Telegraph wants to return to imperial

[frogwoman]

the telegraph has form for this LOL

Decimalisation Day: Forty years ago, we lost the rich and beautiful poetry in our pockets

Anyway, drawn by the compelling gravitational force of Euro-normality, decimalisation was followed by the synchronised boot stomp of metrication. So, as well as the purge of the 10-bob note, there were pogroms against gallons, quarts, ounces, gills, minims, spoons, pecks, bushels, firkins, hogsheads, feet and cords.

 

[Rob Ray]

I have no idea at all. None.

Well that's at the crux innit. It's not about letting old biddies have their way while still alive, it's that using two systems means you actually can't easily communicate your weight to someone else the same age as you. And in a few decades that's another generation of confused old biddies.

 

[Pickman's model]

they were going to decimalise time so a day had 10 hours lol

they were going to but ran out of time.

 

[editor]

Well that's at the crux innit. It's not about letting old biddies have their way while still alive, it's that using two systems means you actually can't easily communicate your weight to someone else the same age as you. And in a few decades that's another generation of confused old biddies.

Amazingly, societies seem to be able to exist and function with more than one standard. That's why most sensible online forms lets people input their weight in kg or stones while the system slowly works its way into metric. Why should they bend to an unfamiliar system that's been forced on them?

 

[Pickman's model]

the telegraph has form for this LOL

Decimalisation Day: Forty years ago, we lost the rich and beautiful poetry in our pockets

that's not a dewey reference. a dewey reference has a) no initial letter; b) only one decimal point; c) no slashes

e2a: it's also a classification scheme not a cataloguing methodology. aacr2 - the second edition of the anglo-american cataloguing rules - is a cataloguing methodology, as is its successor, rda.

 

[frogwoman]

Amazingly, societies seem to be able to exist and function with more than one standard. That's why most sensible online forms lets people input their weight in kg or stones while the system slowly works its way into metric. Why should they bend to an unfamiliar system that's been forced on them?

editor, yesterday

 

[Artaxerxes]

Why is it a bad idea that old people and traders should be compelled to use a confusing system when shopping in street markets? What difference does it make?

That piss poor piece you linked to is stuffed full of strawmen, btw. Who's arguing for the use of Avoirdupois weight?

It is always worth pointing out that the traders would have every right to sell in pounds and ounces... if it wasn't for Westminster. Not the EU.

 

[Rob Ray]

Amazingly, societies seem to be able to exist and function with more than one standard. That's why most sensible online forms lets people input their weight in kg or stones while the system slowly works its way into metric. Why should they bend to an unfamiliar system that's been forced on them?

But it's not working its way into metric if you let everyone continue to use Imperial, it's endlessly running two systems in parallel. Which makes things needlessly (sometimes dangerously) complicated, as you just ably proved.

 

[SpookyFrank]

how many people know how much they weigh in kilograms?

Me. I weigh 76 kilograms.

 

[2hats]

Amazingly, societies seem to be able to exist and function with more than one standard. That's why most sensible online forms lets people input their weight in kg or stones while the system slowly works its way into metric. Why should they bend to an unfamiliar system that's been forced on them?

Anyone working in any technical/scientific/medical field has been using and is thoroughly familiar with SI/metric and has been since (almost) the 60's (and yes there are other handy units that are used in various branches of physics eg electron volts, arcminutes, etc, generally for ballpark/order of magnitude estimates, but ultimately all precision calculations, particularly for major projects are in metric). Have imperial units ever been taught in (UK) schools since the mid-70's (I never was - I taught myself the imperial system to better communicate with my grandparents and also for a degree of self-amusement)?

while the system slowly works its way into metric

Which I think is the key point - gradual conversion towards/convergence on the SI/metric system; forwards not backwards.

 

[DotCommunist]

who fancies learning to do arithmatic in base 12? they explained binary to me at school and I got it, but I lost it. The scientific calculator industry would see a mini boom as every millennial with a bad gcse maths grade rushes out to buy one

 

[SpookyFrank]

I don't think we were taught Imperial meaurements at school (80s/90s) but we picked them up from our parents. I've also done various jobs where everything is guestimated in feet and inches before being measured out properly in metres/milimetres. Using both systems has never caused me any trouble at all.

 

[Pickman's model]

who fancies learning to do arithmatic in base 12? they explained binary to me at school and I got it, but I lost it. The scientific calculator industry would see a mini boom as every millennial with a bad gcse maths grade rushes out to buy one

the reason we are taught up to the 12 times table is so we can work things out in shillings and pence

 

[Mrs Miggins]

im sure they don't, but that's not the same as implying that hardly anyone does

Yes and those who use kg will start to outnumber those who don't as those who grow up with metric start to outnumber those who did not and the UK gradually gets in step with pretty much the rest of the world.

