Metricisation

[Ivan]

Presumably, now we are fully metricised in the UK, we can dispense with the eleven- and twelve- times tables at school? Surely, school children have the right under european law to refuse to learn these. Or has this happened already?

[rhys]

How'd yer work out the number of eggs in 2  "dozen egg boxes"

[peter999]

 Using the 10 times table AND the 2 times table  obviously Silly

[martin]

Of course we should continue - when this nonsensical flirtation with these debased foreign concepts like "decimals" is over, the better for all of us - roll on the return of PROPER money - pennies, threepenny bits and all! (I regard metrication as a "temporary blip")
I'm still building beehives in feet and inches, temperature hereabouts is measured in Fahrenheit, eggs are packed in dozens, and honey will be in 12oz or pound jars! (and if I still drank, it'd be pints!)

[rogeriko]

Here in Greece eggs always come in boxes of 10

[martin]

exactly my point! Temporary aberrational blip! Shortchanged on eggs - typical underhanded decimal trickery - thin end of the wedge- this week it's eggs, next week who knows what they'll be nicking off you?

[rhys]

Poor old Greeks will probably have to make do with 9 eggs to a box soon.

[Dave1]

I'm still building beehives in feet and inches,

Cubits here

Dave

[d16lev]

hi ok
         And here in France tv screen sizes are in inches !!!
             
                    Dave

[rob26440]

In my early days of IT I had to learn base 16 (i.e. hexadecimal) counting.  Easy after a while and takes years off my age when written in hex.  (However, also looks a bit odd with the A to F letters used to represent 10 to 15 as single digits!)

Along with other people, I use both metric & imperial.  Depends which side of the ruler is more convenient.

But when calculating vehicle fuel economy I never use L/100km - has to be MPG.  I prefer to know how far I can travel on a gallon rather than how many litres I need to travel 100km.

[desperate]

It depends what system one grew up with as to which one prefers for everyday judgements, surely. Mind you the maths is a whole lot more straightforward with all units in base ten, who's likely to remember all the imperial units?

Desperate

[insolare]

I believe that German stonemasons still use the 24 inch gauge which is a throwback to the days when English masons ruled Europe and took their skills to where ever they were  needed. Of course Martin knows all about 24 inch gauges being a speculative mason. 

[martin]

Gauges? - 4' 8 and a half?
Misplaced decimal points.............!
I not only remember but still use most of the proper UK measurements, none of these upstart foreign centiheits here! (give 'em an inch, they'll take a mile)
Road speed is miles an hour, distance is miles, beer is in pints (real beer, not yer continental weasel wee!) - a mere passing fad these metrifications!
If someone says she's 7 stone 7 and 5'1" up swims a vision of a Kylie-scale young gel, if its in kilofarts and metricals I haven't a clue................

[insolare]

Damn! Completely avoided the hook. Not even a nibble......  

Back to the TV thing.... why has the inch stuck as the universal unit to measure TV screen sizes? Is it because the British had a TV manufacturing industry that ruled the World? We did so!

[martin]

Masons and speculums don't conjure a pretty picture!
I remember British tvs - 405 lines, black and white, 9" screen with a perspex oil-filled magnifier in front............ the smell of dust burning off the valves on switch-on, as like as not accompanied by a blue flash and the smell of frying resistor/condenser, OR having to wait 5 minutes for it to warm up, and having to fetch it a hefty thump just there to stop the picture rolling.............