Metric conversions - Democratic Underground

MissMillie

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Tue Mar-02-04 11:50 AM
Original message

Metric conversions

Hey, how come Europe is all gung-ho on the metric system, yet the pubs there sell beer in "pints"?

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DarkPhenyx

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Tue Mar-02-04 11:53 AM
Response to Original message

1. Which would you rather do?

Go into the pub and say "give me a pint" or "give me 0.5683 L"?

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Commie Pinko Dirtbag

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Tue Mar-02-04 12:09 PM
Response to Reply #1

6. Give me a large beer

Edited on Tue Mar-02-04 12:11 PM by JCCyC

Which happens to be .6 litres. :evilgrin:

Edit: that's how much the standard beer is in Brazil (served in a bottle). There's also the "chopp", which is half of it. We don't use big mugs to drink, rather these (which we call tulips):

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Goldmund

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Tue Mar-02-04 11:58 AM
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2. I think that's only in the UK.

I don't think it's true anywhere else.

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CanuckAmok

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Tue Mar-02-04 11:58 AM
Response to Original message

3. The Metric System is relatively new.

I forget how old it is; late 1800's, I think.

So, most cultures who have adopted it have retained some of their traditional measurements as well, because they are so ingrained in the culture, or for economic reasons.

Canada, for example, is officially Metric, but clothing is still measured in the old standard, because most of our clothing originates in the US. We can still order a pint of lager, but we actually get .56 litres. Same thing.

And, I don't know anyone who identifies his height/weight in meters/kilos. Everyone I know uses feet and pounds.

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ProfessorGAC

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Tue Mar-02-04 12:02 PM
Response to Reply #3

5. In England, They Still Use Miles & Yards!

On the highways in Britain, the distances to the next exit or next city are listed in miles, the cars measure speed in MPH (not kph), when the shoulder is limited, it tells you "No Hard Shoulder for Next 400 Yards".

I go over there a lot, and i know i barely ever hear metric terms, except at the manufacturing site, where they measure demand in metric tonnes. (Or in the lab there, where the chemists are using them like most science-trained folks would.)

So, maybe what you're describing is a British thing, since they have yet to completely convert, and maybe never will. (Sort of like us here in the U.S.)
The Professor

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gyopsy

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Tue Mar-02-04 11:59 AM
Response to Original message

4. We'll never go metric

All of those bastards from 30 years ago swore it was coming and it never did. This is a free country! I prefer inches, feet, and miles. And we'll make the rest of the world waste their time trying to figure out our crazy system. Because we're Americans and it's our destiny damn it! :eyes:

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DarkPhenyx

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Tue Mar-02-04 12:27 PM
Response to Reply #4

8. You do realize that...

...maintianing the English system of weights and measures costs the US economy a significant amount of money every year. I'm not sure what the current cost is but it is substantial.

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BurtWorm

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Tue Mar-02-04 12:13 PM
Response to Original message

7. Cause yer can't fink in metric when yer pissed!

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