How tall are you? I have been asked!
In imperial measurements like they use in America 🇺🇸 and Britain 🇬🇧, I am told I’m five feet ten inches. That translates as one metre seventy nine.
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ArishMell · 70-79, M
Officially, the Imperial measures are no longer used in Britain, with a very few, specific exceptions.
Even before the change-over by law, many areas of life, especially science and engineering, were using metric units, and of course if we visited any of our neighbouring countrties we had to be reasonably famuilar with the kilometre and litre at least.
Even before the change-over by law, many areas of life, especially science and engineering, were using metric units, and of course if we visited any of our neighbouring countrties we had to be reasonably famuilar with the kilometre and litre at least.
ninalanyon · 61-69, T
@ArishMell Scientists in the UK were using various versions of metric systems even in the 19th century. But then it was often ghastly things like cgs (centimetre, gram, second). It's such a pity that the names got 'fossilised' so early because now we are stuck with a base unit that has a built in multiplier, the kilogram. We should have either used gram for what is now called a kilogram or invented a completely new term.
ArishMell · 70-79, M
@ninalanyon I'm afraid you'll need a French medium to know why it was done that way. (One 0.25N knock for Yes, Two for No, 3 milli-taps for Don't Know)
It was odd though to use vaguely practical base sizes for length and liquid-volume (the metre is a bit big for many purposes) but not for mass.
Another oddity: car manufacturers specifying luggage capacity in litres rather than useful metre-dimensions; and power in "PS" or "kP", rather than kW.
(Litres?: I don't know anyone using their car as an aquarium...)
I have a very old engineering text-book whose pages of measures and conversions include some very rum things indeed, such as the "Pood" (I think of mass and Russian).
It was odd though to use vaguely practical base sizes for length and liquid-volume (the metre is a bit big for many purposes) but not for mass.
Another oddity: car manufacturers specifying luggage capacity in litres rather than useful metre-dimensions; and power in "PS" or "kP", rather than kW.
(Litres?: I don't know anyone using their car as an aquarium...)
I have a very old engineering text-book whose pages of measures and conversions include some very rum things indeed, such as the "Pood" (I think of mass and Russian).
ninalanyon · 61-69, T
@ArishMell Salesmen of all kinds prefer bigger numbers. My car has a boot space of 744 litre, or 0.744 cubic metre. Which one sounds big to the average car buyer? Or rather, which one does the sales department think sounds biggest to the average car buyer.
I always have to convert to cubic metre to get some idea of what will fit.
I always have to convert to cubic metre to get some idea of what will fit.
ArishMell · 70-79, M
@ninalanyon Interesting point, that. Really, the most useful information would the maximum cuboid that would fit, or the mean length, width and depth, but these might risk making it seem smaller still.
I suppose whatver you use will never suit all situations because, say. 0.75 cubic metre can be of any shape, so while you could fit that volume of small items or clothes into it, it might not take a wooden box of that same capacity.
Perhaps no way of describing the volume will ever be anything more than a very rough guide for comparing car models, largely meaningless for practical purposes.
When I bought my present car I wanted to be able to fit a particular item in it, so took a tape-measure to the dealer. What counted was the available length and width - cars have all manner of internal obstacles that effectively narrow their interiors. The volume did not matter..
I suppose whatver you use will never suit all situations because, say. 0.75 cubic metre can be of any shape, so while you could fit that volume of small items or clothes into it, it might not take a wooden box of that same capacity.
Perhaps no way of describing the volume will ever be anything more than a very rough guide for comparing car models, largely meaningless for practical purposes.
When I bought my present car I wanted to be able to fit a particular item in it, so took a tape-measure to the dealer. What counted was the available length and width - cars have all manner of internal obstacles that effectively narrow their interiors. The volume did not matter..