16-05-2005, 02:21 PM
|
|
|
In article , writes:
| MM wrote:
|
| Don't you think 'tonne' looks stupid with 'ne' tagged on the ende?
|
| No, it tells me that it is 1000kg as opposed to 2240lbs, a useful (if
| quite small) distinction.
Did you know that a ton is originally a volumetric measure, and
the measure of weight was a 'ton tight'? Also, 2240 is the ton
avoirdupois, and there are many other possible weights that were
in common use until recently. I was taught about long and short
tons at school and, if I recall, they were 2000 and 2400 pounds.
Anyway, there have seen several metric tons (or tonnes) in my
time, though the difference is unlikely to affect gardeners :-)
Regards,
Nick Maclaren.
|