Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
|
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
Here in Britain: Petrol is sold in litres but roads are measured in miles. Unfortunately fuel consumption is only available in mpg or litres/100km, when it would make much more sense if it was reported as miles/litre or litres/100 miles. Some oldies have to convert litres to gallons in their head, to understand what they are buying, but I haven't discussed gallons with anyone for many years, except hidden in mpg fuel consumption measures. The weather forecast is given in celcius as the prime measure, (with Frankenstein in parenthesis on occasion). Although a few over 50s still think in Frankenstein, celcius (often given its old name centigrade) is what is in common use. Beer and milk are sold in pints, but all other liquids are sold in litres. So there is still an understanding of pints for consumable liquids. Recipe books and scales still use pounds/oz with metric alternative. So although food is sold in kg in shops, pounds/oz remain deeply engrained. Personally I mainly use metric, though certain recipes I've been using for decades I still think in oz. US recipes in cups confuse us terribly. I have stuck a label on my scales 1 cup = 225g, for translation from US recipe books. Even though in theory metric, a lot of packaged things are sold in amounts of "about a pound", sometimes precisely 454g, but often 400g, 450g, 500g. Although certain things have legally prescribed package sizes: wine can be sold as 375ml, 500ml, 750ml, 1000ml, and no other sizes in this range. So the old practice of selling you 720ml, 700ml, even 690ml I saw once, is outlawed. Everything in DIY shops is metric. Working off plans, builders use mm. But people know their height in feet and inches and it is a rare person who readily knows it in mm, although that is how the doctor will record it on your medical records. People still give approximations in inches, even young people, though they never do any sums at school in such amounts. So, apart from miles for roads (in fact it is illegal to measure roads in km, a council who put up some metric signs had to take them down) and pints for beer and milk, just about everything else is legally required to be metric in Britain. After 30-40 years, we are are increasingly getting used to them. But inches/feet and pounds/oz remain engrained in the culture, even for young people, even though they learn nothing about them at school. |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
OT English System vs Imperial System of Measure
echinosum wrote:
Nad R;927420 Wrote: I have traveled to Canada on occasion. Canada uses the Imperial Gallon as 4.5 liters. Where the US Gallon is 3.7 liters for gasoline containers. So can I assume we both learned something here? You now know what the English System is now? And that we both need to be conscious of the English vs Imperial differences? In the US every day life people use the English System. In the Science Arena is the only area in the US that uses the Metric System in which I am also familure with. But as you stated you seem to use a mixed system, Celsius for temperature and inches for measurement. Is this common to mix it up in your part of the world? Here in the US the two systems are separate, no mix. It is one or the other. I was in Guatemala once. Small size drink bottles were 12 oz, larger ones were 1 litre. Mixes of measures are not uncommon. Here in Britain: Petrol is sold in litres but roads are measured in miles. Unfortunately fuel consumption is only available in mpg or litres/100km, when it would make much more sense if it was reported as miles/litre or litres/100 miles. Some oldies have to convert litres to gallons in their head, to understand what they are buying, but I haven't discussed gallons with anyone for many years, except hidden in mpg fuel consumption measures. The weather forecast is given in celcius as the prime measure, (with Frankenstein in parenthesis on occasion). Although a few over 50s still think in Frankenstein, celcius (often given its old name centigrade) is what is in common use. Beer and milk are sold in pints, but all other liquids are sold in litres. So there is still an understanding of pints for consumable liquids. Recipe books and scales still use pounds/oz with metric alternative. So although food is sold in kg in shops, pounds/oz remain deeply engrained. Personally I mainly use metric, though certain recipes I've been using for decades I still think in oz. US recipes in cups confuse us terribly. I have stuck a label on my scales 1 cup = 225g, for translation from US recipe books. Even though in theory metric, a lot of packaged things are sold in amounts of "about a pound", sometimes precisely 454g, but often 400g, 450g, 500g. Although certain things have legally prescribed package sizes: wine can be sold as 375ml, 500ml, 750ml, 1000ml, and no other sizes in this range. So the old practice of selling you 720ml, 700ml, even 690ml I saw once, is outlawed. Everything in DIY shops is metric. Working off plans, builders use mm. But people know their height in feet and inches and it is a rare person who readily knows it