What do you think of today's decision to extend permission to use imperial measures in UK beyond 2009?

Question

I am of a generation which had to learn to multiply and divide by 16 in our heads, to cope with sums in pounds and ounces! But I was glad to see the back of all that - except that we still like to weigh ourselves in stones and pounds, and feet and inches. But apart from that, why would anyone want to keep imperial measures? I think it is confusing if shops are allowed to display prices in yards or pounds alongside metres or kilos, because for the two generations which only know metric, it makes things seem cheaper than they really are. What do others think? Can any of you under forty years old (in UK) actually calculate measurements in yards, feet and inches? Or pounds and ounces? And can anyone over 40 remember how to do it?!

No jibe at over-40's intended. Simply that I personally found it hard work when I tested myself calculating in imperial, as an experiment, after 30 years or so of thinking metrically because that was all my kids knew.
And yes - I think it's to do with export to USA.

Answer 1

For the purposes of American exports is not a rational answer.
Canada dropped imperial measurement way back in the early 70's and the USofA is its largest trading partner and in turn Canada is the US of A's largest trading partner.
What about the EU being our largest trading partner?
The answer is because we Brits are afraid of change and do not adjust easily to change. We are special. And the Daily Mail is our largest circulated tabloid and it does not want imperial measurement to disappear.

Answer 2

I'm one of the younger generation and wasn't taught imperial measurements, only metric. However, I'm quite comfortable using either system and can convert one to the other if needs be (I'd rather not). I don't see why shops can't just display both so that it's easier for everyone. I think in the long run, metric is more practical and simpler (everything being divisible by 10 or 100 makes any calculation much easier). Obviously some people still find imperial easier because that's what they were taught and grew up with but the problem now is that people of my generation and younger were usually only taught metric! Solution: Keep both measurements and teach kids enough maths and common sense that they can convert on into the other!

Answer 3

I am just over 40 so quite comfortable with both imperial or metric. I think even the younger generation still use some imperial measurement's, i.e how heavy are you? Think everyone still uses "Stone" as a measure in the UK, or how many miles to the gallon does your car do? Fuel pumps haven't used Gallons in years! Also the thing with imperial it was more real, in that i mean a foot could be visualised as the average size of a foot! 30cm, or 300mm or 0.3m just not the same.
What next the metric year and metric clock, on the basis 12 inches to a foot was to complicated, how can we possibly cope with 12 months to a year and 2 lots of 12 hours in a day? and 60 seconds to a minute. How confusing is that?

Finally, diversity is the spice of life, why should we be told by Europe what a standard Banana should look like and how to weigh it? In this day of every town looking the same, with standard this, standard that, I for one like there to be a difference between us and the other European countries, where is the fun if everything is Identical across the whole world as it becomes more and more STANDARDISED?

Answer 4

I'm 50 this year and can remember very well the old system of pound shillings and pence. I wish we still had it. I live in Italy now and have done for the past 18 years and although I'm used to litres, KMs cms and mm's, and the metric system, I run a bar and sell my beer by the PINT!
Why SHOULD Britain change? We are an island race (soon to be an Island stew I think) and still have our Pounds, although decimalised. When Germany went for the Euro, all the prices went up, when Italy went for the Euro, same thing. Keep Britain British and keep the imperial system. I would even agree with abolishing the metric double measurements on scales. I worked as a butcher for years and loved the old system, you knew where you were with it. I can happily mentally add up divide and mutiply by 14 or 16 if I need to (anybody can do it by 10's) and don't see why we have to "comply" with all the other European countries. If the French (bless their little cotton socks) don't want to do something, they don't, and they strike and hold half the rest of Europe to ransom if they don't get what they want.
Why don't we "Just say NO" ?
It's about time we did something about keeping our culture and not allowing it to be stolen or disregarded as obsolete.

Answer 5

It's the best news I've read for ages. It's just a pity that it doesn't go further and announce a full return to imperial measurements (and that includes farenheit temperatures), with metric measurements taking second place. Why? I accept that imperial calculations are not as straightforward as metric may be, but they have a human dimension that the artificiality of the metric system lacks. The imperial measurements are part of our language, our culture, our traditions and our heritage. There are all too many attacks on these aspects of our national life and to maintain some our our individuality in an age of dreary conformity is not only welcome, it should be celebrated. And to answer the question - yes , I can and do calculate in yards feet and inches and can remember how to do it in £sd as well. Now there's another thought. Who's for bring back real money?

