Should we bring back miles per hour?

looksee · 29-11-2018 04:32PM

kneemos wrote: »

Inches and feet were far more practical for measuring small stuff.

Except for the truly weird American thing of dividing inches into tenths.

I am ambidextrous, I have no problem asking for 2 meters of 2 x 1 timber or 3 meters of 40" fabric. Or guestimating a room 4m x 3m by 8ft high.

Rory28 · 29-11-2018 04:32PM

get an import. my bike is in old currency and its great. 100kph means nothing. 100 mileanhour on the other hand has a nice sound to it

29-11-2018 04:35PM

Ubi feles est? wrote: »

As above.

Old man shouts at cloud

https://youtu.be/z5-s-4KPtD8

Is there any news on when RTE is going to work out that we went metric 40+ years ago and stop telling us how many pounds the Operation Transformation yokes have lost?

Grayson · 29-11-2018 04:35PM

kneemos wrote: »

Inches and feet were far more practical for measuring small stuff.

Since centimetres are smaller surely they'd be better?

Plus for really, really small stuff you can't beat metric. Try measuring millimeters or nanometers in imperial measurements.

I was in the US for a month and trying to get my head around the fahrenheit scale was nuts.

kneemos · 29-11-2018 04:43PM

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Than mm? How do you figure?

Dividing stuff by 10 or 100 is much easier than having to know multiple different amounts that make up different weights and measures and dividing by 12, 14 or 16.

Much easier to read a tape in inches,16th's are instantly visible. Where as you need to look closely to see tenths.
Feet are also much handier as a small measurement.A metre is way too big,adding points just makes it harder to visualise.

Bannasidhe · 29-11-2018 04:44PM

looksee wrote: »

Except for the truly weird American thing of dividing inches into tenths.

I am ambidextrous, I have no problem asking for 2 meters of 2 x 1 timber or 3 meters of 40" fabric. Or guestimating a room 4m x 3m by 8ft high.

I have no issue with baking something using pounds of flour and grams of butter.
A rugby pitch is 100 m long and my son is 6 foot tall.

Simples :P

malinheader · 29-11-2018 04:48PM

Grayson wrote: »

Because the metric system is fcuking amazing.

Yep. Makes all them storm warnings sound terrifying

Grayson · 29-11-2018 04:50PM

malinheader wrote: »

Yep. Makes all them storm warnings sound terrifying

You would say that

https://www.met.ie/weather-forecast/malin-head-weather-station-donegal

malinheader · 29-11-2018 04:54PM

Grayson wrote: »

You would say that

https://www.met.ie/weather-forecast/malin-head-weather-station-donegal

I know. I did say that.

Grayson · 29-11-2018 04:58PM

malinheader wrote: »

I know. I did say that.

Thanks for ruining that for me.

Creamy Goodness · 29-11-2018 04:59PM

kneemos wrote: »

Much easier to read a tape in inches,16th's are instantly visible. Where as you need to look closely to see tenths.
Feet are also much handier as a small measurement.A metre is way too big,adding points just makes it harder to visualise.

You’re reading an inch tape, no wonder they’re easier to read :pac:

Raheem Euro · 29-11-2018 05:01PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5-s-4KPtD8

DEFTLEFTHAND · 29-11-2018 05:13PM

I'm really bad on measurement systems. I was asked recently what my weight was in Kg and didn't have a clue.

Stones and pounds are the only units I can comprehend.

kneemos · 29-11-2018 05:14PM

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

I'm really bad on measurement systems. I was asked recently what my weight was in Kg and didn't have a clue.

Stones and pounds are the only units I can comprehend.

Weight is better in metric.

Zorya · 29-11-2018 05:17PM

Yes, please. I am still constantly dividing by 8 and multiplying by 5 when driving, to know what speed I'm at, and holding my thumb and first finger an inch apart to get an idea how long 2.5 centimetres are in real life. I think of bags of potatoes in terms of half stones or stones, no-one will ever force me to do otherwise.

Then again, maybe that kind of constant mental arithmetic will stave off dementia, so carry on, as you were.

