[HN Gopher] Why the US and UK can't stop fighting the metric system
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Why the US and UK can't stop fighting the metric system
Author : nickt
Score : 18 points
Date : 2023-01-16 20:26 UTC (2 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.theverge.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.theverge.com)
| curiousgibbon wrote:
| I've dealt with the British and American version of imperial
| measurements, and know metric. It's not exactly difficult to
| quantify and convert as necessary so all the culture wars confuse
| me.
|
| What enrages me about the American system is more the lack of
| consistency. Take something like mayonnaise. One brand will be
| sold with a price quoted in dollars per ounce, another in pounds,
| and yet another in x$/yoz for some y other than 1. And one will
| have calories per 2oz portion, one calories per 7oz portion, and
| the other calories per tablespoon (0.76oz) on the label.
| Obviously I made the numbers up, but this phenomenon is pure
| insanity. And it's blatant that the obfuscation is to enable
| exploitation of the consumer who has to perform arduous
| arithmetic to compare products. At least in the (pre-Brexit) UK
| the yoghurt had to have calories and price per 100g on the label,
| whether it was a 454g (vestiges of 1lb) pot, 500g, or some other
| size. I prefer consistency in some unit that I can learn to
| chaos.
|
| As for recipes: why insist on measuring things of totally unknown
| density in cups? Mass is the appropriate way to measure
| strawberries or lettuce leaves, not volume.
| ithkuil wrote:
| > I prefer consistency in some unit that I can learn to chaos.
|
| Basically you made the case for the metric system! Yes, sure,
| technically it's not that hard to convert between units, when
| all you're doing is focusing kn converting units. But in real
| life you're supposed to use your brain to do other stuff and if
| you have to stop and suddenly perform a contortion to compare
| the price per weigh unit of one item with another item that
| uses another base weigh unit, well, that's now an extra step
| that you didn't ask for.
|
| With the metric system it can happen that some products use
| grams, and some kilograms (some countries use hectograms while
| others prefer decagrams, for some uses like food) and you have
| the same potential for inconsistency, however since there are
| only factors of ten at play, it doesn't take many brain cycles
| to quickly compare the numbers in your head.
| mytailorisrich wrote:
| For recipes, cups, teaspoons, table spoons, are used (not only
| in the US but in most countries) because they are practical and
| precision is not required. Many ingredients naturally vary in
| size anywy and it is expected that the 'cook' will adjust as
| they go to get the desired result.
| iamkoch wrote:
| I love in the UK and haven't met anyone who thinks a return to
| imperial units is a good idea.
|
| That being said, I met only a handful of people who classed
| themselves as pro-brexit and look how that turned out.
|
| I look forward to adding fractions of 16ths while shopping for
| plums
| hyperman1 wrote:
| I can't help noticing this article gathers enough interest to
| raise in the HN ranks, but attracts no discussion (0 posts when I
| write this).
|
| After decades of the same old arguments, is there anything new to
| be said other than things that boil down to 'I prefer
| metric/imperial because that's what I grew up with so its more
| natural' ?
| mdaniel wrote:
| > I prefer
|
| I'm guessing that is only some portion of the audience, whereas
| I would suspect the network effect is the dominant term. Trying
| to push uphill against the cookbooks, road signs, local weather
| reports, etc is like trying to maintain one language in your
| head while the rest of the _local_ world is another language.
| Certainly possible, but is questionable use of that glucose
|
| I had never heard of "anti-metric vigilantes" like TFA
| discussed, but hopefully those are just some fringe jokers
| designed to get article clicks, and not a serious movement
| bluenose69 wrote:
| The US resistance to change is also exemplified by those whacky
| dollar bills. Weird pyramid much? God much?
| mrlonglong wrote:
| As a Brit, I love metric. Imperial are a relic of the past,
| rightfully consigned to history. I'll be happy the day we go from
| miles to kilometres.
| quitit wrote:
| If the UK are so inclined, they should return to the old currency
| measures of pounds, shillings, pennies, half pennies, farthings,
| thruppence, sixpence, florin, half crowns and crowns.
|
| 1 pound = 20 shillings
|
| 1 shilling = 12 pennies
|
| 1 penny = 4 farthings
|
| 3 pence* = 1 thruppence
|
| 6 pence = 1 sixpence
|
| 2 shillings = 1 florin
|
| 5 shillings = 1 crown
|
| (so 2 shillings + 2 thruppence = 1 half crown)
|
| Bless.
|
| *pence = plural of penny.
| llimos wrote:
| > "When I came to look closely at it," he told me later, "the
| more it appeared to me that the European project was a deliberate
| attempt to reverse what happened at Babel.
|
| Curiously, the European Parliament building is based on Peter
| Bruegel's Tower of Babel [1].
|
| [1] https://mattbell.org/why-is-the-strasbourg-parliament-
| based-...
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