To think it odd that so many British still use Imperial measurements?

[Elouera]

Britain started using metric measurements in 1965, so I can only assume that majority of people under about age 50 learnt metric in school? I spend part of my schooling under a British system, but it was all metric. I'm just intrigued as to why, 50yrs later, some younger people are still referring to pounds and lbs???

[QuestionableMouse]

I can use both. I learned both in primary school in the early 90s.

[SkelingtonArgument]

Why not? It’s just a way of measuring things

[SquashedFlyBiscuit]

We measure people's weight in stones and pounds. And heigh tends to be in feet/inches.

Cooking its interchamgeable. My parents generation learnt in pounds and punces and to be honest it s much easier for remembering recipes (2/2/4 of things etc) and essier to mentally double/half. I tend to use grams though.

[Floribundance]

Beer is still served in pints. When we diet we talk about needing to lose a few pounds. The signs on the motorway tell you how many miles there are to the next services.

[Dustyroad63]

I'm 50+ and I've never used metric. I don't like it and never have.
When cooking I use an old fashioned scale with lbs and ounces. I weigh myself in stones and pounds.
I'm so lazy I also seek out American recipes that use cups instead of weighing.

[alibongo5]

We've never really used metric for height and (personal) weight, only in shopping and cooking measurements. A real mish mash but it seems to work!

[wonderstuff]

I use both. I was born in 79 but when I was learning to cook recipes were in both and our scales were imperial. Every one uses imperial measures to describe people's weight and height, I've no idea how much I weight or how tall I am in metric. We use miles on road signs and speeds.

[VeniVidiVoxi]

Yes. Drives me nuts. Metric is a million times (or one ton) easier to fathom. Oh wait, how many meters is a fathom? And how many whales/Wales would that hold? I've confused myself.

[Pardonwhat]

I can use both but couldn’t tell you a km or a kg!

[cudbywestrangers]

I'm well under 50 and prefer imperial to metric. I learned to cook at home where the weights for the scales were imperial and I think it's just stuck

[Burlea]

It was introduced in 1965 but Metric wasn't compulsory taught in schools in the UK until 1974.
When I go to my slimming club I want to loose lbs not kilos, my drink is 1/2 Pint of lager.
Does it really matter.

[wonderstuff]

Actually we still teach some imperial in maths at school.

[Floribundance]

We’re a contrary nation. We say the weather’s freezing, it’s minus 2 (Celsius) or Britain bakes with temperatures in the 90s (Fahrenheit.)

[KirstyJC]

I mix it up and use both. Was only taught metric but when things are sold in pints, measured in stones, distance in miles and miles it just seemed to be more sensible to use those.

For work I sometimes request minor housing works and often ask for eg a 24 inch grab rail, fixed 95 cm up from the floor and 6 inches from the corner. Or a 6 foot ramp starting with a 1 metre platform... I feel very sorry for the engineers!

[alibongo5]

Yes to miles too! Would have no idea how far a destination was in km but do the 5k run! Horses for courses and all that! I wonder if we'll ever go fully metric. I was educated in the 70s and seemed to fall between two stools at school, being taught neither system properly! Maths was metric, cooking was imperial.

[wowfudge]

I can do both but prefer imperial tbh.

[AgeLikeWine]

I’m almost 50, and I use metric for almost everything, apart from driving distances. It’s just so much simpler, easier and more logical.

My absolute pet hate is when journalists quote high temperatures in Fahrenheit and low temperatures in Celsius. Anyone would think they don’t actually understand the difference....

[DramaAlpaca]

I'm in my 50s and am part of the generation who can use both systems comfortably because I grew up with both. I think it's a useful skill to have. I'm used to kilometres because I live in Ireland where we are officially fully metric, but can convert to miles in my head.

[Elouera]

To clarify, its not a criticism for anyone! I know my own weight/height and some measurements in both, but am just surprised that people under 50 in particular, still use imperial for most of their measurements.

[BamboozledandBefuddled]

I'm 55 and was taught in metric at school. I can shop for, and cook a meal in metric, imperial or a combination of both. I'm a transport manager and can run a fleet in miles and gallons or km and litres. I can knit or do carpentry in inches or cm. Does it matter?

[gamerchick]

So what, does it matter?

Yanno, this isn't the first thread I've read today that slags off the British in some snarky small way.

Use it, don't use it. Nobody gives a toss.

[TorysSuckRevokeArticle50]

I learnt to cook from my mum who used pounds and ounces, still have to really think it through when using grams, and I went market shopping with my grandma who bought fruit and veg by the pound or half pound so that's how I think of it.

I'm 5ft 8 and my weight is in stones and pounds.

[BecauseReasons]

We still teach imperial too. And the conversions. Also, all the speed limits are in miles per hour. I think, particularly with distance and weight, people just have a better mental idea of the imperial measures.

[LittleCandle]

I was taught metric at school, but rarely use it. I think in feet, inches, yards and miles. While I know a kilo is 2.2lbs, and a kilometre is 5/8th of a mile, that means very little to me. Who knows what 5/8th of a mile looks like? My weight in kilos is enough to scare me and in stones too and my height in cms means nothing. I much prefer imperial measurements. The other stuff was just meaningless shit I did in school, back in the dark ages.

[Floribundance]

I was taught metres and kg at school but in real life it was mostly old units. When I first left home I used to have deli counter anxiety. I never knew how much to ask for. I didn’t know what a quarter of a pound of cooked meat looked like and ended up with 500g of cheese more than once.