in mm, although that is how the doctor will record it on your medical records. People still give approximations in inches, even young people, though they never do any sums at school in such amounts. So, apart from miles for roads (in fact it is illegal to measure roads in km, a council who put up some metric signs had to take them down) and pints for beer and milk, just about everything else is legally required to be metric in Britain. After 30-40 years, we are are increasingly getting used to them. But inches/feet and pounds/oz remain engrained in the culture, even for young people, even though they learn nothing about them at school. So I see said the blind man. Here in the US I have noticed most modern books on baking no longer measure dry goods by volume. Many of the newer books on baking measure dry goods by weight because items like flour can very from different sources. When they go by weight the baked goods tend to more consistent. But remember the first line. A gallon is not same as a gallon in Canada. A pint in the US is sixteen ounces, some countries a pint is twenty ounces ( I think ). So math may not be a common language after all -- Enjoy Life... Nad R Garden in zone 5a All postings uses the American System of Measures. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...ustomary_units |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
OT English System vs Imperial System of Measure
Nad R wrote:
echinosum wrote: Nad R;927420 Wrote: I have traveled to Canada on occasion. Canada uses the Imperial Gallon as 4.5 liters. Where the US Gallon is 3.7 liters for gasoline containers. So can I assume we both learned something here? You now know what the English System is now? And that we both need to be conscious of the English vs Imperial differences? In the US every day life people use the English System. In the Science Arena is the only area in the US that uses the Metric System in which I am also familure with. But as you stated you seem to use a mixed system, Celsius for temperature and inches for measurement. Is this common to mix it up in your part of the world? Here in the US the two systems are separate, no mix. It is one or the other. I was in Guatemala once. Small size drink bottles were 12 oz, larger ones were 1 litre. Mixes of measures are not uncommon. Here in Britain: Petrol is sold in litres but roads are measured in miles. Unfortunately fuel consumption is only available in mpg or litres/100km, when it would make much more sense if it was reported as miles/litre or litres/100 miles. Some oldies have to convert litres to gallons in their head, to understand what they are buying, but I haven't discussed gallons with anyone for many years, except hidden in mpg fuel consumption measures. The weather forecast is given in celcius as the prime measure, (with Frankenstein in parenthesis on occasion). Although a few over 50s still think in Frankenstein, celcius (often given its old name centigrade) is what is in common use. Beer and milk are sold in pints, but all other liquids are sold in litres. So there is still an understanding of pints for consumable liquids. Recipe books and scales still use pounds/oz with metric alternative. So although food is sold in kg in shops, pounds/oz remain deeply engrained. Personally I mainly use metric, though certain recipes I've been using for decades I still think in oz. US recipes in cups confuse us terribly. I have stuck a label on my scales 1 cup = 225g, for translation from US recipe books. Even though in theory metric, a lot of packaged things are sold in amounts of "about a pound", sometimes precisely 454g, but often 400g, 450g, 500g. Although certain things have legally prescribed package sizes: wine can be sold as 375ml, 500ml, 750ml, 1000ml, and no other sizes in this range. So the old practice of selling you 720ml, 700ml, even 690ml I saw once, is outlawed. Everything in DIY shops is metric. Working off plans, builders use mm. But people know their height in feet and inches and it is a rare person who readily knows it in mm, although that is how the doctor will record it on your medical records. People still give approximations in inches, even young people, though they never do any sums at school in such amounts. So, apart from miles for roads (in fact it is illegal to measure roads in km, a council who put up some metric signs had to take them down) and pints for beer and milk, just about everything else is legally required to be metric in Britain. After 30-40 years, we are are increasingly getting used to them. But inches/feet and pounds/oz remain engrained in the culture, even for young people, even though they learn nothing about them at school. So I see said the blind man. Here in the US I have noticed most modern books on baking no longer measure dry goods by volume. Many of the newer books on baking measure dry goods by weight because items like flour can very from different sources. When they go by weight the baked goods tend to more consistent. But remember the first line. A gallon is not same as a gallon in Canada. A pint in the US is sixteen ounces, some countries a pint is twenty ounces ( I think ). It's worse than the difference in ounces per pint (or gallon). The US fluid ounce is not the same as the Imperial fluid ounce either. The interesting thing is you can agree over what is in a bottle of scotch. A US fifth (one fifth of a US gal) is the same as one sixth of an Imperial gallon which was the traditional size for wine and spirit bottles. So all those bottles of Laphroaig were despatched for US consumption only needed new labels. With metric conversion those scotch bottles were rounded to 750ml and now somehow to 700ml. The universe is clearly shrinking. David |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
