[Closed] teach kids pounds and oz in school

I would avoid any kind of news until the election, it'll be even more bollocks than usual.

Here's a map of all the countries not using the Metric system.

[img] [/img]

I'd say Imperial's moment has passed.

That's really going to help with science education, FFS.

The useful thing about Imperial is that it teaches mental arithmetic quite nicely. But then, so do other things 🙂

How utterly depressing

and even the ones using it are not using the same version....

but yes UKIP appeasement tiem

Appealing to the Tories natural voters, Pensioners?

Yep.parties are prostrating themselves at the feet of the grey vote.

Kids in this country are ****ed...they need an exit plan abroad or a revolution.

[i].they need an exit plan abroad or a revolution. [/i]

or to get off their arses and bloody vote!

even if they did, we've got an aging population; the kids are out-numbered!

'Ours' isn't even the same as the good ol USofA

They'll be suggesting we should all employ a flag waver to walk in front of our motor cars to improve road safety next.

They'd be far better teaching how to post in the right forum. 😆

The useful thing about Imperial is that it teaches mental arithmetic quite nicely.

True, if we continue down this pointless line of metrication, kids will no longer have any reason to know their twelve times table!

the metric imperial mashup on bike standards really pisses me off too

Shameless, idiotic nonsense to appeal to the older voters. Metric just works a lot more easily especially in science and engineering.

In fact, I've noticed some of the more recent American engineering standards have been converted to metric.

[i]the metric imperial mashup on bike standards really pisses me off too [/i]

Manufacturers seem to go the extra [s]mile[/s] 1.609344km to perpetuate them.

[url= http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oce/functions/standards/isu.html ]even nasa uses si where ever possible[/url]

Why are road distances still in miles? Me being an old far I was taught metres and km at skool.

Cost of changing signs would be huge - and of little benefit.

We need to teach kids imperial measurements because once Brave Dave leads us out of the EU we will be able revert to pounds shillings and pence.

It all makes sense.

Nobody reads signs.

I suspect it might be dangerous...imagine if you replaced all the Mph Max Speed signs overnight with their Kph equivalents...there'd be cars in hedgerows and front rooms all over the country within minutes

There's more than one type of measurement in the world, it would be great if kids new this.

I can't see any harm in knowing both and knowing how to convert when the need arises.

It's a bit like knowing more than one language.

Me being an old far I was taught metres and km at skool.

Grew up with Metres and Miles - don't really have any problem using that combination either, does anyone?

[i]It's a bit like knowing more than one language. [/i]

There's no point teaching children a virtually dead language and the same applies to teach them about using imperial measurements for weight, volume and small distances in the uk.

If you saw News Night last night... you'd have seen Dave give a tongue in cheek answer to that first question about measurements and school...

A pretty passionate answer to the second, gay kiss, question...

And a sit on the fence Politian’s answer the third question.

Actually there is no news here

But if that is all the Tory destractors have to moan about this morn.

Reckon the Cons are pretty happy about that

I'm early thirties and have never used imperial for anything other than road distance. Even then I know think in KM's and have to mentally convert to miles

It's just a broadside at UKIP - become more UKIP than UKIP before the election.

I'm surprised he's not advocating bring back the Birch....

There's no point teaching children a virtually dead language

Steady on, I expect Dave wants them all to learn Latin as well. Or at least all the ones who aren't oiks.

[i]But if that is all the Tory destractors have to moan about this morn. [/i]

far from it 🙂

Chris Grayling's just giving people *loads* of things to detract with his prisons speech at the conference...

[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29416820 ]The Newsnight interview[/url]

Imperial anything is pointless, unscientific nonsense.

Slightly selective post. In the same article he also says that he's ok with two men kissing in public, which isn't likely to appeal to many tory voters, but don't let that get in the way of bashing politicians you don't like.

