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AIBU?

To think it's time the UK went truly metric.

91 replies

complexnumber · 28/03/2013 15:21

Partially inspired by another thread about the size of tv's being quoted in inches.

I know that is a trivial example, but isn't it time we finally dropped the imperial measurements completely?

Just about every other country in the world has managed it. Why can't we?

We (the UK that is) have been dithering since 1965, that's pathetic.

(However, I do confess to wanting my beer served by the pint.)

OP posts:

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zwischenzug · 28/03/2013 21:12

When you buy a car they tell you the mpg, but petrol is bought by the litre?

£1.40/litre sounds cheaper than £6.36/gallon.

50 miles per gallon sounds more impressive than 11 miles per litre.

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WMittens · 28/03/2013 21:54

50 miles per gallon sounds more impressive than 11 miles per litre.

Shouldn't it be kilometres per litre? Also, the metric measurement is (sometimes) about fuel consumption (litres per 100km) rather than fuel economy (mpg or km/l).

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ethelb · 28/03/2013 21:56

People saying they cant do metric baking, a quarter (or 4oz) can be substituted for 100g. So divide by four and times by 10.

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NUFC69 · 28/03/2013 21:56

I get really irritated when they tell us that we are going to have xx cms of snow - if you say it in inches it sounds much less. If the weatherman says 10 cms, it sounds deep, but say 4 inches and it's not so much. I am sure we started having trouble with driving during the winter when we changed to metric!

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ethelb · 28/03/2013 21:56

Sorry 100.

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WMittens · 28/03/2013 22:04

If the weatherman says 10 cms, it sounds deep, but say 4 inches and it's not so much.

Just because the number is bigger? So if the forecaster said it was going to be a tenth of a metre, would you think it was going to be a light dusting of snow?

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zwischenzug · 28/03/2013 22:31

Everyone knows 6 inches is a reasonable amount and 9 inches is pretty damn good.

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ConfusedPixie · 28/03/2013 23:37

Another 23yo who uses both and gets confused! I weigh myself in kg these days, use American measuring cups, judge height in metres but length in ft.

I couldn't tell you what imperial and metric cover though, I just know that I use them interchangeably!

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ToysRLuv · 29/03/2013 01:34

. Imperial measures are confusing and illogical. Fun for history of science lessons, but not for everyday life. But I'm a weirdie (as dh puts it) foreigner, so what do I know..

Also, please, get completely rid of the ridiculous 2 taps (choice of washing your hands with freezing or boiling water), drive on right and use normal 2 pronged electric plugs (I won't dare mention the Euro).

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ToysRLuv · 29/03/2013 01:35

Meant to say YANBU.

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SneezingwakestheJesus · 29/03/2013 01:56

YABU. I don't think its that hard to know two different ways of measuring. I laaaaike having the choice.

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sashh · 29/03/2013 04:55

ElectricalBanana

I feel your pain. I used to get a sixpence for 'tuck' when the money changed I only got a 2p. Not that I hold a grudge.

OK all of you wanting to keep imperial here's an experiment. Do you have milk in the fridge? Before you go look guess where the label that tells you it is a pint or 2 pints is - then go look.

Unless you still have bottles delivered you will find a plastic container that just says milk. The 'pint' is the last thing on the back of the label.

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OneLieIn · 29/03/2013 05:21

It's part of our eccentricity

I love the fact I can weigh in stones and pounds, but can make a cake in grammes.

Plus I love the fact hot is 80 and cold is 0, it's like we have a while new range.

And I love inches, they describe things much better

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OneLieIn · 29/03/2013 05:22

Lol zwischenzug

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nagynolonger · 29/03/2013 06:31

DH is an engineer so has used metric for decades at work. I'm sure he thinks metric. He can easily switch to imperial of course because that's what he was taught at school.

I learnt all the imperial measures at junior school and was very confused when all our new maths text books at secondary were cm and metres. So I went from doing sums in bases 3,8,12,14,16 and all the necessary times tables to working in base 10 only. It was much easier but even as a child I thought it was dumming down! Everyone of my age had to learn that 12 old pennies made a shilling, and 20 shillings made a pound and similar for weights and distance. I'm certain having to work out how imperial measures work to do everything made us better at arithmatic.

I have no trouble with metric it is easy, but still cook in imperial because it's easier IMO. For a basic baking I never use scales because a table spoon is equal to 1 oz. I always convert to imperial for cooking.

Baby weights in imperial are much nicer too. I know they were all weighed in metric and it was converted to lbs and oz. It's the lb and oz everyone wants to know.

We will be using miles for distance until the roadsigns change and there are better things to spend money on at present.

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KatyTheCleaningLady · 29/03/2013 07:55

I moved here from the US, where about the only thing done in metrics is large bottles of soda pop. It took a short while to get used to the metric measurements - I mean, to get an idea of how big things were in my head - but I am now fully converted.

Weighing ingredients makes so much more sense than worrying about leveling off cups and the maths on per-unit pricing at the supermarket is much easier.

Also, I've discovered that non-metric measurements aren't the same around the world. I think gallons and pints are different in the UK and the US, so that makes for added confusion.

Go metric, I say!