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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
Originally Posted by THR
(Post 7681428)
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
Originally Posted by Vash the Stampede
(Post 7681649)
Yes. Why would anyone introduce metric and keep using Imperial? That makes no sense whatsoever.
WW |
Re: The metric-system
Originally Posted by Vash the Stampede
(Post 7681649)
Yes. Why would anyone introduce metric and keep using Imperial? That makes no sense whatsoever.
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Re: The metric-system
Originally Posted by wanderingwombat
(Post 7681695)
You mean like a country that sells milk by the pint, petrol by the litre and measures distance in miles?????? :D
WW
Originally Posted by iamthecreaturefromuranus
(Post 7681709)
How tall are you then?
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Re: The metric-system
Originally Posted by Vash the Stampede
(Post 7681649)
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
Originally Posted by Broad Shoulders
(Post 7681744)
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
Originally Posted by wanderingwombat
(Post 7681695)
You mean like a country that sells milk by the pint, petrol by the litre and measures distance in miles?????? :D
WW ("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
Originally Posted by THR
(Post 7681428)
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. 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
Originally Posted by MartinLuther
(Post 7681807)
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. 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
Originally Posted by THR
(Post 7681815)
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. 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
Originally Posted by MartinLuther
(Post 7681833)
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. 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
Originally Posted by Vash the Stampede
(Post 7681741)
That might have been the one I had in mind, yes... ;)
1.71 metres.
Originally Posted by Vash the Stampede
(Post 7681766)
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
Originally Posted by iamthecreaturefromuranus
(Post 7681871)
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 !
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Re: The metric-system
Originally Posted by THR
(Post 7681875)
I understand, saying something like 5'2" sounds taller than saying 170cm.
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Re: The metric-system
If memory serves me right, the UK road signs used to show the height (or width) of a bridge in metres and imperial but would tell you how far from the sign to the bridge in yards. :unsure:
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Re: The metric-system
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Re: The metric-system
Originally Posted by Vash the Stampede
(Post 7681649)
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. Baby weights are given in pounds and ounces, people say they are 5ft x or whatever, not usually metric (and these are young Australians) but they give their weight in kilos. |
Re: The metric-system
Originally Posted by wanderingwombat
(Post 7681695)
You mean like a country that sells milk by the pint, petrol by the litre and measures distance in miles?????? :D
WW Because pints, miles, fathoms and hectares are excluded from metrication. |
Re: The metric-system
Originally Posted by Hebe
(Post 7682116)
Because pints, miles, fathoms and hectares are excluded from metrication.
But it does raise the point that acres are used a lot in Aus for things like house plots and small farms whereas hectares are used for large areas like the size of a forest. Another unusual one is that houses are sold in squares (10' by 10') which is not a measure I've seen elsewhere. |
Re: The metric-system
Originally Posted by MartinLuther
(Post 7682129)
hectares are part of the metric system.
But it does raise the point that acres are used a lot in Aus for things like house plots and small farms whereas hectares are used for large areas like the size of a forest. I suppose it is about choosing a number which then doesn't get too big. 6ft more meaningful than 182cm. 100 Hectares of land burnt is easier to manage than 250 acres, especially when that number is getting bigger and equal to an area the size of Greater London. Saying that my workbench is 3 feet across is easier than giving that in cm although some tradies would smart...
Originally Posted by MartinLuther
(Post 7682129)
Another unusual one is that houses are sold in squares (10' by 10') which is not a measure I've seen elsewhere.
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Re: The metric-system
Originally Posted by BadgeIsBack
(Post 7682322)
1 hectare = 10,000 sq metres?
I suppose it is about choosing a number which then doesn't get too big. 6ft more meaningful than 182cm. 100 Hectares of land burnt is easier to manage than 250 acres, especially when that number is getting bigger and equal to an area the size of Greater London. Saying that my workbench is 3 feet across is easier than giving that in cm although some tradies would smart... But of course, being the all-round top bloke you are, this does not faze you, or want to make you think about the Barratt houses of Olde England... |
Re: The metric-system
Originally Posted by THR
(Post 7681815)
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.
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Re: The metric-system
Originally Posted by MartinLuther
(Post 7682092)
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Re: The metric-system
When I get excited about 9".
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Re: The metric-system
Originally Posted by MartinLuther
(Post 7681833)
I'm sure you can sill buy pints in the UK :D
It's 4 pints I know, but whats the point of that? |
Re: The metric-system
Originally Posted by THR
(Post 7681875)
I understand, saying something like 5'2" sounds taller than saying 170cm.
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Re: The metric-system
Originally Posted by MartinLuther
(Post 7682475)
It's usually about context. A common one is using kms for distance. Saying Brisbane is 1.7 megametres from Melbourne doesn't conjure up the image as 1700 kms.
