Posted on 09/11/2007 4:59:59 AM PDT by oblomov
The European Union is set to confirm it has abandoned what became one of its most unpopular policies among many people in Britain. It is proposing to allow the UK to continue using pounds, miles and pints as units of measurement indefinitely.
The European Commission will announce later it is leaving all future decisions to the British government.
The decision is being seen as a victory for supporters of the ancient imperial system, the so-called "metric martyrs".
Pint saved
The UK had been due to set a date for phasing out all its imperial measurements within three years.
This would have meant setting a deadline for ending the traditional delivery of pints of milk - and the sale of pints of beer in Britain's pubs.
Every one of Britain's road signs would have had to be changed from miles to kilometres - a move which opponents warned would be both expensive and confusing.
Steve Thoburn made headlines around the world over his campaign
But it was the move, begun in 2000, to make Britain's market traders sell their produce in kilograms rather than pounds and ounces which caused outrage among traditionalists.
Sunderland grocer Steve Thoburn inspired the "metric martyr" movement with his defiance of the order to abandon the imperial measurements.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
Yes, 12 can be divided evenly into halves, quarters, and thirds. That is an advantage when counting by whole numbers. (I score quizzes on a 12-point scale; that way, I can easily grant partial credit in whole-number steps.)
Whatever the advantages of a traditional duodecimal system for counting, it has no such advantages for measuring or calculations. There are two reasons for this.
First, most of the traditional systems of measurement are not based on 12. Yes, there are 12 inches in a foot; but there are three feet in a yard, 1760 yards in a (statute) mile, and so forth. Likewise, none of the traditional units of mass, weight, volume, area, etc., are based on divisions of 12.
Second, we calculate using base-10 numbers. Having units that are also based on 10 greatly simplifies calculations and reduces the chances for error.
Not if you’re a carpenter.
Not what if you are a carpenter?
Yeesh - give these guys a cubit and they’ll take a furlong.
That thingy about 10 reducing chances of error.
After seeing the shoddy workmanship on the new houses being built in my neighborhood, I am tempted to say that nothing could reduce the chances that a carpenter will make an error. Few of the construction workers can measure or cut a board the the right length. (Few can speak English, either—but that is another issue.)
Not that it matters much: If the board is too long, it can be forced to fit; if too short, it can be shimmed. If the wall bows, the drywall people can cover it up.
Fortunately, carpenters don't have to carry out complicated calculations, so it probably doesn't matter much which system of units they use.
Is the EU still using metric time?
You don’t do much carpentry work, I take it.
No, most are based on 8 or 16. But most are also based on the same logic: derive a base unit, then use doubling, quadrupling, etc. to get larger units. Use halving, quartering, etc. for smaller units.
The metric system was a way of unifying the measurement systems that was needed, but the use of base 10 was a mistake that they even tried to force onto time and the calendar. When scaling measurements, base 10 is prone to mathematical error that units based on doubling and halving aren't, simply because of the recurrence of whole numbers in the calculations.
Take, for example, decimal money. If a "dollar" = 12 "dimes" = 2 "half dollars" = 4 "quarters" =24 "nickles" = 144 "pennies", you could make change with less unit coins.
Regardless, it is not naturally intuitive to humans. I'm fairly average in size, I can look at my Nike clad foot, and know that it's about a foot in length, and that my normal stride is about three of those and that's a yard. The distance from the tip of my index finger to the first crease at the joint is one inch. And cupping my hands together and filling it with water will yield me about a cup.
These are things I can relate to and visualize.
So what if a refrigerator power cord has to be 6.5 feet (2 meters) in length. BFD. And I can see where for scientific measurement, that the metric system would be of use, more granular and base 10. Not a problem.
But you can't have my 12oz Beer, 16oz(pint) of beer, gallon of milk etc. For everyday human use lets stick with what we can naturally relate to.
The [current] mile isn’t 1000 Roman paces, either.
Tennessee took all of their km signs down. Total waste of time.
Picky, picky, picky...
Scratch the other post. [Probably] get your point now (it took some time).
LOL, My only real experience with the metric system back in the 70's was, getting my knuckles rapped by my 8th grade math teacher, with a wooden meter stick.
No, I prefer metalworking.
I recall sitting in a classroom and having a teacher try to teach us how far a kilometer was. In retrospect she clearly had no idea, but that didnt stop her from trying. She asked the class to tell tell her something that was a kilometer away from the school and she insisted that a kilometer was waaaaaay far away. Many many miles. Not surprising we didn't get good at it.
Cutting pieces on a base 8 vs. a base 10 system makes all the difference in the world (at least in finish carpentry or cabinet work).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.