Oh by the way, here are some lovely weight and measure terms that are almost disappeared, nevermore to be heard - grains, scruples, drachms, fathom, pole, rod, perch, chain, furlong, league, imperial quarts and gallons, peck, bushel, chaldron. I collect old cookbooks that still use some of these terms

If you don't have a scale handy, chaps, then remember 3 farthings is about the same weight as one quarter of an ounce :pac:

Rawr · 29-11-2018 05:20PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8LtffE5mU8

Steve F · 29-11-2018 05:20PM

punisher5112 wrote: »

I much prefered miles and still do.

Funny thing is we still use mpg.....

Cars should all now have digital display that you can change which some of course do.

Yaris is one that's had that option from the start.

Vauxhall/Opel too

looksee · 29-11-2018 05:34PM

I remember chanting at school - 16 ounces in a pound, 14 pounds in a stone, two stone one quarter, four quarters one hundredweight, 20 hundredweight one ton. And two pints one quart, four quarts one gallon. I am sure there were others - 12 inches in a foot, three feet in a yard, and some impossible number of yards in a mile. There were furlongs in there too, but I evidently didn't learn that chant as well as the others

Ubi feles est? · 29-11-2018 05:38PM

I prefer mph to kph.

Zorya · 29-11-2018 05:43PM

malinheader wrote: »

It's a wonder they never changed the side of the road we drive on to.

Dagen H. 3 September 1967. The day Sweden changed the side of the road they drove on. Can you imagine what it would be like to do so now, with the speed and number of vehicles. Perhaps that boat has sailed.

Grayson · 29-11-2018 05:46PM

Zorya wrote: »

Yes, please. I am still constantly dividing by 8 and multiplying by 5 when driving, to know what speed I'm at, and holding my thumb and first finger an inch apart to get an idea how long 2.5 centimetres are in real life. I think of bags of potatoes in terms of half stones or stones, no-one will ever force me to do otherwise.

Then again, maybe that kind of constant mental arithmetic will stave off dementia, so carry on, as you were.

Oh by the way, here are some lovely weight and measure terms that are almost disappeared, nevermore to be heard - grains, scruples, drachms, fathom, pole, rod, perch, chain, furlong, league, imperial quarts and gallons, peck, bushel, chaldron. I collect old cookbooks that still use some of these terms If you don't have a scale handy, chaps, then remember 3 farthings is about the same weight as one quarter of an ounce :pac:

and barleycorns which are what shoes are measured in.

Actually, your post could be in the Bey you didn't know thread.

Ipso · 29-11-2018 05:48PM

Base 16 is so much better than base 10.

jimgoose · 29-11-2018 05:49PM

malinheader wrote: »

Don't know why they ever changed it in the first place.

Seemingly the Kaiser took our word for "Roods-per-Hogshead".

jimgoose · 29-11-2018 05:50PM

Ipso wrote: »

Base 16 is so much better than base 10.

It is indeed. The trouble is base-10 is so ingrained in everyone that only a very small handful of nerds even realise that there are alternatives.

tuxy · 29-11-2018 06:00PM

How many people that wished we kept using miles even know how many yards are in a mile?
They want to mix and match imperial and metric which is madness.
Only backward countries like Myanmar, UK, Liberia, USA still want to use imperial and even then all their scientists (the intelligent people) use metric!

arctictree · 29-11-2018 06:10PM

When measuring I always use whatever matches the length closest on the tape, mm or inches, doesn't really matter.

Yards are a funny one. Used for length but never for height!

DEFTLEFTHAND · 29-11-2018 06:13PM

tuxy wrote: »

How many people that wished we kept using miles even know how many yards are in a mile?
They want to mix and match imperial and metric which is madness.
Only backward countries like Myanmar, UK, Liberia, USA still want to use imperial and even then all their scientists (the intelligent people) use metric!

UK and US backward?

tuxy · 29-11-2018 06:16PM

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

UK and US backward?

Yes the general population are. However the scientists and engineers are not, they use metric.

29-11-2018 06:17PM

tuxy wrote: »

Yes the general population are. However the scientists and engineers are not, they use metric.

It’s only the road signs and beer that aren’t in metric in the uk.

tuxy · 29-11-2018 06:20PM

Aegir wrote: »

It’s only the road signs and beer that aren’t in metric in the uk.

Yes, which makes the UK worse than Liberia. They will measure things in meters and kilometres but can't comprehend kilometre per hour!

Should we bring back miles per hour?

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