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Imperial or metric?

Posted: 19 Jun 2017, 16:39
by itchyfeet
It's an age thing I'm sure but what do you use?

Born in 68 I'm schooled in metric but I still use a mixture

Feet and inches for most larger measurememts but mm for anything accurate, have even used decimal inches for electronics.

I drink beer in pints but everything else is litres

I still drive in mph and do fuel consumption in mpg

I'm about 75 KG no idea in stones

I never used or understood farenheight so why do the media still report temperature as 91F means nothing to me.

Seems strange the mix of units I use.

Re: Imperial or metric?

Posted: 19 Jun 2017, 17:14
by silverbullet
Same here, class of 72 but father and work soon tought me that you use the most appropriate units for the task at hand.

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Re: Imperial or metric?

Posted: 19 Jun 2017, 18:15
by ash1293
Being of 1980 vintage I should in theory be completely metric however I tend to mix and match to suit the occasion.
More often than not its imperial.

The other question to ask - in your mind how much is a packet of polos? I'm firmly stuck at 12p

Re: Imperial or metric?

Posted: 19 Jun 2017, 18:33
by captain Byrne
The whole situation in this country is ridiculous. I was brought up in the 60's on imperial but have weaned myself very successfully on to metric. It's not difficult! I wish someone had the b**lls to say, right, we're going metric along with the rest of the civilised world, and have done with it. This half & half malarkey is stupid & confusing.
Once had a conversation with an American who swore blind feet & inches were more accurate & easier to understand than mm, cm & metres. The mind boggles.
Polos 12p... What about when mars bars were 4p. That's it, rant over.

Re: Imperial or metric?

Posted: 19 Jun 2017, 18:35
by Jim San
itchyfeet wrote:It's an age thing I'm sure but what do you use?

Born in 68 I'm schooled in metric but I still use a mixture

Feet and inches for most larger measurememts but mm for anything accurate, have even used decimal inches for electronics.

I drink beer in pints but everything else is litres

I still drive in mph and do fuel consumption in mpg

I'm about 75 KG no idea in stones

I never used or understood farenheight so why do the media still report temperature as 91F means nothing to me.

Seems strange the mix of units I use.


Same here, 68 also but human weight to me is in stone, all other weights in KG.

Never understood deg F either, all sound so hot, deg C so much more clement.

I've started working fuel consumption in Km / ltr - but then inevitably convert it to mph to compare it against the bench mark "40 to the gallon" Having done enough overseas driving, I would not mind seeing our road distances changed to km.

Tyres are in inches - the metric tyre sizes are more confusing than the confusing imperial tyre sizes.

Certain quantities don't need fully metricating, like a dozen or 1/2 dozen eggs. 6 and 12 are good quantities of eggs, better than 5 and 10 - the box of 5 would be infuriating :)

Re: Imperial or metric?

Posted: 19 Jun 2017, 18:44
by itchyfeet
Tyre pressures in PSI yet oil pressure in Bar

Lbft is giberish its NM

Re: Imperial or metric?

Posted: 19 Jun 2017, 18:48
by Mocki
I'm a 1969 hatching, and I work in both generally, depending on what the job is
Beer is always pints, as is milk, distance is miles , humans in stone, loads in kg and metric tonnes , money in £
Buying Wood generally in metric , steel in metric, but often using , cutting and building in imperial .....

Don't want bliddy euros , litres of milk or beer , or kilometres thank you .....

Re: Imperial or metric?

Posted: 19 Jun 2017, 19:09
by itchyfeet
And then there are EN, BS, BSEN, DIN, ISO standards for EU alone but I digress....

Re: Imperial or metric?

Posted: 19 Jun 2017, 19:34
by Oldiebut goodie
ash1293 wrote:Being of 1980 vintage I should in theory be completely metric however I tend to mix and match to suit the occasion.
More often than not its imperial.

The other question to ask - in your mind how much is a packet of polos? I'm firmly stuck at 12p

6d aren't they? - do you mean to say that you can still get them - my friend had most of his teeth out by the time he was 30 due to continual sucking polos!

Re: Imperial or metric?

Posted: 19 Jun 2017, 19:39
by weimarbus
Born 57, I tend to think in both, air cooled tappets always 6 thou from cold, bearing journals metric cause that's what the tolerences show, Timber 2x2 or 2x4 but always in 2,4M not eight feet, measuring with a tape, whatever seems more memorable before I mark the cut, and windows and doors 4ft ,6ft, etc.

No wonder I don't know where I am :D

32 degrees still feels bloody hot :evil:

Re: Imperial or metric?

Posted: 19 Jun 2017, 19:40
by weimarbus
By the way what happened to Spangles?

Re: Imperial or metric?

Posted: 19 Jun 2017, 20:16
by R0B
They ran away with some aztec bars..

Re: Imperial or metric?

Posted: 19 Jun 2017, 20:20
by Oldiebut goodie
That was the Bangles and Aztec Camera wasn't it. :lol: :lol:

Re: Imperial or metric?

Posted: 19 Jun 2017, 21:01
by bigbadbob76
As one first registered in '76 I mostly use the same units for the same things as you Paul.
Although I use a mix of metres/feet for larger measurements and also throw in Nautical miles and knots but that's sea specific and I still use metres for anything under 1 nautical (or statute mile), not thousands/hundreds of yards or decimal miles like some do. I mean come on, what's with the decimal miles? :rofl
And as for tyres in mm to fit wheels in inches, that's bizarre, it's not logical, but it's what we're used to and what works for us that counts.
If the powers that be insisted we used metric I would still use what I use, they can't stop the way my brain computes things.

Re: Imperial or metric?

Posted: 19 Jun 2017, 21:02
by silverbullet
I cant comprehend imperial distance or weights. The numbers simply dont stick in my mind.
So how many yards in a mile? No idea. Same for lbs in a stone.
As long as I dont weigh more than 90 kg I am happy ;)

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