Comments on: UKMA slates EU climb down on metrication

By: philh

philh — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 17:41:10 +0000

To the Master

Sir

There are 1000 millimetre in a metre just as there are 1000 milligram in a gram and 1000 millilitre in a litre, and so on.

The megametre is symbolised Mm whereas the millimetre is mm. The international metric system uses case sensitive symbols and what is more are the same in every language.

Personally I think metric is much easier and less confusing than imperial. For example I can’t understand why there are 14 pounds in a stone. Hardly convenient. I am equally bewildered by the fact that there are 34.7 cubic inches in a pint or 6.18 gallons in a cubic foot.

I am much more comfortable with capacity measured in litres where I know it is a cubic decimetre (or 1000 cubic centimetres) and 1000 litres in a cubic metre. The kilogram is much more straight-forward for weight, only one number not two or three for a single dimensioned quantity, and then 1000 kg in a tonne.

If you just remember that a centimeter is 10 millimetres, or a centilitre is 10 millilitres then these other prefixes, which are not used very much, slot into place.

I think it is so much nicer that there are 1000 metres in a kilometre, instead of having to grapple with numbers like 1760. When I see distances on road signs in metres I know straight away and precisely how that would relate to km on an odometer if it were metric. Can’t say that for an odometer in miles and distances in yards.

Hope that throws new light on the matter.

By: Michael Glass

Michael Glass — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:58:43 +0000

When you compare systems, you need to compare the modern Imperial measures with SI, which makes no use of decametres. Most of the world gets on fine with metric measures even with the similarities in names, and it’s certainly a lot easier to work with metrics than with the array of different units in the Imperial System. Perhaps the problem for “the Master” is that he is attempting to use both systems at once, as with converting litres to gallons to work out miles per gallon.

It would be better for the UK to use just the modern metric system instead of using a confusing mixture of both systems.

By: the Master

the Master — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 12:07:31 +0000

I’m 40 – so I was taught ‘metric’ at school. I’ve got various qualifications that are relevant to measuring, maths & English (including O levels in Maths, English, Geography, Chemistry & Physics, 2 A/O levels in Maths. I’ve also passed the AAT – an accountants exam) – but I cannot follow metric at all.

I always use imperial – I divide by petrol by 4.546 to be me gallons.

Metric is so confusing – it is so easy to be out by a factor of 10, 100, 1000, etc because they all have similar names. We don’t have that with imperial – there are 36 inches in the yards (inch and yard sound very different) and there are 100 milimeters in the meter (milimeter and meter sound and look very similar – and then there is centimeter, decameter, kilometer. How about milimeter and megameter – they even have the same initials).

By: Phil Hall

Phil Hall — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 23:32:38 +0000

I comment on this remark from Tabitha Jones:

“Will there be a UKMA patrol officer making sure everyone uses metric?”

The UK metric association are endevouring to achieve its aims by reasoned argument. We present this on our web site and encourage others to use British democracy and that most sacred freedom to speak out to the media, politicians and others in society who have the power to bring about change.

We will stand or fall entirely by the merits of our case.

The same cannot be said of opponents of metrication who manifestly are prepared to manipulate public opinion by misleading publicity campaigns (qv recent press stories causing confusion about the true legal position over allowed units for trade all of which were perpetrated by the so called “metric martyrs” campaign).

By: Daniel Jackson

Daniel Jackson — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 15:18:21 +0000

Found this on another website:

EC backpeddles on threat to mile and pint
20 September 2005)

In an interview with EUpolitix.com on 19 September,
European Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry
GÃ¼nter Verheugen denied that he intends to force the
UK to implement metric measures. He said: “I am not
pressuring the UK to go metric. As long as I am in
Brussels I will not touch the issue. Full stop … I
personally have a lot of sympathy for the pint and for
the mile in the UK … what is the problem here for
the internal market. Really, what is the problem?â€?

It appears to me that the recent hoopla about the 2010 deadline being extended indefinitely is the work of one person…GÃ¼nter Verheugen. He may have made up his mind long before the surveys of earlier this year and just used some of the anti-metric only comments to justify his decision. As you see, in 2005 he was a force for the preservation of British units.

We can only hope he won’t be in Brussels long and the next person will not push for a change to the directive. Also there is hopefully a good chance the Commission will vote Verheugen’s proposal down and the deadline will remain.

By: Dave Brown

Dave Brown — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 15:42:19 +0000

When I say, â€˜Once we get rid of imperial conversionsâ€™ what I mean is that sooner or later retailers will tire of labelling all their loose produce with two prices. They will realise – as some supermarkets already have – that you only need one price to define how much something costs and you only need one weight to define how much you are selling. Once that becomes the norm, everyone will have to think in metric for all their shopping. Once they get used to it (after perhaps 24 hours), they’ll wonder what they made such a fuss was about.

By: Joe Oakley

Joe Oakley — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 12:02:35 +0000

Having just stumbled across this blog and read this article only, I obviously am basing my opinions on what is written here. In this instance I find myself agreeing with Tabitha Jones. She is right when she says that not all Britons want to be metricated fully.
Plenty of British people will tell you that.

By: Tabitha Jones

Tabitha Jones — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 19:41:37 +0000

Ok Dave, I’ll correct myself.

Not all Britons want to be ‘fully metricated’.

By the way, when you say, ‘Once we get rid of imperial conversions’…, what do you mean. Will it become illegal to state your height in feet and inches? Will there be a UKMA patrol officer making sure everyone uses metric?

Finally, I’ll never understand the necessity to be fully metricated. Please feel free to try and persuade me to change my mind. It won’t happen though.

[Editorial note:Â This last paragraph well illustrates the mindset of many opponents of metrication.Â Their opposition has nothing to do with facts or logic but is simply an emotional reaction to a set of complete misconceptions, coupled with a stubborn unwillingness to change the habits of a lifetime.Â Penetrating and overcoming this mindset is the challenge]

By: Dave Brown

Dave Brown — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 14:54:59 +0000

Tabitha,
we already are metricated! All they’ve done is to prolong the pain of using both systems. Once we get rid of the imperial conversions you’ll have to use metric; and then perhaps you’ll understand.

By: Tabitha Jones

Tabitha Jones — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 21:53:05 +0000

For once the EU has done something commendable. They have realised that not all Britons wants to be ‘metricated’ and I congratulate this decision.