Originally Posted By: Notes Norton
And yes rharv, we are a weird country to only go partial metric. We need to get over the Imperial System and modernize.

I don't really know why we resist. Does anybody?


Notes ♫

Here in the UK I was taught both metric and Imperial systems when I was a child. I'm now 70. I was once told the Britain would only truly go entirely metric once all the people who had been taught the Imperial system had died.

I think there may be reasons to resist.

In the UK if I buy timber, I'm typically obliged to buy the "metric equivalents" cross-sectional sizes, e.g. 25mmx50mm sawn, 22x45 planed or possibly smaller and with lengths in "wood units", which are 300mm, which is a little less than a foot and which means I can't buy 4m, I have to buy 4.1 metres.

If I'm trying to match timber in my house, which was built in 1911, I sometimes have to buy the next size up and plane it down, though fortunately not too often, though I had to do that extensively when I renewed my floors a few years ago.

If I buy windows or doors, I can buy them in metric (which won't fit) or imperial-equivalent sizes (which will). Builders merchants have to stock both, of course.
Ditto with plumbing where we have a totally crazy mix of imperial and metric.

For me the craziest thing of all was when I was a beekeeper. Due to EU regulations we were legally mandated to sell in metric quantities, but to avoid waste of tooling and jars and so on, we were allowed to continue to use the Imperial jars, however they had to be labelled in the "metric" quantities 112g, 227g and 454g (i.e. 1/4lb, 1/2lb and 1lb).

Having grown up with both systems and having knowledge of a few older systems, and having translated between them my whole life, I will occasionally switch to spans and cubits, or to bushels, just to be mischievous. All priced in guineas, of course. (A guinea was one pound and a shilling, now a pound and 5p).

It's all very silly and often quite frustrating.

Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful.
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