OT English System vs Imperial System of Measure
"David Hare-Scott" wrote:
It's worse than the difference in ounces per pint (or gallon). The US fluid ounce is not the same as the Imperial fluid ounce either. The interesting thing is you can agree over what is in a bottle of scotch. A US fifth (one fifth of a US gal) is the same as one sixth of an Imperial gallon which was the traditional size for wine and spirit bottles. So all those bottles of Laphroaig were despatched for US consumption only needed new labels. With metric conversion those scotch bottles were rounded to 750ml and now somehow to 700ml. The universe is clearly shrinking. David We're Doomed And I thought the universe was expanding according to the latest news on astrophysics. Time to get a bottle of scotch -- Enjoy Life... Nad R Garden in zone 5a All postings uses the American System of Measures. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...ustomary_units |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
OT English System vs Imperial System of Measure
"Nad R" wrote in message
So math may not be a common language after all Indeed. USians call it 'math' whereas Australians call it 'maths' (always with an 's' on the end and I presume that might be because it [perhaps] liguistically, derives from 'mathmatics' as opposed to 'arithmetic'). Must check my big OED some day. |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
OT English System vs Imperial System of Measure
In article ,
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: "Nad R" wrote in message So math may not be a common language after all Indeed. USians call it 'math' whereas Australians call it 'maths' (always with an 's' on the end and I presume that might be because it [perhaps] liguistically, derives from 'mathmatics' as opposed to 'arithmetic'). Must check my big OED some day. My understanding is that the four basic functions of math are called arithmetic. When you describe a situation, it is math. -- - Billy Mad dog Republicans to the right. Democratic spider webs to the left. True conservatives, and liberals not to be found anywhere in the phantasmagoria of the American political landscape. America is not broke. The country is awash in wealth and cash. It's just that it's not in your hands. It has been transferred, in the greatest heist in history, from the workers and consumers to the banks and the portfolios of the uber-rich. http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/.../michael-moore /michael-moore-says-400-americans-have-more-wealth-/ |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
OT English System vs Imperial System of Measure
"Billy" wrote in message
... In article , "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: "Nad R" wrote in message So math may not be a common language after all Indeed. USians call it 'math' whereas Australians call it 'maths' (always with an 's' on the end and I presume that might be because it [perhaps] liguistically, derives from 'mathmatics' as opposed to 'arithmetic'). Must check my big OED some day. My understanding is that the four basic functions of math are called arithmetic. When you describe a situation, it is math. Delete any possible international inclusiveness by the use of that 'you' Billy. I've just looked up my OED (the 20 volume version) and it says that 'math is used as an abbreviation in written English in the UK but not in speech, the normal form being 'maths'. For 'maths' it says that it is an abreviation of 'mathematics'. It's the same in Australian English. |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
OT English System vs Imperial System of Measure
In article ,
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: "Billy" wrote in message ... In article , "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: "Nad R" wrote in message So math may not be a common language after all Indeed. USians call it 'math' whereas Australians call it 'maths' (always with an 's' on the end and I presume that might be because it [perhaps] liguistically, derives from 'mathmatics' as opposed to 'arithmetic'). Must check my big OED some day. My understanding is that the four basic functions of math are called arithmetic. When you describe a situation, it is math. Delete any possible international inclusiveness by the use of that 'you' Billy. Describing a situation, is math? I've just looked up my OED (the 20 volume version) and it says that 'math is used as an abbreviation in written English in the UK but not in speech, the normal form being 'maths'. For 'maths' it says that it is an abreviation of 'mathematics'. It's the same in Australian English. -- - Billy Mad dog Republicans to the right. Democratic spider webs to the left. True conservatives, and liberals not to be found anywhere in the phantasmagoria of the American political landscape. America is not broke. The country is awash in wealth and cash. It's just that it's not in your hands. It has been transferred, in the greatest heist in history, from the workers and consumers to the banks and the portfolios of the uber-rich. http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/.../michael-moore /michael-moore-says-400-americans-have-more-wealth-/ |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
