KM vs Miles

[Dorset Boy]

Neither system is hard, it’s just what you were brought up with. Not like pre-decimalisation, which I can barely remember except my Grandparents who couldn’t work out why they no longer had shillings.

if there’s any confusion it’s between the US & Imperial systems

US Gallon - 3.708 litres
imp Gall - 4.54 litres

Short tons (US) - 907 kgs
Long ton - 1016 kgs

There's no consistency whatsoever in imperial.
As highlighted above, the relationship between measurements might be a factor of 3, 7, 12, 22, 8 or lord knows what else - it's bonkers.

In metric the relationship is always 10, 100 or 1000
And a litre of water weighs 1 kg and is 10cm x 10 cm x 10 cm (at sea level for the pedants!)
Unlike a pint weighing 1.25 pounds - wtf?!

 

[Dogtrousers]

I don't recall ever being taught anything about weights at school so I don't have a clue about ounces (or fluid ounces come to that) and in real life I've never come across ounces except for rolling tobacco ("half an ounce of Old Holborn" something I haven't said for 30-odd years)

All recipes I do are metric. It's only Americans who don't use grams and ml. If I'm looking for a recipe online I just skip the ones with ounces and cups and fluid oz. and all that jazz.

Similarly it's only Americans who use pounds. Especially for weight of people (or even vehicles!). I can cope with stone and lb for the weight of people but apart from that pounds never really appears in everyday life unless there are Americans involved.

 

[Dan Lotus]

Back in the day I was old school, and stuck to miles and imperial measurements, but about 15 years ago I saw the light, and am now as metric as I can be.
My google maps is set to km rather than miles, which is fine as the speed notifications still works for the road you are on in the local speed currency, but distances are all in km.
All my gps devices are set to metric, and I plot my cycling routes in km.
It took a little while to get my head around for example when I'm riding at an average of 24kmh (ooh what does that equate to in mph) but I'm over that now.

My daughter is growing up using metric, which I am pleased about - there's a certain misty eyed romanticism about it, but thinking logically there is only benefits to using the much simpler metric system.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

its no more complicated than any measurement system is in mathematics, the trick is always knowing the conversions.

true
but conversions are a lot easier in tens that Imperial

and the names make it clearer what size it is compared to the based

for example I can see what a square kilometer is or 100 square metres

but I am blowed if I can remember what an acre looks like

 

[Dogtrousers]

but I am blowed if I can remember what an acre looks like

That's easy. Just shut your eyes and visualise a peasant with an ox and a plough. Now imagine how much ploughing he could do in one medieval working day (say 10 hours). Simples!

Fun fact (must be true cos I learned it on here) acre size varied across Europe depending on land conditions, with bigger acres in nice lush easy-to-plough areas.

 

[Sea of vapours]

but I am blowed if I can remember what an acre looks like

I think 'seeing' areas is pretty challenging unless you do it all the time for some reason, no matter which units you're using. Farmers I know can do it alarmingly accurately.

That's further complicated by hectares being peculiar, in being 10,000 square metres (100 x 100). That does make acres quite easy though, since there are just under 2.5 of them to the hectare, so an acre is a little under 100m x 40m. I can just about 'see' that size, with reference to other, vaguely known things. It's better than chains and furlongs and such; and feet for altitude is just dreadful - too many of them mostly.

 

[rogerzilla]

An acre is a bit bigger than an average football pitch.

I can't use km at all. Like cm, they're too small for the size of things they're used to measure. Cm are pretty much deprecated now anyway, in favour of mm or m.

Pounds and ounces, on the other hand, are great for cooking. A base-16 system suits traditional scales. A base-10 system does not.

 

[scragend]

Now imagine how much ploughing he could do in one medieval working day (say 10 hours).

I think we should say either 8 or 12 hours. Ten sounds too metric 🤣

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Hard to fathom

There’s some depth in your post

 

[Legs]

As a structural engineer, I segue seamlessly between mm and inches - what I refer to as a 203x133x25 Universal Beam to my colleagues will always be an 8" by 5¼" beam when I'm talking to a builder!

 

[Mazz]

 

[simongt]

Interesting that in a report about recent wildfires in the U.S.A, a very non metric country, the reporter gave the affected area in square kilometres.
Interesting.

 

[Animo]

Interesting that in a report about recent wildfires in the U.S.A, a very non metric country, the reporter gave the affected area in square kilometres.
Interesting.

Don't they realise the standard unit of measurement of wildfires is football pitches?

 

[annedonnelly]

As a structural engineer, I segue seamlessly between mm and inches - what I refer to as a 203x133x25 Universal Beam to my colleagues will always be an 8" by 5¼" beam when I'm talking to a builder!

I had to order boards for flooring today. I had to ask for 8 x 2 feet, but refer to the thickness as 18mm. It's no wonder people get confused.

 

[Sharky]

Just looked the highway code for stopping distances.

Speed is in mph
Stopping distances in metres
Or in "car lengths"