Should Canada return to Imperial Measurements.

[bobnoorduyn]

In this regard I'm wondering if all provinces switched over at the same time. I have two distinct recollections, my first encounter with gas over $1 a gallon was at Chetwynd B.C. in July 1977 when it was $1.016 and the second was when it reached $0.25 per litre.

Chetwynd is seared into my memory, but for different reasons. Wow, I knew we had the highest gas prices in the GTA at the time and hit $1/gal a few years before that, but I can't remember what year, but prices did fall. I was delivering pizza in the mid 70's so I was cognizant of prices, (I used my own car and paid my own gas), and remember gas in the $.25/l range.

And getting back to basics the metre was adopted as at the time it was calculated to be 1/10 millionth of the dist. from the equator to the pole, but that was found later to be in error, so it was changed to a distance between two marks on a metal bar in Paris, but that wasn't good enough for long so now it's based on some formula involving such nonsense as the colour of light at a certain temp. (Can't remember the details of that one at all, and can't really see my future depending upon knowing it!) -

And who says Imperial is more arbitrary than metric?

 

[JLM]

Chetwynd is seared into my memory, but for different reasons. Wow, I knew we had the highest gas prices in the GTA at the time and hit $1/gal a few years before that, but I can't remember what year, but prices did fall. I was delivering pizza in the mid 70's so I was cognizant of prices, (I used my own car and paid my own gas), and remember gas in the $.25/l range.



And who says Imperial is more arbitrary than metric?

It's exact, the yard is the distance from the King's nose to his thumb on an outstretched arm.

 

[bobnoorduyn]

It's exact, the yard is the distance from the King's nose to his thumb on an outstretched arm.

That was the basis, but its still 36". A fathom is double that, an easy measurment of depth to make with a weight and a rope, just make sure you don't get some guy with short arms doing it. 8O

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Height requirements at Canada's Wonderland are still in inches.

I see both pounds and kilos at the grocery store.

I see both fl oz and ml on my Coke can.

 

[Dexter Sinister]

...so now it's based on some formula involving such nonsense as the colour of light at a certain temp.

It's defined as a specified number wavelengths, around 1.6 million I think, of a particular red-orange emission line in the spectrum of Krypton-86, and it's also defined as the length of the path light travels in a vacuum in a specified time interval, around a 300 millionth of a second. Scientific work does require such accuracy, and your life may in fact depend on it if you ever need a GPS to find your way around. Without systems that can maintain accuracy at that scale, GPS would be hopelessly inaccurate.

 

[Janice61]

Leave it to Trudeau to screw us!!!!

 

[Spade]

The USA does not use the Imperial system; it uses American customary weights and measures for ordinary use - quite different from imperial measues in capacity. Its official system is SI (the metric system).
Those wanting to return to a more useless and confusing form should decide whether it's Imperial or American customary.

 

[JLM]

It's defined as a specified number wavelengths, around 1.6 million I think, of a particular red-orange emission line in the spectrum of Krypton-86, and it's also defined as the length of the path light travels in a vacuum in a specified time interval, around a 300 millionth of a second. Scientific work does require such accuracy, and your life may in fact depend on it if you ever need a GPS to find your way around. Without systems that can maintain accuracy at that scale, GPS would be hopelessly inaccurate.

That's the one. I have a G.P.S. but it seems to work well on its own without me having know that.-

 

[petros]

This is a silly thread, it makes about as much sense as as : "should we bring back the farthing".

 

[Dexter Sinister]

That's the one. I have a G.P.S. but it seems to work well on its own without me having know that.-

True enough, YOU don't need to know it, and neither do I, really, I just think it's interesting to know. But somebody DOES need to know it.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

This is a silly thread, it makes about as much sense as as : "should we bring back the farthing".

Why not!

First question. What's a farthing?

 

[bobnoorduyn]

It's defined as a specified number wavelengths, around 1.6 million I think, of a particular red-orange emission line in the spectrum of Krypton-86, and it's also defined as the length of the path light travels in a vacuum in a specified time interval, around a 300 millionth of a second. Scientific work does require such accuracy, and your life may in fact depend on it if you ever need a GPS to find your way around. Without systems that can maintain accuracy at that scale, GPS would be hopelessly inaccurate.

So I guess the length of a metre has changed since the late 1700's, probably explains some of the weird problems I've experienced with GPS's, high end ones at that, that seem to forget where they are at times and place Deer Lake NL some 200 miles off the Atlantic coast. At least a nautical mile is still 6076'.

 

[petros]

First question. What's a farthing?

1/8 - 1/2 of a penny.

 

[bobnoorduyn]

This is a silly thread, it makes about as much sense as as : "should we bring back the farthing".

When did we stop using them, damn, I've still got a few, along with some shillings, French francs, and a Diefendollar, (worth $.92, even says so on it).

 

[JLM]

The USA does not use the Imperial system; it uses American customary weights and measures for ordinary use - quite different from imperial measues in capacity. Its official system is SI (the metric system).
Those wanting to return to a more useless and confusing form should decide whether it's Imperial or American customary.

Pretty close, I think the main difference is in liquid measure. Imp gallon= 160 fluid oz. S.I. gallon = 128 fluid oz. Now that we are on the subject perhaps we should discuss the advantages of Troy weight vs. Avoir du pois or vicey versy. -

This is a silly thread, it makes about as much sense as as : "should we bring back the farthing".

That's the problem with you young whipper snappers.................you weren't around when things were good!-

 

[petros]

That's the problem with you young whipper snappers.................you weren't around when things were good!-

But it could save you tens of dollars per year in rounded off sales taxes that aren't in your favour.

 

[Spade]

Pretty close, I think the main difference is in liquid measure. Imp gallon= 160 fluid oz. S.I. gallon = 128 fluid oz. Now that we are on the subject perhaps we should discuss the advantages of Troy weight vs. Avoir du pois or vicey versy. -



That's the problem with you young whipper snappers.................you weren't around when things were good!-

Nope, even the sizes of ounces differ; then again, dry or wet? Perhaps we should go back to the Roman "uncia"?
Personally I like a wee dram.

But it could save you tens of dollars per year in rounded off sales taxes that aren't in your favour.

I like the fact gasoline is priced in mils.

 

[Mowich]

LOL I hear ya there.. I'm having a hell of a time.. I have to convert back to Ferinheight to know what the temp is outside..

To me 7C or 3C means absolutely nothing to me... you say 96F man that's nice and hot, say 63F I weather a sweater, 43F holy crap, it's getting cold out their..

I find that simply going outside is a pretty good measure of what the weather is like. Forget the conversions.........sooner or later you'll catch on.

As to the question........NO.

 

[WLDB]

Not just your age, I think everyone is a mix of both systems. When it comes to weight or height, I'm the same as you. When it comes to temperature I'd have to convert from F to C to understand the meaning.

Apparently. Going over this thread I was a bit surprised to see how mixed most of us are. I have some cousins who are ten years younger than me. Not sure how they are. I imagine they'll turn out more metric than I did even though their parents are older than mine.

A mix of both will likely be normal til the US completely switches over. If that ever happens. They've been very slowly moving over to it for a long time. Well, the government anyway.

 

[petros]

I'm 90kg and 182cm. I prefer going by those measures rather than 6 foot 200lb...it confuses the **** out of people.