OT English System vs Imperial System of Measure
"Billy" wrote in message
... In article , "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: "Billy" wrote in message ... In article , "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: "Nad R" wrote in message So math may not be a common language after all Indeed. USians call it 'math' whereas Australians call it 'maths' (always with an 's' on the end and I presume that might be because it [perhaps] liguistically, derives from 'mathmatics' as opposed to 'arithmetic'). Must check my big OED some day. My understanding is that the four basic functions of math are called arithmetic. When you describe a situation, it is math. Delete any possible international inclusiveness by the use of that 'you' Billy. Describing a situation, is math? I wouldn't have thought so, but I assume you must have had a reason for saying it was. |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
OT English System vs Imperial System of Measure
In article ,
echinosum wrote: I have stuck a label on my scales 1 cup = 225g, for translation from US recipe books. What do you usually measure on your scale, that a cup would equal half a kilo (vol/mass). -- - Billy Mad dog Republicans to the right. Democratic spider webs to the left. True conservatives, and liberals not to be found anywhere in the phantasmagoria of the American political landscape. America is not broke. The country is awash in wealth and cash. It's just that it's not in your hands. It has been transferred, in the greatest heist in history, from the workers and consumers to the banks and the portfolios of the uber-rich. http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/.../michael-moore /michael-moore-says-400-americans-have-more-wealth-/ |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
OT English System vs Imperial System of Measure
Billy wrote:
In article , echinosum wrote: I have stuck a label on my scales 1 cup = 225g, for translation from US recipe books. What do you usually measure on your scale, that a cup would equal half a kilo (vol/mass). I saw that also, however a cup is a liquid measure and thought it may be different than ours. Also 225g is less than one fourth a kilogram, not one half. Dry measure of flour can be different from product to product. For baking measuring flour is best done by weight rather than by volume. My other thought was they have A cup that weighs 225g -- Enjoy Life... Nad R Garden in zone 5a All postings uses the American System of Measures. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...ustomary_units |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
OT English System vs Imperial System of Measure
In article ,
Nad R wrote: Billy wrote: In article , echinosum wrote: I have stuck a label on my scales 1 cup = 225g, for translation from US recipe books. What do you usually measure on your scale, that a cup would equal half a kilo (vol/mass). And the brain farts just keep on coming ;O) Don't read what I write, read what I mean, and I meant a pound, not a kilo (but then it's not mass is it? :O( Rats! It would be volume divided by force [I see that a pound is now also considered mass, but back in the day, mass was measured by slugs, which brings us back to the garden.];O) I saw that also, however a cup is a liquid measure and thought it may be different than ours. Also 225g is less than one fourth a kilogram, not one half. Dry measure of flour can be different from product to product. For baking measuring flour is best done by weight rather than by volume. My other thought was they have A cup that weighs 225g -- - Billy Mad dog Republicans to the right. Democratic spider webs to the left. True conservatives, and liberals not to be found anywhere in the phantasmagoria of the American political landscape. America is not broke. The country is awash in wealth and cash. It's just that it's not in your hands. It has been transferred, in the greatest heist in history, from the workers and consumers to the banks and the portfolios of the uber-rich. http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/.../michael-moore /michael-moore-says-400-americans-have-more-wealth-/ |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
French Napoleonic Lancer of Imperial Guard Planter head [EBay] | Lawns | |||
PHOTO OF THE WEEK, Imperial Moth Larva | Gardening | |||
PHOTO OF THE WEEK, Imperial Moth | Gardening | |||
When to plant Imperial Star artichokes in Los Angeles? | Edible Gardening | |||
Crown Imperial eaters? | United Kingdom |