I'm a big fan of THG
I'm a big fan of THG
The presentation was more balanced than I expected. We get a lot of heat over the metric thing.
Most of the conversions become second nature pretty quick but the one I always had trouble with is the US gallon.
Where on earth did that originate from and what's it related to ?
Weight ? Volume ?
It is based on one of the gallons used in England in the 1700's - the 1706 Queen Anne Wine gallon. (there were others e.g. Ale gallon, Corn gallon)
The UK 20-ounce gallon was not adopted until 1824 (based on the volume of 10 Avoirdupois pounds of water at 62°F) which was after US Independence.
Thanks, so if this is correct it might seem the earliest Yanks only had empty grog measures on which to do their liquid measurements which has remained unchanged to this day.
How many 100's of years is that ?
Time for change one thinks.
I'll bet this thread gets locked pretty quick.
The US uses metric units for all scientific work but it will NEVER become the standard in the US because the people (that is, the voters) think of it as a "Europe" kind of thing and we're not really into that. We bailed out of that a long time back.
Not only US, other "metric countries" also use similar local units.
China uses Chinese inch, which is defined by the "one third rule", as 1/3 of a decimeter. Similarly, one Chinese foot is 1/3 of a meter.
One Chinese pound is defined as 1/2 of a kilogram, which is ~1.1 US pound, and one Chinese mile is defined as 1/2 kilometer.
Those units are basically redefined to be metric derived while still are close enough to old measurement systems used for hundreds of years, so people with less modern education can still live comfortably in a metric world.
Of course, those units are not to be used in formal trades or education/research. Those are just used to provide compatibility between old systems and metric systems.
0.5km is well off a mile. 1 mile is 1609.34m.Your mile might be 1609.34m, but for other people a mile is something different. A Swedish mile (mil) as an example, is 10000m.
0.5km is well off a mile. 1 mile is 1609.34m. I can understand people using 1.5km as an approximate conversion factor for a mile, but I normally use 1.6km because it's more accurate and still easy enough to work out in my head.
0.5km is a convenient number that resembles the traditional Chinese length unit for long distance, which is defined as 300 compound (double) steps. Each step is around 70cm, and is defined differently dynasty by dynasty.
Overall, the Chinese milage unit was about 0.45km, so when China underwent metrification, it just set the conversion to exactly 0.5km.
Your mile might be 1609.34m, but for other people a mile is something different. A Swedish mile (mil) as an example, is 10000m.
The US Gallon derives from "A pint's a pound, the world around!". A pint of water is 16 fluid ounces which weights 16 ounces - a pound. Two pints to a quart, 4 quarts (8 pints) to a gallon so a gallon weighs 8 pounds and is 128 ounces of liquid.
Close enough...
I doubt you called it a mile though, which is an English term.
I doubt you called it a mile though, which is an English term.
I doubt you called it a mile though, which is an English term.Yes. We have our own "mil" (without the silent e at the end). Even after many metric years it is still very much in use for distances. A mil is exactly 10000m.
No. A mile is not originally an English term. It probably entered the English language when the Roman's invaded Brittain.
That's interesting. I suppose there are many different variants of a mile and a foot too.
The fact that a mile, gallon, pint etc. all have different meanings, in different countries, just highlights the fact that there needs to be a standard, hence metrication.
The US Gallon derives from "A pint's a pound, the world around!". A pint of water is 16 fluid ounces which weights 16 ounces - a pound. Two pints to a quart, 4 quarts (8 pints) to a gallon so a gallon weighs 8 pounds and is 128 ounces of liquid.
Close enough...
I take it this is the same "world" as in "the world series" as an Imperial pint (ale, for the dispensing of) is 20 fluid ounces and an Avoirdupois pound is 16 ounces. So for "world" read "US and dependencies" as any Commonwealth country and the UK all use/used the (heavier) Imperial pint.
What possible difference can it make to me what units are used in South Africa (or anywhere else)?
The fact that a mile, gallon, pint etc. all have different meanings, in different countries, just highlights the fact that there needs to be a standard, hence metrication.
Why do you say this? What possible difference can it make to me what units are used in South Africa (or anywhere else)? I buy 10 gallons of gasoline, I know how far that fills my tank and I simply don't care if liters are the unit of measure elsewhere. [snip]
There's one important date to keep in mind when chastising the US over its units: July 20, 1969. We walked on the Moon...
What possible difference can it make to me what units are used in South Africa (or anywhere else)?It matters very much if you are trading with the rest of the world.
There's one important date to keep in mind when chastising the US over its units: July 20, 1969. We walked on the Moon...
Well, Werner von Braun's German technology (originally designed in metric units) got you to the Moon.
I always cringe a bit when an American brings up the Moon landings as evidence of American superiority, just as I do when an Englishman brings up our 1966 World Cup victory as evidence of Britain's greatness. Both events were in the middle of the last century...