have you grown up to be semi-metric?

[Happymama]

Re: have you grown up to be semi-metric?

I use both systems too, but have managed not to infect my children with imperial for distance, weighs and measures too badly. They don't question that 2 systems are in place, they just work with it, but measure things in metres whereas I use feet.

It does cause confusion, though. Remember the space craft that disappeared on Christmas Day a few years ago - a calc had been done in imperial and not metric. The Tornado fighter jet (built by Europeans, pretty much) is Metric, but the Rolls Royce engines are firmly imperial, even the bits built by Fiat. So you need both toolkits.

On the market here the stall holders translate requests for 2lb of carrots in their heads, as the scales have to be metric, imperial ones won't be calibrated.

[shilton dipper]

Re: have you grown up to be semi-metric?

i am semi-metric..........i still do curtains in inches, carpets and nets in yards, cookery in pounds and ounces and height in feet and inches

[Trickyvee]

Re: have you grown up to be semi-metric?

Here is something I do regarding temperature for no apparent reason, and I would bet a lot of you do it without realising it . When talking about a hot day we use Fahrenheit..."Oooh it's going to be in the 70's/80's/90's for the next few days". Yet when we talk about cold days we use Celsius " Oooh its going to be -2 or -3 tonight".
So who else does that and hadn't realised they do?

Not me. All of my temperatures are in Celsius. You're right though, a lot of people use Farenheit for warm weather and it means absolutely nothing to me - I get really confused!

[Shado66]

Re: have you grown up to be semi-metric?

I've been converted to using Metric measurements these days but I still think in terms of Imperial weights. Kilos, grams and litres mean nothing to me. When we first started Infants and Junior school in the 70's they used to teach us both and kinda hope for the best. Little did they know they were creating a population of ImpMetric mongrels.

[Cooldeepblue]

Re: have you grown up to be semi-metric?

Here is something I do regarding temperature for no apparent reason, and I would bet a lot of you do it without realising it . When talking about a hot day we use Fahrenheit..."Oooh it's going to be in the 70's/80's/90's for the next few days". Yet when we talk about cold days we use Celsius " Oooh its going to be -2 or -3 tonight".
So who else does that and hadn't realised they do?

[PC66]

Re: have you grown up to be semi-metric?

I tend to find that I measure lengths/widths using metric probably because centimeters and millimeters give a shade more accuracy.

There's no inherent higher accuracy with metric units - Either system can be as accurate or as approximate as you wish it to be. Measure something to the nearest 64th of an inch for example, and you'll have greater accuracy than measuring to the nearest millimeter.

If I go to the US I find it quite comforting that weights on packets/jars etc are in Imperial as well as metric as it makes it nice and easy to work things out.

Note that U.S. Customary measures aren't quite the same thing as Imperial units. Most of them are the same, but there are some important differences due to historical reasons, most notably for everyday use that the pint is smaller (16 instead of 20 fl. oz.) and thus the gallon is also correspondingly smaller, and that the hundredweight and ton are generally the "short" versions of 100 lb. and 2000 lb. respectively, instead of the "long" Imperial cwt. and ton of 112 and 2240 lb.

[Kaptain_Von]

Re: have you grown up to be semi-metric?

I tend to find that I measure lengths/widths using metric probably because centimeters and millimeters give a shade more accuracy. However, for weighing things then it's back to Imperial as I find that easiest. If I go to the US I find it quite comforting that weights on packets/jars etc are in Imperial as well as metric as it makes it nice and easy to work things out. Occasionally I will even find myself referring to a 5p as a shilling which confuses my wife who was born post decimalisation no end and makes kids look at me like I'm some kind of old fogey

[PC66]

Re: have you grown up to be semi-metric?

By the way, Notice how we price our petrol in litres, then measure fuel efficiency in miles per gallon ?

A natural consequence of the way in which the conversion of pumps and pricing was forced upon us by the government, while when looking at fuel consumption people will hold on to the measurements they're familiar with and feel comfortable using.

[the fox]

As a child of 70's-80's, I also grew up with both. I recently completed a woodwork project at home where I found myself measuring things in a combination of inches and centimetres, depending on which lined up easier ! So I have shelf measuring 60 cm by 6 inches.

By the way, Notice how we price our petrol in litres, then measure fuel efficiency in miles per gallon ?

[amethyst]

Re: have you grown up to be semi-metric?

I Still prefer pounds and ounces dont like grams and kilos.Also still like feet and inches dont like centimeters etc

[Hair Bear]

Re: have you grown up to be semi-metric?

What I find odd is that in some rural parts of europe the village markets weigh produce in lbs / ozs.

[battyrat]

Re: have you grown up to be semi-metric?

Think I am like most people here.I tend to use what I was brought up to use which is a mixture of both depending on the situation.Problem arises when I go shopping for fruit etc and ask for a pond of apples.Some shops are now showing both measurements again now which is a great help.

[PC66]

Re: have you grown up to be semi-metric?

I'm very much a customary/Imperial user for all everyday uses, growing up at a time when few people were using metric at all and with a later association with the U.S.

I use metric measurements where appropriate in some of my scientific work (e.g. radio wavelengths have always been specified in metric units, even if - at least in the U.S. & U.K. - we tend to convert to feet & inches for measuring the size of the aerial).

And like many, I absolutely object to forced metrication by the government making use of Imperial units illegal.

[Sly]

Re: have you grown up to be semi-metric?

I used them all. Imperial is a terrible way to measure small things though, I hate having to use it to manage small numbers.

[HG]

Re: have you grown up to be semi-decimal?

I need to rename this thread semi-metric