Author Archives: ronniec

Understanding body weight and height in metric units

It was inevitable that the selection of London to host the Olympic Games would bring into focus some of the consequences of the UK’s measurement muddle. Metric Views looks at one aspect, the measurement of body height and weight, measured … Continue reading

Posted in Education, General, Health, Sport, World Records | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

US customary measures: friend or foe of British traditionalists?

In the early years of the twentieth century, both US customary (USC) and metric measures were seen by some in Britain as threats to the survival of the Imperial system. The end of Empire saw metric supplant Imperial, while USC … Continue reading

Posted in General, History, Technical | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The link between measurement skills and numeracy

Poor numeracy is blighting Britain’s economic performance and ruining lives, says a new charity launched to champion better maths skills.

Posted in Consumer affairs, Education, General, Media | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Goodbye Imperial. Hello British weights and measures

We, the public, are encouraged by some politicians, by the DfT and by elements of the media to pick and mix our measurement units – to use both imperial and metric. So why has imperial as a system fallen from … Continue reading

Posted in Consumer affairs, General, History | Tagged , , | 22 Comments

Speed, momentum and resistance

Which is preferable: a swift metric transition or a leisurely one? UKMA would have preferred the former. Successive UK governments have opted for the latter, believing that it carries less risk to their popularity. Ronnie Cohen assesses progress.

Posted in Consumer affairs, General, Media, Road signs | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

FAQs about the transition to metric signs on UK roads

Readers have commented recently on the obstacles to the transition to metric-only signs on Britain’s roads. This has prompted Metric Views to offer answers to some Frequently Asked Questions on this subject.

Posted in History, Law, Road signs, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

Why I became involved with measurement matters

One of our readers has written to explain why he became interested in the campaign to complete Britain’s prolonged metric changeover.

Posted in Consumer affairs, Education, Health, Road signs, Science, Technical, Transport | Tagged , , | 15 Comments