Metric / Imperial

[scotrail158713]

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the maximum width of a football field the same as the minimum lenegth?
Going by the laid down standards.

Yep. But it’s not allowed to be a square.
(I.e. it’s not allowed to be 90mx90m)
Below is a screenshot from the IFAB Laws of the Game app detailing this.

 

[Mojo]

But, a question for everyone: Do you measure temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit? I have the impression that Fahrenheit is almost only used in newspaper headlines during heat waves and some older people. Is that correct?

And Americans. Having said that whenever I go there and they’re talking about the temperature there’s always a bit of embarrassment on their part and an understanding that nobody else has a clue what they’re talking about.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

I'm millitant in using miles, kilometers mean nothing to me.

I was taught metric, but I personally try to use both.

 

[karlos]

I've nothing against the metric system other than all of the units have multiple syllables and I think they sound really awkward in the English tongue. They are impossible to incorporate into song lyrics, poetry or prose.

'500 kilometres' probably would not have been a hit song for The Proclaimers. 'The Green Kilometre' doesn't make a good film title and I doubt Al Jolson would have walked a million kilometres for one of his mammy's smiles.

Other phrases like 'give them an inch..', 'fancy a pint' etc also sound wrong when metricised (metricated?).

Imperial units are mostly one syllable and roll of the tongue easily; inch, yard, mile, pound, ounce etc

 

[Westcountryman]

Doesn't most british cars have speedometers with both mph and km/h? And with modern cars with digital speedometers it is probably just a quick software update to change it.

But it is pretty interesting to compare the British "half-way house" as somebody called it to Australia and New Zealand and other countries that managed to switch pretty quick.

But, a question for everyone: Do you measure temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit? I have the impression that Fahrenheit is almost only used in newspaper headlines during heat waves and some older people. Is that correct?

One of our cars has a digital display which shows a digital version of a classical speedo and rev counter. The speedo is graduated in mph, and there is a digital pointer. In the centre the speed is displayed in mph, and the odometer is digital and reads miles. Though the menus you can change to kilometers, and all of the figures change.

Our other car has an analogue speedo graduated in mph and kph. There is also a large digital speedo and an odometer which are usually in mph and miles. Again, all change through the menus. Not a software update.

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the maximum width of a football field the same as the minimum lenegth?
Going by the laid down standards.

The two goal lines must be between 45 and 90 m (50 and 100 yd) wide, and be the same length. The two touchlines must be between 90 and 120 m (100 and 130 yd) long, and be the same length. (Wiki)

So in theory the pitch could be square.

For international matches the field dimensions are more tightly constrained; the goal lines must be between 64 and 75 m (70 and 80 yd) wide, and the touchlines must be between 100 and 110 m (110 and 120 yd) long. (Wiki again)

 

[MattA7]

Im 26 I normally use imperial and find imperial easier to estimate than metric as do a lot of people I seem to know. and I vaguely remember a maths teacher in secondary school half jokingly saying I don’t know why I bother teaching you this outside the school gates you probably all use Inches, feet and miles.

I can’t say I have ever heard anyone in the UK give their height and weight in metric Or use kilometers

 

[birchesgreen]

I can’t say I have ever heard anyone in the UK give their height and weight in metric Or use kilometers

I do, i'm special in that way.

 

[py_megapixel]

Im 26 I normally use imperial and find imperial easier to estimate than metric as do a lot of people I seem to know

That's all down to what you have a visual conception of.

Metric is always easier to do calculations with, unless you're very familiar with imperial - but estimating real life distances really varies.

Personally I can do distances easier in miles but everything else (including other lengths) easier in their applicable metric units.

I can’t say I have ever heard anyone in the UK give their height and weight in metric Or use kilometers

It always gets on my nerves when someone asks my height (I'm rather tall), and then they complain because they can't understand my answer in metres.
I don't have the foggiest clue what my height is in feet and have no interest in finding out... you asked for the damn information, you can put up with it in the form I prefer!

 

[najaB]

I can’t say I have ever heard anyone in the UK give their height and weight in metric Or use kilometers

I know my height and weight in metric - but I grew up outside the UK. I'm equally versed in miles and kilometers and give distances in both - depending on who I'm speaking with (lots of friends from outside the UK).

 

[birchesgreen]

It always gets on my nerves when someone asks my height (I'm rather tall), and then they complain because they can't understand my answer in metres.
I don't have the foggiest clue what my height is in feet and have no interest in finding out... you asked for the damn information, you can put up with it in the form I prefer!

Yeah i've had that. Someone asks me my height, when i reply "192cm" they look at me like i've just told them i've eaten their pets.

 

[JonasB]

I've nothing against the metric system other than all of the units have multiple syllables and I think they sound really awkward in the English tongue. They are impossible to incorporate into song lyrics, poetry or prose.

That's just because you are not used to it, there are countless examples of SI units used in song lyrics and poetry.

 

[MattA7]

.

Yeah i've had that. Someone asks me my height, when i reply "192cm" they look at me like i've just told them i've eaten their pets.

Probably because it’s very unusual in the UK and US and most people can’t work it out I had to convert that to get an idea how tall that was. If you said it to me I would assume you were from another country or trying to be smart

 

[py_megapixel]

Probably because it’s very unusual in the UK and US and most people can’t work it out I had to convert that to get an idea how tall that was.