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Re: The metric-system
Originally Posted by Alfresco
(Post 7682990)
Not anymore (for milk that is), it's all in litres - BUT we buy our milk in 2.272 litre plastic bottles from most supermarkets here in the UK. :confused:
It's 4 pints I know, but whats the point of that? I remember they used to sell carpets by the 0.83 of a sq metre. :lol: |
Re: The metric-system
Originally Posted by BadgeIsBack
(Post 7683062)
Indeed, and of course, I was wrong if I implied that the working number should be smaller..for the distance you mention the larger no is more meaningful..
Different measures for different things. Acres works for small plots and hectares works for big plots. The square mile of London will always be the square mile as the square 2.6 kms doesn't have the same ring. :D |
Re: The metric-system
I guess that everyone in Australia knows how tall they are or how much they weigh in the metric system because that is the official system and those questions are often asked on bureacratic forms.
A different issue is whether some people still prefer the old system. People coming from Britain should also be familiar with the metric, in theory, but in practice it is often a futile hope. |
Re: The metric-system
Originally Posted by MartinLuther
(Post 7682080)
If memory serves me right, the UK road signs used to show the height (or width) of a bridge in metres and imperial but would tell you how far from the sign to the bridge in yards. :unsure:
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Re: The metric-system
Originally Posted by Vash the Stampede
(Post 7681649)
Yes. Why would anyone introduce metric and keep using Imperial? That makes no sense whatsoever.
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Re: The metric-system
Originally Posted by jackhigh
(Post 7686313)
Because this metric system has systematically been introduced against the wishes of the majority of the UK population :thumbdown: and 45 years after the government started this policy the removal of Britain's traditional measures are still nowhere in sight. Why? Because most folk still use and understand imperial far better than metric and see no reason why we should give up these measurements because some bureaucrat in Brussels (and their lapdogs in the house of commons) feel that for whatever reasons the continued use of imperial measurements in the UK somehow threaten the entire economic future of Europe. What the hell does selling 2lb of bananas at the local market got to do with the economics of europe?
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Re: The metric-system
Originally Posted by MartinLuther
(Post 7682475)
It's usually about context. A common one is using kms for distance. Saying Brisbane is 1.7 megametres from Melbourne doesn't conjure up the image as 1700 kms.
It's also interesting how the measures have changed, yet the parlance that comes with them hasn't caught up - a friend was looking at a motorcycle a couple of weeks back, and he asked what the mileage was. The sales guy looked pretty perplexed until he re-phrased the question and asked how many kilometres were on the clock. Strange that this hasn't become the kilometerage. Personally, I think the metric system is a much more manageable system than the Imperial one, and is far simpler to understand. S |
Re: The metric-system
Originally Posted by Swerv-o
(Post 7686564)
This is a good point. Interesting how job advirtisements are always given as $87k, yet nobody ever says "I earn 87 kilodollars"
It's also interesting how the measures have changed, yet the parlance that comes with them hasn't caught up - a friend was looking at a motorcycle a couple of weeks back, and he asked what the mileage was. The sales guy looked pretty perplexed until he re-phrased the question and asked how many kilometres were on the clock. Strange that this hasn't become the kilometerage. Personally, I think the metric system is a much more manageable system than the Imperial one, and is far simpler to understand. S Lord Kelvin once said "I look upon our English system as a wickedly, brain-destroying system of bondage under which we suffer". |
Re: The metric-system
Originally Posted by MartinLuther
(Post 7686572)
Metric is definitely easier. I wonder how many people in the UK actually know the Imperial system apart from the common ones like pint and pound. I've not met many who know how many yards in a chain or how many chains in a furlong.
Lord Kelvin once said "I look upon our English system as a wickedly, brain-destroying system of bondage under which we suffer". Couldn't agree with him more. At least the metric system is all in the same base.
Originally Posted by jackhigh
(Post 7686313)
Because this metric system has systematically been introduced against the wishes of the majority of the UK population :thumbdown: and 45 years after the government started this policy the removal of Britain's traditional measures are still nowhere in sight. Why? Because most folk still use and understand imperial far better than metric and see no reason why we should give up these measurements because some bureaucrat in Brussels (and their lapdogs in the house of commons) feel that for whatever reasons the continued use of imperial measurements in the UK somehow threaten the entire economic future of Europe. What the hell does selling 2lb of bananas at the local market got to do with the economics of europe?
I don't understand why people are so resolutely against the metric system. Based in the fundamental SI units, it's a system that is standardaised across the world, and can only make international trade and comerce easier. Only a handful of countries don't use it. Is it because it was started by the French, and it's just the British way to naturally hate anything frog like? S |
Re: The metric-system
Metric is easier unless you're talking about one or two everyday measures like height or weight I suppose...where you have a feel for the measure - and even then it depends on who you are having the conversation with. I'd mich rather follow a recipe in metric unless it uses cups in which case I have a measured cup to hand....
I feel sorry for the Yanks dealing with imperial in Physics texts - give me SI anyday... |
Re: The metric-system
All the convicts I work with will give height in feet and Inches and weight in Kilo's or KGeeees as they call them.
Bladdy natives are restless. :lol: |
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