metrification

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Gordanus

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how do the US companies eg Starbucks get away with their 12 and 16 oz coffees??? I presume they mean fluid ounces. I was born in the '50s but still would prefer millilitres - at least I know how much is in a ml, but haven't a clue about fl oz.
Though?
 
No, pints were made an exception years ago by the EU.

Anyway, pints are pints. But fluid ounces? Who the h@ll knows how much they are? Do they add up to fluid lbs?
 
Gordanus said:
No, pints were made an exception years ago by the EU.
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Was it that specific? Are you sure that it wasn't perhaps an exemption for any imperial measure of any fluid/beverage?
Anyway, pints are pints. But fluid ounces? Who the h@ll knows how much they are? Do they add up to fluid lbs?
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20 fluid oz in a UK pint.
 
So that's how they "get away" with it - it's perfectly legal? How nefarious....
 
And see how many tile shops display the price of tiles in square meters.

Sneeky one I just saw. A tile shop, who shall remain nameless, has a sale on. On the non-sale items, they put stickers over the metic (yes, they were one of the few who do display metric and imperial) prices and left the imperial prices. So initially it looked like the tiles were reduced.
 
But really, how many people speak in metric all the time? I try, but I find it very hard to speak about kilometres instead of miles, and kilogrammes instead of stones- milimetres and square metres are ok for some reason.
 
With fluid ounces (and pints) you need to be aware which system is being used - UK or US. British/Irish ('imperial') fluid ounces are different from US fluid ounces. The pints are different too.

Imperial
1 UK fl oz = 28.4130742 ml
20 UK fl oz = 1 UK pint = approx. 568 ml

USA
1 US fl oz = 29.5735297 ml
16 US fl oz = 1 US pint = approx. 473 ml

So UK fluid ounces are smaller than US fluid ounces, but UK pints are larger than US pints.

I presume Starbucks use American fluid ounces.
 
Caveat said:
But really, how many people speak in metric all the time?
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SI (metric) units are the almost universal units used in Science, Engineering, Medicine and most international trade and commerce.

I have no problems with litres of milk and petrol. Im getting used to kilometers on the roads and look forward to the day that we can consistently use the SI system for all our domestic transactions.
 
babies bottles are also in fl ounces ( and mls) That makes it very easy to remember the measurement. Especially When you've been making 8oz bottles for a while:)
 
ajapale said:
SI (metric) units are the almost universal units used in Science, Engineering, Medicine and most international trade and commerce.
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Of course, but as a country we have generally been poor at embracing the metric system - it's adoption was proposed in 1969 (?) - before I was born - but yet I still grew up being taught a confused imperial/metric system. When I ask for local directions, 90% of the time I am advised in yards, not metres.

Im getting used to kilometers on the roads and look forward to the day that we can consistently use the SI system for all our domestic transactions.
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Hopefully the many Eastern European workers here now will embarrass us into using metric. Polish people I know seem to find it utterly bizarre that we talk about stones, gallons etc and as for acres & hectares...:rolleyes:
 
First the plastic bags and now anachronistic imperial measurements. Am I the only one not affected by embarrassment and social stigma in relation to these? :confused:
 
Caveat said:
What - he can tear ions apart? He sounds very talented too ;)
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LOL :D

The best use of imperial and metric is when we give temperature; when it's cold it's metric, when it's hot it's imperial.

In engineering we get drawings from America with sizes given in imperial fractions. This is an utter pain. I’m all for the Metric system.
 
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