OT: Simple maths question

[The Natural Philosopher]

Yes. They were actually OK.

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

Are you really suggesting most Americans can't deal with a half?

Anyway, considering the weight of the average American, that precise a measurement isn't really needed.

Agreed. It's easier when zero is freezing point. And it's smaller numbers too. Why deal with a room temperature of 70 when you can have 20? We really don't need any unit more precise than a C. Even my brewing has an accepted range of 6C.

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

Are you really suggesting most Americans can't deal with a half?

Anyway, considering the weight of the average American, that precise a measurement isn't really needed.

Agreed. It's easier when zero is freezing point. And it's smaller numbers too. Why deal with a room temperature of 70 when you can have 20? We really don't need any unit more precise than a C. Even my brewing has an accepted range of 6C.

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

And I thought the Canadians were nice folk? Not the mounties then?

I really don't get why they make bridges which can't handle a standard lorry.

I never realised until recently that there were two sizes of gallon, until I discovered in a conversation with an American that we were coming to different results.

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

And I thought the Canadians were nice folk? Not the mounties then?

I really don't get why they make bridges which can't handle a standard lorry.

I never realised until recently that there were two sizes of gallon, until I discovered in a conversation with an American that we were coming to different results.

[rbowman]

So how many stones are 171 pounds?

[rbowman]

Not particularly. I had a Guelph Ontario cop inform me that Americans and out cowboy ways weren't welcome in his town. It did not work out well.

The older cities are the main problem. Trucks were smaller then. A 40' trailer was big but now 53' is pretty much standard.

The US uses the traditional wine gallon which was the normal gallon when we kicked you people out. Britain adopted the ale gallon for the Imperial gallon in 1824. No respect for tradition.

The important thing to remember is there are 8 pints in both gallons so presumably an English pint of beer is a better deal than a US pint. Rather moot point since only Irish pubs typically sell pints and I believe they are 16 ounce US pints.

If you're so hot on metric, why are you not drinking from liter glasses?

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

Because Americans need to eat more as they're so damn fat?

Or because you think the recipe should contain marijuana?

[rbowman]

No, a pound of steak is just fine. 500 grams is a ridiculous measurement. Do people really say 'give me 500 grams of lamb kidneys' to the butcher?

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

Yes, and we don't have a problem with that in the UK, it's just a measurement. I'd probably ask for half a kilo though, why use a large number like 500 when you can use 0.5? I'd also say a car costs four and a half grand, not four thousand five hundred pounds.

[Jeff Wisnia]

So, if my wife weighs 147 pounds, how do you say that simply in stones?

Jeff

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

I'm going by what I hear on Top Gear.

-- =

A farmer in Yorkshire sees a bloke drinking from his stream and shouts, = =E2=80=9CEy up cocker, tha dunt wanna be drinkin watta frum theer, its f= ull o hoss piss an cow s**te an it could kill thee.=E2=80=9D The Bloke says, "Sir I am a muslim from Pakistan, can you be speaking cl= earer and slower please.=E2=80=9D The farmer replies, "If.... You.... Use.... Two.... Hands.... You.... Wo= n't.... Spill.... Any."

[Steve Walker]

At least the Imperial gallon coverts directly to 10lb of water. Okay I know it it really 10.02lb, but who cares? It is close enough!

I prefer metric for engineering calculations (imperial has too many weird fudge factors to correct for odd unit combinations), but imperial for day to day life (the units scale much better to real life - a pound of food is a meal; inches and their divisions are useful, cms are too small or too big and don't divide easily into 1/4s, 1/8s, etc.)

SteveW

[Steve Walker]

12st 3lb

SteveW

[Jimmy Wilkinson Knife]

"10 stone seven". Or "10 and a half stone". Much easier to deal with smaller numbers.

Do you drive your car "twenty six thousand four hundred yards" or "fifteen miles"?

[rbowman]

Half a kilo makes sense. A recipe that reads like Chemistry Lab 101 doesn't.

[rbowman]

Very carefully or she'll stone you along side your head.

[rbowman]

Half a league, half a league onward rode the Brits into obscurity. What's wrong with kilograms? Why are you half-assed metric?

Don't you drive 24 kilometers? Or is that more half in, half out?

>

[rbowman]

Fake news. A wise man once said 'The only substitute for cubic inches is cubic money.' First you start with a 430 ci engine (7L) and then you add the 6-71 blower. If that doesn't get it a dab of nitrous will do you.

[rbowman]

And you just whip that off without a calculator. At least a stone could be 10 pounds rather than whatever you used to weigh bales of wool in the

19th century.