We over here went metric on December 14th, 1976. Nearly 50 years later, there are still some old folk who didn't have the will or the brains to convert their thinking. Worse, there are some young people, influenced by the old stick in the muds, that still call a certain piece of machined timber a 'four by two; (which, I believe, is called a two by four in the USA). For someone pedantic ... not saying I am .. it is made even more annoying by the fact what they are referencing, if actually measured in Imperial, as in that based on an English king's body parts, isn't four inches by two, but 3.54 by 1.77 inches. Rough sawn timber (lumber where you is at) is close to 4 by 2, or 2 by 4, but the lacking in mental flexibility group machined in with the rough sawn. When forced to deal with these people, I normally offer them the cost of the timber in a currency previous to decimal, which in our case, is pounds, shillings, and pence. Probably should slip into Old English speak as well, if they are going to refuse to move into the future. Notice they all have modern mobile phones, so obviously they are not stuck in 1960, just a bit thick.
To those who swear this system or that is the superior, get off your high horse. Metric temperature measurement is based on some triple point of this or that under specific conditions… yadda yadda. If you’re truly talking about temperature, you need to consider it’s measuring the total energy of the atoms in something, and for that, only Lord Kelvin gave us a real way of defining that, starting with zero movement. Of course room temperature is 296.15 degrees, which just rolls off the tongue. And the French are still scratching their heads about how to make geometry work if you have 100 degrees in a circle instead of 360. (Forget that our calendar will never decimalize.) And then there’s the fact that no meter divides cleanly into thirds. I could go on. Maybe don’t be so preachy, and just accept that sometimes a better way to measure something is to use a system that is defined by the humans that use it. For baking, yes, metric. Healthcare, of course metric. But if you’re wondering what to wear for today’s weather, Imperial is fantastically decimal — 0 degrees is frigid, 20 is “balmy” if you’re into skiing. 50 is a nice day to do yard work or go for a hike. 75 is a fine Sunday afternoon sitting on the patio. And 100 is excellent beach weather. Maybe take a minute and add another “language” to your repertoire. Another tool to your toolkit.
Canada switched from Imperial to Metric in 1975 when I was in elementary school. Fifty years later we have a hybrid system (google for more info if of interest to you). While outside temperatures are measured in Celsius, our ovens are all still Fahrenheit. As a scientist, metric measurements are second nature to me now, though I still tend to visualize geographical distance in miles. Some things just get hardwired into our brains, I guess!
5 comments:
We over here went metric on December 14th, 1976.
Nearly 50 years later, there are still some old folk who didn't have the will or the brains to convert their thinking.
Worse, there are some young people, influenced by the old stick in the muds, that still call a certain piece of machined timber a 'four by two; (which, I believe, is called a two by four in the USA).
For someone pedantic ... not saying I am .. it is made even more annoying by the fact what they are referencing, if actually measured in Imperial, as in that based on an English king's body parts, isn't four inches by two, but 3.54 by 1.77 inches.
Rough sawn timber (lumber where you is at) is close to 4 by 2, or 2 by 4, but the lacking in mental flexibility group machined in with the rough sawn.
When forced to deal with these people, I normally offer them the cost of the timber in a currency previous to decimal, which in our case, is pounds, shillings, and pence.
Probably should slip into Old English speak as well, if they are going to refuse to move into the future.
Notice they all have modern mobile phones, so obviously they are not stuck in 1960, just a bit thick.
To those who swear this system or that is the superior, get off your high horse. Metric temperature measurement is based on some triple point of this or that under specific conditions… yadda yadda. If you’re truly talking about temperature, you need to consider it’s measuring the total energy of the atoms in something, and for that, only Lord Kelvin gave us a real way of defining that, starting with zero movement. Of course room temperature is 296.15 degrees, which just rolls off the tongue. And the French are still scratching their heads about how to make geometry work if you have 100 degrees in a circle instead of 360. (Forget that our calendar will never decimalize.)
And then there’s the fact that no meter divides cleanly into thirds. I could go on.
Maybe don’t be so preachy, and just accept that sometimes a better way to measure something is to use a system that is defined by the humans that use it. For baking, yes, metric. Healthcare, of course metric. But if you’re wondering what to wear for today’s weather, Imperial is fantastically decimal — 0 degrees is frigid, 20 is “balmy” if you’re into skiing. 50 is a nice day to do yard work or go for a hike. 75 is a fine Sunday afternoon sitting on the patio. And 100 is excellent beach weather.
Maybe take a minute and add another “language” to your repertoire. Another tool to your toolkit.
Canada switched from Imperial to Metric in 1975 when I was in elementary school. Fifty years later we have a hybrid system (google for more info if of interest to you). While outside temperatures are measured in Celsius, our ovens are all still Fahrenheit. As a scientist, metric measurements are second nature to me now, though I still tend to visualize geographical distance in miles. Some things just get hardwired into our brains, I guess!
Too funny. I've never thought about that. Before baking, preheat oven to 177C. Yeah, that should work. Today, in the digital world at least.
See also: Canadian Measurement.
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