Metric turncoats

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

domtyler

Über Member
Fnaar said:
I think in miles etc for distance, pounds and ounces for weight (I was overly-familiar with quarter ounces, once upon a time), but Centigrade for temps...
My kids seem to be happier with grammes and kg for weight, but do distances etc in miles still....

I take it you used to like your sweeties then? Bulls eyes or Kola Kubes?
;)
 

k-dog

New Member
NickM said:
They must have had very long legs if they could pace 1.76 yards at a go!

No, a mile was measured as mille passus which was 1000 of the centurion 2 step stride - a slightly short stride as often when marching they were carrying 50lbs of gear. 2 1/2 feet or so is a more reasonable stride.
 

asterix

Comrade Member
Location
Limoges or York
.. yes and when the crossed bridges marching in step they used to fall down - the bridges first, then the Romans.

Anyway living in France, it'd be bloody stupid trying to use miles, etc.
 

Keith Oates

Janner
Location
Penarth, Wales
I've been out of the UK for so long now that I get confused when people ref to distances in miles. It's a case of what you're used to I suppose!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

marinyork

Resting in suspended Animation
Location
Logopolis
NickM said:
They did? I've never heard of this (and nor have my French friends).

Pity it didn't stick!

It didn't stick for very long. The French revolutionary calendar was about as popular as other revolutionary calendars proposed down the years and died out pretty quickly.

100 decimal seconds to the decimal minute, 100 which made a decimal hour of which there were 10 in a day. To round off 10 days in a week. This was very close to the official metric system adoption date in France so what I've said is more or less true if you're talking about the era they took the ideas and made them official.
 

Maz

Guru
domtyler said:
Are you familiar with the binary language of moisture vaporators?
11010100010101 0110 01100 101010 10001 10000 :smile:
10100010 1000 1000 100 :thumbsup:



Quote from C3PO, right?
 

Maz

Guru
John the Monkey said:
There are 10 types of people; those who understand binary, and those who don't.
hehe! :thumbsup:
I used to learn Morse Code in evening classes...but the teacher chucked me out cos I never diddidididdidididid my homework.
 

Saddle bum

Über Member
Location
Kent
The Metric system has very limited legal standing in UK. IIRC, it was proposed through "an order in council" to impose it on UK, ie. there was no vote in the HoC. That was an EU thing. I believe that process has since been found wanting and quite recently it "was decided" that UK' Imperial system remain pro tem. The Govt is unpopular enough without making it worse by legitimising The Metric System in UK.

Of course, our commercial relationship with the USA and its rigid adherance to "Christian Units" has nowt to do with it!!!!!!!

As a professional engineer, I can quite happily work in either. However, 25mph has a better ring to it than 42kph, but I still ride 700c wheels and the spoke lengths are measured in mm.
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
I never understood why when they converted athletics to metric they did 100yds to 100m etc up to 800m but went for 1500m instead of 1600m, which would have roughly equalled a mile and the sub 4 minute would still have some relevance.
 

Flying_Monkey

Recyclist
Location
Odawa
Saddle bum said:
The Metric system has very limited legal standing in UK. IIRC, it was proposed through "an order in council" to impose it on UK, ie. there was no vote in the HoC. That was an EU thing. I believe that process has since been found wanting and quite recently it "was decided" that UK' Imperial system remain pro tem. The Govt is unpopular enough without making it worse by legitimising The Metric System in UK.

The UK signed the Metric Convention in 1884. This was a long time before the EU was formed. In addition the metric system was an English 'thing' - from our very own pioneering Royal Society in 1668.
 
Top Bottom