Answer 6

It seems to me that this whole Imperial/Metric battle has less to do with picking a measuring system and a whole lot to do with Xenophobia. Little plucky lbs, Oz's and inches sticking it to Johnny Foreigner metres. The sooner people of a 'certain age' wake up and join the 21st Century the better, "metric, it confuses me" is such a cop out of an excuse, what they really mean is that they've some sort of misty-eyed idea of when the World was a better place when they used the old system back in the day. You don't hear any old person getting confused about pounds and new pence. Dump Imperial measuring and move on!

Answer 7

I was 3 when metric was introduced, yet, as I grew up in a household where imperial was used more regularly, I learnt that system as well.
Working with CAD, I find myself able to bounce between the two systems quite well. Until the US move to the metric system I suspect imperial will motor alongside the metric system for a long time to come.
It is interesting to note that even though the US use imperial, some of their imperial measurements are different, for example a US tonne is different to the UK, and so on

Answer 8

Hi there,
As a 37 year old Brit I have been raised with the metric system.
However I still work things out in feet and inches, buy things in pounds and ounces, drive for "miles", working my fuel economy out in mpg and enjoy a pint at the local. I also work in metric for measurement, currency etc. I am forced to buy Litres of diesel and have no idea how much that makes a gallon nowadays. That I am sure is to disguise the horror of the actual price and make it appear cheaper? If prices are displayed side by side we would not compare them, (as they would be identicaleh?) but we would sinply have a choice of using a system we are used to and understand. Same as with multilingual instructions. You don't get forced to read it all in Japanese just because that is the products country of origion?
Well not always but you get the idea.
I think it is more an issue with habit, history and nostalgia.
Saying I wiegh 80 something kg means nothing to me I am 12 1/2 stone thankyou. I don't want to buy point 6something of a litre of shandy or coke although technically it is illegal to buy a "pint" of it. I like my doorstep delivery of pints and cannot work out Kilometres when driving as it is an abstract concept.
We as a nation are a melting pot of cultures and ideas. the question should be "why can't we retain both imperial and metric so long as they are displayed side by side" not whether we should be forced one way or the other.
What next? Will the EU tell us we all have to speak Lithuanian wether we like it or not? Its about time the EU started to concentrate on important issues and forgot the petty beurocracy that makes such a farce of the union. Celebrate our differences and work on our similarities.

Answer 9

I have never heard of anything so stupid as half adopting the metric system, how much trade to we do with America to warrant keeping imperial besides there is a difference between the UK and US imperial measures. Its about time we completely adopted metric.We after all are part of the European Union whether we like it or not. Also it must be confusing for our European neighbours when they drive here as all speed signs are mph and distance is still yards, where is the sense in that?.I never learnt conversions as I never had to and I am over 40 and Australian we took the metric system in 1973 and that's all we use.

Answer 10

Metric is the way forward its so much easier than Imperial!!!!!
In Ye Olde day's you had to think much harder to make sure that you had given the right money for what you were purchasing, you had to work out distances and areas in many different ways of measurement and so on. To live before metrication all the above was a chore, so we should all be grateful that in line with the current society's educational standards, DUMBING DOWN is an ongoing process.

After all 95p for a litre of petrol sounds a lot better than around £4.31 a gallon.

Remember Metric means less to THINK about and the less to think about means we are all easier to control.

Answer 11

Its actually about personal choice, why shouldn't I be able to measure or weigh things how I like. To tell me I must use metric is pure fascism. I am happy with both, I have recipes passed to me by my Grandmother that are in pounds and ounces, some even use cups, tablespoons and teaspoons do people think those measurements should be outlawed as well. I think we should carry on with both measures displayed and we should take the rest of Europe to court to force them to do the same. Look at the speedo on your car it measures in both MPH and KPH, this means that when we venture overseas we can maintain the correct speed limit in the particular country we are in, now look at the speedo on a European car. Theirs display only KPH. If the proposal had gone ahead we would have had a good argument for banning foreign cars from our roads on safety grounds on the basis of the arguements being put forward here that its near impossible to do the calculation in your head. Its not all a big conspiracy led by the US. Its not confusing to have both units of measurement displayed alongside each other, unless, you can't read, in which case your screwed anyway. Its not even about Britishness. Its about my right to think freely, and this decision means I can go to the shops and buy a pound of steak if I feel like it. Oh yeah, when was the last time anyone actually bought dead on a pound or kilo of anything from a shop? If you were buying 500g of cheese and it was cut slightly too small would you reject it because it now weighed exactly a pound? All you fascist nut jobs should leave all us horrid free thinkers to get on with our lives, but then I suppose thats not what you're all about is it. Freedom for Tooting.