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[Closed] Imperial measurements - when are they still used

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It's cos everyone else discusses height and weight in imperial, but they learn metric in school for all their measurement based maths and science.

There is poetry in imperial measurements. Metric is dull

What bollocks. This isn't poetry, it needs to be accurate, easy to work with and mistake-free. Save the sentimentalism for something else!


 
Posted : 16/02/2020 8:36 am
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Penis length. "I have a 12 inch penis"

Edit: I've just realised this is why I never had any luck with the European girls when I was younger. They are metric - we will be physically incompatible! I would need some kind of adaptor I guess which would ruin the mood somewhat. Nothing to do with my shit personality...


 
Posted : 16/02/2020 12:54 pm
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Someone said railways are "just about clinging on" to imperial measurements. They're far from just clinging on - most operational measurements on railways in GB are based on miles, chains, yards and inches.


 
Posted : 16/02/2020 1:59 pm
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@thisisnotaspoon That sounds like a potential human factors fail?

@cheburashka I thought some railways were based on metric? Certainly motorways are measured in km from a reference point (though all the signposted distances are obviously in miles).

It’s cos everyone else discusses height and weight in imperial

Aye, I often need height & weight at work. If it’s been filled in on the paperwork in imperial, it almost always means it wasn’t actually measured...


 
Posted : 16/02/2020 2:08 pm
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The only railway where metric is used routinely in GB is probably HS1. Everywhere else is almost exclusively based on imperial. The only measurements I'm aware of that are based on kilometres on the 'normal' GB network are the identification plates on recent overhead electrification masts - top two letters are route ID for electrification purposes*, middle two numbers are km along that route, lower numbers are structure number within that km. All older electrification ID plates are still in miles though as they were when constructed.

*These line of route IDs for electrification are different from the engineer's line references (ELR) which are used for pretty much everything else. If you look at one of those emergency bridge plates with the phone number on a rail-over-road bridge you'll see the ELR, structure number and possibly its measured mileage in miles and chains. Never km/metres.


 
Posted : 16/02/2020 2:19 pm
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That sounds like a potential human factors fail?

Probably, i think ive just been spoilt that ive not had to deal with any particulalry awkward units for a a few years. My heads calibrated for Nm3/h and kPa's!


 
Posted : 16/02/2020 2:23 pm
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What bollocks

now in think of it, is a ‘baw hair’ metric or imperial?


 
Posted : 16/02/2020 2:28 pm
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I was working on a Bollywood movie last year and being issued with drawings that mixed metric and imperial on the same object.

I haven’t owned a tape measure with inches on for about ten years


 
Posted : 16/02/2020 2:33 pm
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Probably, i think ive just been spoilt that ive not had to deal with any particulalry awkward units for a a few years. My heads calibrated for Nm3/h and kPa’s!

I shall take your awkward units and raise you dyn.s.cm-5


 
Posted : 16/02/2020 2:35 pm
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My heads calibrated for Nm3/h and kPa’s!

must make buying a hat a bit of a headache


 
Posted : 16/02/2020 2:41 pm
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A couple of folk mentioned collar size for shirts. Is it just me that thinks this is an utterly mental measurement (in isolation anyway)?

I'm a skinny wretch but am relatively broad-necked (I blame years of Jilly's Rock World). A comfortable collar fitting gives me a shirt that's more marquee surplus. Thank gods for Charles Tyrwhitt's skinny fits.


 
Posted : 16/02/2020 3:18 pm
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now in think of it, is a ‘baw hair’ metric or imperial?

Imperial. One bawhair is five gnatscocks, and a gnatscock is three midgesdicks.


 
Posted : 16/02/2020 3:21 pm
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An area the size of Wales usually used in disaster measurements. Always liked the concept of acre feet (hectare metres metric equivalent?)never used either
Have used a real actual chain for survey work it was a metric one I'm not that old


 
Posted : 16/02/2020 3:38 pm
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There is poetry in imperial measurements. Metric is dull

the exception would be the Metric **** Ton. Which is made up of huners of Shit Loads.


 
Posted : 16/02/2020 3:44 pm
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A couple of folk mentioned collar size for shirts. Is it just me that thinks this is an utterly mental measurement (in isolation anyway)?

Yes and no. I mean I normally have to get my shirts tailored to make them fit properly. That said the most important thing about a shirt is that the collar closes properly so collar size or any that daft. Also it’s no worse than the sizing used for women’s clothing.


 
Posted : 16/02/2020 3:58 pm
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If you drive an old school Mustang or own a Shelby Cobra you will brag about your inches to the power of 3

Ain’t no substitute for cubic inches!
Although, newer performance V8’s are all in litres, usually 6.2ltr.


 
Posted : 16/02/2020 9:33 pm
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To answer the OP question

Yes they bloody are.

Trying to replace the pull chord/starter rope on my Hayter petrol mower (with Briggs and Stratton american engine), a quick youtube vid showed it as an easy DIY job.

But not if you only have metric sockets.... Grrrr

Can anyone recommend a cheap socket set that will have imperial sockets.

ta


 
Posted : 18/02/2020 9:27 am
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MOlgrips -Imperial gives such nice numbers tho. Base 12 in particular is good for subdivision.

I mean inch to mile maps at 1: 63360 are so much more fun than metric maps at 2cm to a km or 1:50000 😉


 
Posted : 18/02/2020 9:36 am
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Though 1:50000 is much clearer (more to do with the design of map than scale).


 
Posted : 18/02/2020 4:38 pm
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