The metric-system
 

I could have asked this question on the NZ or Canada-forums as well but decided to choose the Aussies, so congratulations.

Joking aside, the question which interests me is the system of weights and measurements as you in Australia (and in NZ and Canada) are officially metric, is that really the case in everyday life? IIRC Australia and NZ switched to metric in 1971, almost 40 years ago, therefore there should be little or no problem any longer.

However, is the reality like that at all especially as both countries have hundreds of thousands of British people immigrating every year?

To put it bluntly, if anyone in Melbourne or Sydney asked me how tall I was should I say 188cm or 6'2"? The same with everything else. How much do you weigh? How far is your home?

I know that in Canada, which is officially metric, they have terrible difficulties as their giant reluctant neighbour still uses the old measurements and there can be a lot of problems.

Re: The metric-system
 

Yes. Why would anyone introduce metric and keep using Imperial? That makes no sense whatsoever.

Correct.

Yes, the reality is exactly like that.

Metric. You will occasionally encounter people who were educated in the pre-metric era, who often use a mixture of metric and Imperial. But they'll all be dead in a few decades, so it's not a big problem.

We have no such problem. Our neighbours all use metric as well.

Re: The metric-system
 

You mean like a country that sells milk by the pint, petrol by the litre and measures distance in miles?????? :D

WW

Re: The metric-system
 

How tall are you then?

Re: The metric-system
 

That might have been the one I had in mind, yes... ;)

1.71 metres.

Re: The metric-system
 

I can't think I have ever heard height measured in anything other than feet and inches in Aus. Weight always seems to be in kilos though

Re: The metric-system
 

Depends on who you talk to and how old they are. Metric is standard (see the news articles here and here; "90 metre height limit"; "158 centimetres tall"). Imperial is sometimes given as an alternative in news reports, for those who grew up with it.

Like feet and inches, it's a generational thing. My grandmother still used stones and pounds. My mother uses kilos.

Re: The metric-system
 

..... and temperature in Centigrade when it's cold and farenheit when it's hot!!

("It was minus 5 last night." "It will be in the 80's today") :rofl::p;)

Re: The metric-system
 

I must say that I respect all the other measurements, feet, inches, pounds, even gallons, but I have zero respect for the fahrenheits because it is just so unscientific.

Having said that, unfortunately, I have met people in England, even middle-aged people, who don't understand the Celsius-scale. On a hot day telling them it is 30 degrees means nothing to them as they understand it must be something in the 80's.

Re: The metric-system
 

It's mostly metric but some imperial stuff is still around.

Height is mostly given as 6'3" but occasionally as 191cm. Crime Stoppers give out the height in both systems. Official forms normally ask for cm.

Weight is always kg. You don't hear St or lbs any more.

Wood is mostly measured in mm. Older peeps working in stores will understand 2b4 but they will usually repeat it back in mm. (Strangely, even if you're talking inches it's very rare to use imperial for the length of a piece.) Younger peeps are fairly much metric.

Trampolines are normally measured in feet. This is mostly because they come from the US or conform to US sizes.

Mattresses are in inches (metric measurements given as well).

Nuts, bolts, screws, spanners, etc. exist for both systems.

Food is always metric.

You can still ask for a pint of beer in a lot of places (especially in Victoria). Schooners and pots are all imperial measures but the Aussies tend to know the size in ml rather than floz.

Distance is always in kms but if you're talking about distances in Britain they don't get confused if you use miles. Odometers are mostly called odometers but nobody bats an eyelid if I say mileometer.

Fairly much it is a metric country (i.e. you could live your life without knowing any imperial measures) but it does have some imperial hang overs.

Re: The metric-system
 

Your answer is interesting as the case in England is that everyone still uses the imperial for both height and weight but no one measures any liquid, be it lemonade or petrol, in gallons any more, it is all litres.

In the US even the liquid-stuff is still officially in gallons, which is a different gallon than the British one.

Re: The metric-system
 

I'm sure you can sill buy pints in the UK :D

The US system varies from the Imperial system is a few ways. The gallon difference is based on the US pint being 16floz (equal to 1 lb of water) whereas the UK system was based on a gallon being 10 lbs of water and hence 20 fl oz in a pint.

One US ton = 2000 lbs which is just a rounding of 1 UK ton = 2240 a consequnce of 1 US cwt = 100 lbs and 1 UK cwt = 112 lbs. In the UK there are 8 stones in a cwt but this doesn't work in the US which is why they tend to use lbs only for weight.

Alcohol proof is rounded to 200 proof = pure alcohol where as the UK system was something like 157 proof = pure alcohol.

Distance and area measurements seem to be the same.

Re: The metric-system
 

I realise we are awake at the same time even though it must be early in the morning where you are.

As for the topic, it is harder than expected to kill the imperial-system from people's minds. This is what I am interested in as you in Australia may have become very accostumed to the metric system but every year there are several thousands of people from the UK who move to Australia and they may not be that well adjusted to the metric system.

Re: The metric-system
 

Not convinced about the height one, which is why I asked you yours. All the Aussies I speak to, even my 14year olds classmates, give their height in feet and inches. I think it just sounds taller !

Re: The metric-system
 

I understand, saying something like 5'2" sounds taller than saying 170cm.