But if that is all the Tory destractors have to moan about this morn.

this is an amusing sidenote to highlight camerons desperate ukip pandering

see loddricks 'same old tories' thread for a better whinge

In the same article he also says that he's ok with two men kissing in public, which isn't likely to appeal to many tory voters,

damn right you should see the core tory voters on the telegraph talkback shitting the bed over the lefty bbc gay agenda ramed down our throats on newsnight last night

I think knowing about the other systems is useful.

As long as they approach it in the same way I was taught Religious Education:

e.g. [i]"Looks kids, here is the absolute madness that some strange people in other countries believe in. Bonkers eh? Now, back to our gigametres and microcandela.."[/i]

I refuse to use anything other than biblical units of measurement.

Slightly selective post. In the same article he also says that he's ok with two men kissing in public, which isn't likely to appeal to many tory voters, but don't let that get in the way of bashing politicians you don't like.

Whataboutery in it's most basic form.

[i]biblical units of measurement[/i]

1 King James = 2.5 Gideons?

but don't let that get in the way of bashing politicians you don't like.

You sound like Dave Cameron's mum.

I think GS just hit the nail on the head. It should be taught, but for legacy / historical reasons. Imperial measures do still crop up occasionally, road signs being the obvious one, and pints in a pub, so it's a "nice to have" in the same way as, oh I don't know, a smattering of Latin perhaps. I'm struggling to see any compelling reason to teach it as a primary system of measurement.

There's not a lot of UK Imperial measurements left in common usage. Road signage is the obvious one. I'd still describe my height and weight in feet and stones, but there's no real need for that other than habit and it'll die out of its own accord as my generation, well, die out.

I started school in the 70s in the wake of the metric system being introduced so have the dubious benefit of using both systems fairly interchangeably (and sometimes simultaneously - I'm quite happy to measure something as "eighteen inches and 5mm"). CMD is 47, I can only assume that he was originally taught Imperial and then Metric later as it was phased in. It seems... weird to me to be seriously suggesting it in schools, maybe he is just on the wrong side of being too old to have fully adopted it?

I agree with Cougar.

I use both systems, sometimes Imperial just seems to work better, mpg, food potions, height and weight etc.

However, for engineering Imperial is useless. Just this morning I got some specs for some machinery from our US warehouse, hopeless, weight in lbs, footprint in inches. Very clumsy. Had to convert it all before passing to a Dutch colleague.

I'm quite happy to measure something as "eighteen inches and 5mm").

I really hope your're not involved in any "critical" engineering! 😯

"2,775.5 meters, 2,775.5 meters, 2,775.5 meters onwards
Into the Valley of death, rode the 50 dozen............"

[i] just seems to work better, mpg, food potions, height and weight[/i]

only due to our familiarity with it, surely?

I think a passing understanding of imperial measurements is probably worth an hour out of a school child's career but should they be taught that 1/16" = 0.0625" = 1.5875mm? Not in my opinion.

I'd still describe my height and weight in feet and stones, but there's no real need for that other than habit and it'll die out of its own accord as my generation, well, die out.

I also went to school in the 70s, and now tend to more often than not refer to my height and weight in m and kg. Though I can use either set of units - I'm quite good at converting.

One other thing I do still tend to use imperial for is buying timber - it might be marked up as 2.4m by 100mm by 50mm, but surely that's still 8ft of 2x4 to most people?

[url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Climate_Orbiter ]the problem with "mix and match" units[/url]

I'm now over 60, so I was taught first in Imperial then in Metric.
Why revert to an awkward confusing system, when most of us have no idea about its ramifications.
Gallons (Imperial or US ?) & fl.oz, different from troy oz.
Furlongs & roods, anyone?
Gills / pints / bushels / god knows what.

That system was a mess, and not half as international as we'd like to think.
The other country shown on the map is Burma, and they use different units again.

Does anyone remember buying dope in Tola ? The weight of an silver Imperial Indian rupee. Happy daze.