - people aren't symmetrical. In fact it's so much so that people who ARE symmetrical stand out a mile - that Sophie Ellis-Bextor one for example. I've heard her referred to as "The symmetrically faced Sophie Ellis-Bextor".

Funny one though - you had me holding index fingers up to check that one for a moment. Haha.



Toddy
"Well, I routinely stitch 4 to the cm or for very fine 10, that's 25 to the inch."
You'll be losing 0.8 stitches every 2 inches if that's the case
That said, I do agree with you on the simplicity of the metric system.



grooveski
"At uni we had an imperial day in the mechanical design class and worked out the forces through a gear train in wiggles and squiggles per square whasisname. What a palava."
Thanks for that. Comedy gold.

 

[clcuckow]

I think in both. But I tend to think in mm when its small and feet and inched when its larger. With weights and volumes I don't knowingly convert I just know what each equate to.

 

[kai055]

did you know that the distance from the tip of your nose to the tip of your finger on your right hand is exactly the same distance as the tip of your nose to the tip of your finger on your left hand!

How weird is that?

thats not true 4 me