It's not unusual anymore... plenty of people give me distances in kilometres, heights in metres, weights in kg and so on.
Insisting on imperial is somewhat archaic at this point, especially when you consider how much more logical the metric units are.

 

[birchesgreen]

It may have been unusual years ago but anyone in their early 50s (at least) or below has learnt metric at school. Its for cultural reasons that people don't use metric in the every day i think a lot of times.

 

[scotrail158713]

The two goal lines must be between 45 and 90 m (50 and 100 yd) wide, and be the same length. The two touchlines must be between 90 and 120 m (100 and 130 yd) long, and be the same length. (Wiki)

So in theory the pitch could be square.

Almost spot on. I’ve attached a screenshot below from the IFAB Laws of the Game App - highlighted is the relevant part.
It details:

The touchline must be longer than the goal line

This means that the pitch cannot be exactly square - however could be 89m wide and 90m long if you wanted.
(Apologies - I did take this slightly OT, however I’m a football referee and this is one of the more minor and obscure rules we have to learn, so I always seem to remember it now)
More relevant though - I did notice that the distance listed in the Laws of football are all listed in both metric & imperial.

 

[hexagon789]

Though nearly all bottled beer is now in 0.5 or 0.33 litre bottles, rather than pints or half pints.

Though at least in colloquial speech, "pint" remains the usual measure for ordering in a pub

 

[xotGD]

Was 'Fahrenheit 451' converted to Celsius for the French translation?

 

[Gloster]

Was 'Fahrenheit 451' converted to Celsius for the French translation?

According to the French Wikipedia pages it was still called Fahrenheit 451, although it adds that this is equivalent to 232.78 degrees Celsius, which wouldn’t make such a snappy title. The film was by a French director, Francois Truffaut.

 

[GusB]

'500 kilometres' probably would not have been a hit song for The Proclaimers. 'The Green Kilometre' doesn't make a good film title and I doubt Al Jolson would have walked a million kilometres for one of his mammy's smiles.

"I would walk five hundred k and I would walk five hundred more" would probably work - if they were Australian

 

[GRALISTAIR]

We have the car thermometer set to C. As you can imagine when we are giving our American friends a ride anywhere it causes much conversation.

 

[Peter Sarf]

There is no such thing as 12am and 12pm. The 'm' in am and pm is 'meridium', meaning mid-day, so anything up to 11.59 is before midday and anything after is after midday. 12.00 is either midday or midnight; it can't be before or after midday. The correct terminology is 12 midday (or noon) and 12 midnight.

Rant over .

So how does one write it when the insistence is on am or pm ?. I cannot think of a two letter indicator to fit where am or pm goes. I am thinking of applications where there are tight fitting columns and I have got stuck for an obvious solution. The 24 hour clock gets rid of that problem. BTW I can stretch my point a little to :-
What is one minute after midday ? - is it 12:01 pm ?. If so that comes before 1pm !.

 

[hexagon789]

We have the car thermometer set to C. As you can imagine when we are giving our American friends a ride anywhere it causes much conversation.

I bet they love it when it's freezing winter and you've only got it set to 21 degrees!

 

[najaB]

What is one minute after midday ? - is it 12:01 pm ?. If so that comes before 1pm !.

1201 is after noon so it would be correct to say 12:01pm (one minute after mid-day).

 

[ta-toget]

I also find it strange that jam is still sold in 454g and not 500g.

Not jam, but I note that Macsween's Haggis changed a little while ago from 454g (serves 2-3) to 500g (serves 3). This means that the portions changed from ~151g-227g (average ~189g) to ~167g.

 

[Trackman]

1201 is after noon so it would be correct to say 12:01pm (one minute after mid-day).

I like looking at old railway timetables, they are awfully confusing with am/pm times.
I wonder what would happen if one left at midnight or midday?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Midnight (00:00 or 24:00) is never normally used in railway timetables, is it?

 

[Gloster]

Midnight (00:00 or 24:00) is never normally used in railway timetables, is it?

Recollection is that it was always 23.59 for arrivals and 00.01 for departures.

 

[Trackman]

Recollection is that it was always 23.59 for arrivals and 00.01 for departures.

There is a thread about this somewhere.

 

[PeterC]

I've never known of a preference for pounds for honey, but I agree with pints of beer; less so pints of milk I'd say that's a 40/60 split pints vs litres.

A quart bottle of milk is just the right quanity for me, if I shope somewhere that sells it by the litre I end up gettign the emergency bottle out of the freezer.

I sometimes get young assistants in butcher's shops confused when they haven't been taught that each link of sausages is nominaly half a pound.

 

[High Dyke]

Here's confusing for you - I work in the rail industry as a track designer. I was born in the 60's so by the time I got to school had gone thru' decimalization of the currency and taught completely metric at school and university. Started in BR in the late 80's - the Pway/Track discipline to this day uses the following - Miles & Yards (sometimes miles chains and yards and I have seen miles and metric parts of a mile), track radii in meters, speed in Miles Per Hour and track cant in millimeters!!!!

And to go even further. Electrical Control Rooms have the OLE stanchions marked in Kilometres. I've had Pway quote a site of work in miles and yards, but work in miles and chains as a signalman.

Away from the railway I had the odd experience in a local woodyard. I wanted a piece of timber, which was measured in metres, but priced in feet/inches.