Comments on: Just how big is a trillion?

By: John Steele

John Steele — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:37:10 +0000

I recognize the first calculation is fanciful. However, in a real world application, the US has been trying to push the dollar coin over the dollar bill and minted the coin far in excess of demand. They have accumulated $1.4 billion in unwanted coins returned to the Mint, but kept minting coins at a rate determined by law (each year with a new past President depicted). The US dollar coin is 26.5 mm dia x 2 mm, and a weight of 8.1 g.

The “bone pile” is 11.34 Gg (11340 metric tons). There are enough that calculation of the volume in hexagonal close pack is warranted (there are half coin problems at the edge of a rectangular array which I have ignored). The volume of the (circumscribed)
hexagonal prism occupied by the coin in hex pack is 1216.3 mm³ and the bone pile occupies 1703 m³.

They have recently decided to cut production to the rate demanded by collectors and charge a premium for collector grade coins. The bone pile will satisfy currency demand for 1-2 decades. Unfortunately, this pile of coin is not fanciful. (I refuse to calculate it in either Customary or Imperial)

By: Marc

Marc — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 01:28:42 +0000

To visualize (very) large sums of money, a great artist has imaged piles of copper pennies, starting at $10 up to Two hundred billion (hint: it fits on a football field
http://www.kokogiak.com/megapenny/default.asp

By: J Gabrielczyk

J Gabrielczyk — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:18:06 +0000

I happen to be one of those people who really, really, really do believe that the Imperial system is human. It has evolved over the ceturies to arrive at some units of measurement that come in very handy in day to day life.

The decimal base of the metric system is very simple to understand, but when using mental arithmetic I sometimes find it easier to use the Imperial system because I can break large numbers down into different units and find products using nothing more than well memorised multiplication tables.

People hang on to Imperial because a) they are used to it, b) they dont like being forced to do things, c) they regard the metric system as ‘foreign’ and therefore to be viewed with suspicion, c) they have a certain amount of inertia and the view ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ and finally d) they think it is better.

Merely because you can see nothing but advantages in the UK going metric without delay, do not assume everyone who doesn’t think the same is in some way flawed.

I agree with Lee Kelly that people do not like being told to change. I do not agree with Lee Kelly that evolution teaches “adapt or die”. I understand it it would be more likely to teach “cooperate or fail”.

By: lee kelly

lee kelly — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 15:39:46 +0000

It’s not change the British are affraid of it’s being told to change, i’ve notice since the European commision said that the U.K could keep imperial measures along side metric there has been a lot more use of metric on television. We will one day change & say what where we scared of, if they can do it in commonwealth countries. I can only hope, as evolution teaches adapt or die ( no offense I mean through industry )

By: Keith Atkin

Keith Atkin — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 20:39:10 +0000

The pound coin mentioned occupies a CUBOID – not a cube!
(All the sides of a cube are equal!)

By: Martin Vlietstra

Martin Vlietstra — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:41:37 +0000

The reasons that people hang onto the Imperial system as I see it are two-fold.

Firstly, there is the “I can’t be bothered to change” attitude. I was aware of this attitude by certain local government officials in South Africa when that country was undergoing their metrication process. That protest was not politically motivated – the local authority concerned was a staunch support of the Apartheid Government.

Secondly there is the “luggage” that is associated with being the leader in any process. You make all the investment, but others pick up the profits. This is particularly true in business. That is why Goverment must take the lead and ensure that all of business has a level playing field

By: Richard Birkby

Richard Birkby — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 11:19:51 +0000

David King is absolutely right to note that “if someone were to set out to invent the Imperial system from scratch, I doubt if they would come up with the current conversion factors”. This is, of course, exactly what happened when the metric system was invented – they decided on a conversion factor of ten!

He also asks “why do people hang on to Imperial?”. I think it is for two principal reasons – firstly because the issue of metrication has become linked to scepticism over the political direction of Europe, which is an erroneous position to take but nevertheless difficult to shift, and secondly very simply because they can, a situation which could very swiftly be sorted by a spot of legislation!

By: David King

David King — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 22:40:56 +0000

I do not know if your imperial calculations are correct, they are just so horrendously complex – which illustrates your point well. The metric numbers are so easy to use, moving the decimal point around is much easier than having all those unusual conversions to do – if someone were to set out to invent the Imperial system from scratch, I doubt if they would come up with the current conversion factors (e.g. 3 feet in 1 yard, etc.). They would surely come up with something much easier.
So why do people hang on to Imperial? Maybe they feel superior in doing so, a kind of “I must be clever because I use Imperial with all its complex conversions and long-winded maths”? Maybe metric is too easy for them.
But for the masses, metric is ideal. It just needs a little more nudging in the right direction to get people using metric without feeling its foreign or strange.
I think showing calculations like this in metric, shows us how easy it is to use.
Of course Â£1 trillion could also be expressed at 1 tera Pound, 1 TÂ£, using metric prefixes. The media already uses things like Â£5k to represent Â£5000.
These metric prefixes should be used more and people should eventually get used to them and the metric units that use metric prefixes, such as kg and km.

By: John Frewen-Lord

John Frewen-Lord — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:37:15 +0000

If we’re talking about metric in popular songs, some of us older types may remember a group from the ’50s/early ’60s called The Four Preps. They had a huge hit (at least in the UK) with the song Twenty Six Miles.

Buried in the words of that song is a line that goes: “Forty kilo-meters in a leaky old boat…”. The full lyrics can be found at http://www.lyricstime.com/four-preps-26-miles-santa-catalina-lyrics.html

I wonder if there are any other pop songs that contain some metric references?

By: Michael Glass

Michael Glass — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:42:36 +0000

Maybe you would prefer to watch Deirdre Flint expostulating about the great Metric threat of the 1970s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83e3n83Re5s

we went through the streets willing and running
metric is coming
metric is coming

for all the lyrics, go to

http://www.metrication.us/content/deirdre-flint-metric-lyrics

enjoy