Forgotten terminology and units of yesteryear

[Cubdriver]

The same car in the US does more or less mpg than in the UK? And in Australia?

A British gallon is significantly bigger, so of course a car does more miles per British gallon. The measures in British motoring are really silly, though. We buy fuel in litres, and burn it in miles per gallon. If your car's systems display the actual content of the fuel tank it will display this in litres, while the same computer shows your efficiency in miles per gallon.

If you think that is silly, go flying here in Canada
Airplanes burn (US) Gal/Hr;
which weigh 6lb/gal - you care about the weight
But you buy fuel in litres
You fly in hundreds of feet
You set your Altimeter in inches of Hg
Direction is in degrees magnetic for some things, degrees true for others

As for weather reports (a Canadian and British example)
METAR CYYJ 022200Z 29006KT 20SM FEW020 BKN170 OVC240 04/02 A3032 RMK SC1AC6CI2 SC TR SLP269=
METAR EGLL 022220Z AUTO 21017G27KT 5000 -RA BKN009 BKN017 OVC026TCU 12/11 Q0990 TEMPO 3000 +RA BKN008

CYYJ = ICAO code for Airport (which can be very different than the 3 letter IATA code)
022200Z = date/time in UTC
29006KT= wind speed /direction (06 Kts @ 290 degrees true)
20SM = visability 20 statute miles
FEW020 = few clouds (1/10) at 2000ft
BKN170 = broken clouds (6/10th) at 17000ft
OVC240 = overcast at 24000ft
04/02 = temp 04, dewpoint 02 (deg C)
A3032 = Altimeter 30.32" Hg

Of course note the differences in different countries, At Heathrow (EGLL / LHR) with altimeter 990 hPa (Q0990) instead of "Hg, and visibility in metres (9999) not Statue Miles.

For added fun and excitement, when you call the airport for a wind check, you get the results in degrees magnetic (which is also how runways are numbered - divide bearing by 10)

It's amazing that incidents like ACA143 don't happen more often (fuel loaded in lbs, entered into computer as Kg, ran out halfway there)

And don't forget the standard temperature lapse rate of 2 degrees C per thousand feet of altitude

-Pat

[Zero999]

Has anyone seen K pF being used for nF? I've found this site which lists its capacitors in K pF, which just seems odd. Is it just a Spanish thing?
http://www.cetronic.es/sqlcommerce/disenos/plantilla1/seccion/producto/DetalleProducto.jsp?idIdioma=1&idTienda=93&codProducto=150272234&cPath=799

[ciccio]

I've seen many times, but it seems to disappear in recent times-
It seems that nano as a prefix needed a longer time for becoming of standar use.

Best regards

[boffin]

And don't forget the standard temperature lapse rate of 2 degrees C per thousand feet of altitude

-Pat

I haven't forgotten, and officially it's much more ridiculous 1.98 degrees/1000', not 2. (The official definition is  6.49 K/km)
It's always one of those questions the put on tests.

[BrianHG]

May be one day we will have a worldwide English dictionary that everyone would agree on to use.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens already had a plan for that.   

For example, in Year 1 that useless letter "c" would be dropped to be replased either by "k" or "s", and likewise "x" would no longer be part of the alphabet. The only kase in which "c" would be retained would be the "ch" formation, which will be dealt with later. Year 2 might reform "w" spelling, so that "which" and "one" would take the same konsonant, wile Year 3 might well abolish "y" replasing it with "i" and Iear 4 might fiks the "g/j" anomali wonse and for all.
Jenerally, then, the improvement would kontinue iear bai iear with Iear 5 doing awai with useless double konsonants, and Iears 6-12 or so modifaiing vowlz and the rimeining voist and unvoist konsonants. Bai Iear 15 or sou, it wud fainali bi posibl tu meik ius ov thi ridandant letez "c", "y" and "x" -- bai now jast a memori in the maindz ov ould doderez -- tu riplais "ch", "sh", and "th" rispektivli.
Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers ov orxogrefkl riform, wi wud hev a lojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliy-spiking werld.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggg  What did you do?
I can no longer read english!!!
It's going to take me a day to undo this!!! 

[Vtile]

May be one day we will have a worldwide English dictionary that everyone would agree on to use.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens already had a plan for that.   

For example, in Year 1 that useless letter "c" would be dropped to be replased either by "k" or "s", and likewise "x" would no longer be part of the alphabet. The only kase in which "c" would be retained would be the "ch" formation, which will be dealt with later. Year 2 might reform "w" spelling, so that "which" and "one" would take the same konsonant, wile Year 3 might well abolish "y" replasing it with "i" and Iear 4 might fiks the "g/j" anomali wonse and for all.
Jenerally, then, the improvement would kontinue iear bai iear with Iear 5 doing awai with useless double konsonants, and Iears 6-12 or so modifaiing vowlz and the rimeining voist and unvoist konsonants. Bai Iear 15 or sou, it wud fainali bi posibl tu meik ius ov thi ridandant letez "c", "y" and "x" -- bai now jast a memori in the maindz ov ould doderez -- tu riplais "ch", "sh", and "th" rispektivli.
Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers ov orxogrefkl riform, wi wud hev a lojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliy-spiking werld.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggg  What did you do?
I can no longer read english!!!
It's going to take me a day to undo this!!! 

Welcome to my world.

[BrianHG]

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