If you've ever wondered why most of the world switched to Metric ...

[djos]

It’s a great movie! We still call them Quarter Pounders in Australia tho, sounds cool and it’s a product name, not a true indication of burger Pattie weight.

[Jolle]

OK, don't hate me here, but I've never watched Pulp Fiction. I really ought to as I'm told by every man and his dog that it's a classic.

I guess it's not to everyones taste It came out when I was as art collage, it was mind-blowing at the time for us. I think a year later Trainspotting came out, what felt a bit more like our reference as growing up in a rural part of the Netherlands (and also a kick ass soundtrack)

[El Scorchio]

The joy of a system that evolved over many hundreds of years.

My favourite thing about measurements is that the US is actually a metric country. Their standards are all defined by reference to SI Units with officials doing conversions to their traditional units. So the US inch is defined as a specific number of mm, it isn't a self defined measurement.

The UK is plain weird with measurements. We have a confusing mix of Imperial and metric. It's not unusual to hear people switching systems during a conversation. No wonder we don't know what we're doing half of the time.

Just as well we still refer to a pint as a pint and resist decimalisation in the pub. Got to protect those precious 68 ml extra of beer....

Could be even worse thinking about those piddly little American pints of 473 ml (shudders....)

[Jolle]

The joy of a system that evolved over many hundreds of years.

My favourite thing about measurements is that the US is actually a metric country. Their standards are all defined by reference to SI Units with officials doing conversions to their traditional units. So the US inch is defined as a specific number of mm, it isn't a self defined measurement.

The UK is plain weird with measurements. We have a confusing mix of Imperial and metric. It's not unusual to hear people switching systems during a conversation. No wonder we don't know what we're doing half of the time.

Just as well we still refer to a pint as a pint and resist decimalisation in the pub. Got to protect those precious 68 ml extra of beer....

Could be even worse thinking about those piddly little American pints of 473 ml (shudders....)

Or… you get a mug (1 liter)

[El Scorchio]

The joy of a system that evolved over many hundreds of years.

My favourite thing about measurements is that the US is actually a metric country. Their standards are all defined by reference to SI Units with officials doing conversions to their traditional units. So the US inch is defined as a specific number of mm, it isn't a self defined measurement.

The UK is plain weird with measurements. We have a confusing mix of Imperial and metric. It's not unusual to hear people switching systems during a conversation. No wonder we don't know what we're doing half of the time.

Just as well we still refer to a pint as a pint and resist decimalisation in the pub. Got to protect those precious 68 ml extra of beer....

Could be even worse thinking about those piddly little American pints of 473 ml (shudders....)

Or… you get a mug (1 liter)

Now you're talking!

[djos]

Indeed!

Btw what do the Germans call their beer mug sizes? Iirc 500ml and 1 litre are the common sizes.

[Steven]

In Germany, 0.5l is normal, 1l is a large beer (they don't do small AFAIK).
Funny, because just across the border here in Belgium, a normal "pint" is 25cl, a "33" is 33cl, and a large is 0.5l . So whenever I go to Germany, I need to be careful what I order

Also, rim sizes are still in inches everywhere I believe.
Same with screen sizes. A TV or a computer screen is x inches.

Both are simply because those are what the producers use. As long as you have 40" screens, and not 100cm screens, it will stay like that (because who can remember they have a 101.6cm TV? Or 45.72cm wheels on his car?)

[Skippon]

It amuses me that in F1 distance is always measured in km - but is referred to as mileage....................!

[Billzilla]

Here in Aus we switched in the 60's, however, there are still a few unofficial holdouts, Baby birth weights and Car wheel sizes spring to mind.

FWIW it was 1975 when we switched over - I was 10 years old in school when it happened.

[sosic2121]

In Germany, 0.5l is normal, 1l is a large beer (they don't do small AFAIK).
Funny, because just across the border here in Belgium, a normal "pint" is 25cl, a "33" is 33cl, and a large is 0.5l . So whenever I go to Germany, I need to be careful what I order

Also, rim sizes are still in inches everywhere I believe.
Same with screen sizes. A TV or a computer screen is x inches.

Both are simply because those are what the producers use. As long as you have 40" screens, and not 100cm screens, it will stay like that (because who can remember they have a 101.6cm TV? Or 45.72cm wheels on his car?)

In my country TVs (and also new plastic water pipes) moved away from inches. TV sizes are 80, 102, 110, 127, 139... I think only rims are still in inches.

[Unc1eM0nty]

I work in the print industry, on a continuous reel printing press we measure the width of paper in mm but the length in feet and inches.

An A4 sheet of paper is 297 x 210mm but our document composition software shows this as 11.7 inches, it's completely mad

[Big Tea]

I work in metric, but I still think in imperial. Its descriptive. 'Rule of thumb' stuff. a foot looks like a foot etc.
I was in school through the imperial years and wondered why we did not use metric as it was so easy to use, but to this day still need 'erm, 25 mm, that's a fraction under an inch'

[nzjrs]

It would certainly be a lot easier if the UK just bit the bullet and went all in with metric. Except for the pint in the pub. That must always be in pints. Always. "I'm going for a quick 568ml with the lads, love, see you later" doesn't work, does it?

And so the final front in the imperial war will be between the USA and the UK over which pint is the correct one.

[tok-tokkie]

Back in the 60s I went to Angola where beer is sold in 'dumpies' = 300 ml. I exited into Namibia & went to a bar for food & beer. Ordered a beer & was asked " big or small?" I chose big expecting a pint (470 ml) rather than a dumpy. I was given a quart (= 2 pint = 950 ml). German beer country

[Just_a_fan]

It would certainly be a lot easier if the UK just bit the bullet and went all in with metric. Except for the pint in the pub. That must always be in pints. Always. "I'm going for a quick 568ml with the lads, love, see you later" doesn't work, does it?

And so the final front in the imperial war will be between the USA and the UK over which pint is the correct one.

There'll be no war here. No way will we accept that little lady-sized measure that the US calls a pint. A pint is 568ml, not 473ml.