New Mars Forums

Shaun Barrett

Member

From: Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Registered: 2001-12-28

Posts: 2,843

Re: Metric Conversion - Pros and Cons

Cindy writes:-

I love talk of pecks, bushels, ounces, gallons, quarts, pints, yards, furlongs, etc. It seems more varied, more human-oriented; like a lovely word salad. 

    I know just what you mean! And what a perfectly poetic way you have of expressing it, too ... "word salad".
                                   

Bill writes:-

And "A pints a pound the world around"

    Actually, Bill, that's not strictly true.
    In the American system of units, a pint is certainly 16 fl. ozs and, therefore, weighs a pound. And a U.S. gallon, being 8 pints, weighs 8 lbs.
    However, in the British imperial system, a pint is 20 fl.ozs - one and a quarter pounds! (A British gallon weighing in at 10 lbs.)

    Please forgive this outburst ... I tend to suffer with occasional bouts of pedantry and couldn't resist the urge to be pernickety about this!!   

---

The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down.   - Rita Rudner

dicktice

Member

From: Nova Scotia, Canada

Registered: 2002-11-01

Posts: 1,764

Re: Metric Conversion - Pros and Cons

And, Shaun, wouldn't you know?--the word is "persnickety" here in Canada. Sorry, mate.

Bill White

Member

Registered: 2001-09-09

Posts: 2,114

Re: Metric Conversion - Pros and Cons

In the American system of units, a pint is certainly 16 fl. ozs and, therefore, weighs a pound. And a U.S. gallon, being 8 pints, weighs 8 lbs.
   However, in the British imperial system, a pint is 20 fl.ozs - one and a quarter pounds! (A British gallon weighing in at 10 lbs.)

Heh!

Next time I ask for a pint of lager, better make sure I do so within the Commonwealth, no?

clark

Member

Registered: 2001-09-20

Posts: 6,374

Re: Metric Conversion - Pros and Cons

i thought the Pound was refrencing currency.