Oh....hang on....err...um....

 

[Pickman's model]

anyway, where in the article does it say the telegraph wants a return to imperial 8den?

 

[SpookyFrank]

the reason we are taught up to the 12 times table is so we can work things out in shillings and pence

When I first started working you had to do maths in your head to work on a bar, which pretty much every working class kid does at some point. Now everything's touch screen, with a button for every conceivable thing, and no maths is required. This means it takes a lot longer than it used to to buy a pint, and it also means people aren't getting basic arithmetic drilled into them the way they used to.

 

[Pickman's model]

When I first started working you had to do maths in your head to work on a bar, which pretty much every working class kid does at some point. Now everything's touch screen, with a button for every conceivable thing, and no maths is required. This means it takes a lot longer than it used to to buy a pint, and it also means people aren't getting basic arithmetic drilled into them the way they used to.

did no end of good for my mental arithmetic, working in a bar

 

[editor]

But it's not working its way into metric if you let everyone continue to use Imperial, it's endlessly running two systems in parallel. Which makes things needlessly (sometimes dangerously) complicated, as you just ably proved.

It's just as dangerous asking people to use a system they don't understand (not sure of the relevance of your example here, btw). Teach kids metric only and imperial will slowly fade away.

 

[Pickman's model]

It's just as dangerous asking people to use a system they don't understand (not sure of the relevance of your example here, btw). Teach kids metric only and imperial will slowly fade away.

yeh no one now uses reaumur even if they know what it is

 

[DotCommunist]

did no end of good for my mental arithmetic, working in a bar

retail. Any job where you get to supplement your income from the till

 

[Rob Ray]

It's just as dangerous asking people to use a system they don't understand (not sure of the relevance of your example here, btw). Teach kids metric only and imperial will slowly fade away.

The relevance was of people used to one system not really thinking about it and filling the form in wrong, potentially leading to a plane crash. And surely the point where danger is concerned is to push hard to get everyone on one system as early as possible rather than let it linger for generations? I think you're kidding yourself that it'll just fade without intervention - I grew up with pints to drink, feet for height and stones and ounces for weight and I was born long after we joined the EEC in 1973 and agreed to switch. it's now been 43 years and we're still using imperial in the everyday.

Hell try buying a 4cm nail from the guy at the hardware shop down the road from me. You'll get a blank look followed by "we only do inches mate." Guy can't be older than about 45 and no doubt his kids' heights will be written the same way on the kitchen wall.

 

[captainmission]

who fancies learning to do arithmatic in base 12? they explained binary to me at school and I got it, but I lost it. The scientific calculator industry would see a mini boom as every millennial with a bad gcse maths grade rushes out to buy one

I'm sure the Dozenal Society of Great Britain are desperate for recruits

 

[DotCommunist]

the point of metric is to standardise weights and measures anyway. We got time, the french got weights.

 

[Mrs Miggins]

the point of metric is to standardise weights and measures anyway. We got time, the french got weights.

....and I know which one I'd rather have (cue Dr Who music)

 

[weltweit]

back to imperial you say, yup that'll be progress!

 

[Mrs Miggins]

The relevance was of people used to one system not really thinking about it and filling the form in wrong, potentially leading to a plane crash. And surely the point where danger is concerned is to push hard to get everyone on one system as early as possible rather than let it linger for generations? I think you're kidding yourself that it'll just fade without intervention - I grew up with pints to drink, feet for height and stones and ounces for weight and I was born long after we joined the EEC in 1973 and agreed to switch. it's now been 43 years and we're still using imperial in the everyday.

I use both quite happily as well (born 1970) but I still feel it's a backward step to start using Imperial again for many things.

 

[captainmission]

that's why no one has buggered around with the 360 degrees in the circle.

But is that 360 degrees celsius or fahreneit?

 

[Mrs Miggins]

But is that 360 degrees celsius or fahreneit?

Fahrenheit is ridiculous and only used by aged Brits and Americans.

 

[SpookyFrank]

retail. Any job where you get to supplement your income from the till

This is where mental arithmetic is very important. It's hard work running two mental tallies at once, ie how much is actually in the till and how much the till thinks is in the till.

 

[skyscraper101]

Keep both. Live and let live. ffs.

We're probably better educated than most countries about both systems anyway. While America is virtually entirely imperial, and a lot of the rest of the world largely metric, our dual knowledge and use of both systems keeps us ahead of the game. Yo.

Nobody is going to change the pint of ale or go back to pre-decimal currency. Though I'd quite like to see the 100 yard dash re-introduced to the Olympics. In traditional 19th century gentlemen's sporting attire.