It's interesting the ￡s p to decimal reference. As Doug says, there were 20s in a pound (a gold coin) or 10 in a 1/2 pound (also a gold coin). Base 10.
But shillings and pence were in everyday use (silver or copper depending on coin). 12p per shilling. Base 12. Shillings and pence were more commonly used in every day transactions. When you can divide something by 12 there are more 'results' than if you can only divide by 10.
What happened when decimal was introduced (1967 in New Zealand)? The price of consumer goods went up. Fewer options for price settings. Clever aye, those tricky bankers.
I've researched this and it did happen, at least in NZ; will write about it one day.
Canadian here. We're half in half out of the metric system. It works great on paper in multiples of 10 etc. Sucks in real use. Eg. We still use cups/tsp in the kitchen, feet/inches in construction simply because the figures are too large in metric. In our Canadian Tire (retail store) and other sale flyers that come out weekly, you will find many items in both metric and imperial measurements.. like frying pans on one page in inches, and in metric sizes on another page. It's bizarre. For weight, again we use both, but mainly imperial. For area or perimeter we use square feet (room sizes, real estate), acres. Most products are advertised in imperial like snowblower sizes, tire sizes, computer monitors etc. It was a huge waste of money to try and convert. We obviously haven't.
Agreed. Fellow Canuck. We live in a border town so all of our news, sports, culture, etc. is American. For some reason, warm temperatures are in Fahrenheit and cold temperatures are in Celsius. (In the summer it's 75 out, but in the winter it's -10)
Most of the world thinks in metric. It's precise, and uniform, and predates imperial (when you do some research). Metric is always the same whereas feet can vary depending on region. As an architect, it's a nightmare. Saying "No one thinks in metric" is just silly.
I guess it depends what world one works in. Engineers go with the flow. Whether you're dealing with length, speed, volume, weight/mass, energy... I've got a book of conversions which must be over a hundred pages of small writing on rice-like paper. Quite like it. Nothing is a nightmare. We like our challenges.
You don't want something designed by a challenged nightmare. Not everything needs to be learnt the hard way. Sometimes merely briefly observing other people waste time doing it "their way" is enough of a learning curve. Architecture isn't engineering. Working with different lengths of feet is a nightmare we would all prefer to avoid, and instead do something fun like ... oh I don't know ... design perhaps?
For some things, imperial is easier to speak. One mm is not something we speak about unless in some form of design or engineering. Hence nanometres, and not nanoinches. Most people will refer to things either in cms, metres or kms. In architecture we use mm because it is precise, and not confusing. Seventeen-hundred millimeters is clear to us. To your average person it would be ridiculous when you could just say 1.7m (try 1720mm which would be 1.720m), but bricks are not measured in meters, but inches LOL! Metric is much better for precise measurements. Imperial is good for round digestible numbers, but decimal is much easier to work with than imperial or vigesimal (think Maya numbers), which I learnt when doing some study.
EDIT: Where imperial is good is in smaller measurements like a foot. Easy to say as a single unit as apposed to (roughly) 30cm
As an ex O&G geologist I've found it obfuscating starting in metric as a kid (Total) and latterly with imperial in American companies as a consultant. (A barrel more imaginable as a volume entity than a cubic metre (6.2894 bbls) and a foot better than metres for geological horizons / markers in a well bore).
But as for furlongs and chains 🤔. Centigrade✓, Fahrenheit x... the list is endless.
Metric proportions has been found in measurements of very old temples and such. Foot does vary. I know of at least 3 different foot lengths from when I still practiced architecture. Metric is just much easier than doing fractions. I know many feet and inch measurements by head because of architecture. Just over 3 feet is a metre. 6' is 182,5cm (roughly) The fractional system is not easy to use, even for those who grew up with it. In architecture we actually work in mm, and I work to the nearest 15mm, which is 0.59 inches or just under 5/8 inch. Yes, I used a conversion. Inches is a nuisance
Why I don't know. I'm not interested enough to research it. Like most measurements — most are redundant now — they began locally as a standard. This is why we have different foot lengths. 'em bloody giants!
It's interesting the ￡s p to decimal reference. As Doug says, there were 20s in a pound (a gold coin) or 10 in a 1/2 pound (also a gold coin). Base 10.
But shillings and pence were in everyday use (silver or copper depending on coin). 12p per shilling. Base 12. Shillings and pence were more commonly used in every day transactions. When you can divide something by 12 there are more 'results' than if you can only divide by 10.
What happened when decimal was introduced (1967 in New Zealand)? The price of consumer goods went up. Fewer options for price settings. Clever aye, those tricky bankers.
I've researched this and it did happen, at least in NZ; will write about it one day.
I'm interested in an open discussion between Jeff Berwick, Matt Smith and Doug Casey about what Trump's REALLY up to! Anyone else??
Always interesting to compare one's own views & values - mostly but not totally congruent, - with Doug Casey.
Thanks.
Ron Desantis has floated out 0 Property taxes for Homesteaded properties........
Michael Sailor, seems to me as a wacky grifter! The older I get
the more unsure I am about this
whole system we live in!
Canadian here. We're half in half out of the metric system. It works great on paper in multiples of 10 etc. Sucks in real use. Eg. We still use cups/tsp in the kitchen, feet/inches in construction simply because the figures are too large in metric. In our Canadian Tire (retail store) and other sale flyers that come out weekly, you will find many items in both metric and imperial measurements.. like frying pans on one page in inches, and in metric sizes on another page. It's bizarre. For weight, again we use both, but mainly imperial. For area or perimeter we use square feet (room sizes, real estate), acres. Most products are advertised in imperial like snowblower sizes, tire sizes, computer monitors etc. It was a huge waste of money to try and convert. We obviously haven't.
Agreed. Fellow Canuck. We live in a border town so all of our news, sports, culture, etc. is American. For some reason, warm temperatures are in Fahrenheit and cold temperatures are in Celsius. (In the summer it's 75 out, but in the winter it's -10)
Most of the world thinks in metric. It's precise, and uniform, and predates imperial (when you do some research). Metric is always the same whereas feet can vary depending on region. As an architect, it's a nightmare. Saying "No one thinks in metric" is just silly.
I guess it depends what world one works in. Engineers go with the flow. Whether you're dealing with length, speed, volume, weight/mass, energy... I've got a book of conversions which must be over a hundred pages of small writing on rice-like paper. Quite like it. Nothing is a nightmare. We like our challenges.
You don't want something designed by a challenged nightmare. Not everything needs to be learnt the hard way. Sometimes merely briefly observing other people waste time doing it "their way" is enough of a learning curve. Architecture isn't engineering. Working with different lengths of feet is a nightmare we would all prefer to avoid, and instead do something fun like ... oh I don't know ... design perhaps?
This makes no sense.
If you understood, then it would make sense.
Interesting. I prefer a mixture... but I'm just an ageing Brit. Worthy of deeper discussion but this is not the platform?
For some things, imperial is easier to speak. One mm is not something we speak about unless in some form of design or engineering. Hence nanometres, and not nanoinches. Most people will refer to things either in cms, metres or kms. In architecture we use mm because it is precise, and not confusing. Seventeen-hundred millimeters is clear to us. To your average person it would be ridiculous when you could just say 1.7m (try 1720mm which would be 1.720m), but bricks are not measured in meters, but inches LOL! Metric is much better for precise measurements. Imperial is good for round digestible numbers, but decimal is much easier to work with than imperial or vigesimal (think Maya numbers), which I learnt when doing some study.
EDIT: Where imperial is good is in smaller measurements like a foot. Easy to say as a single unit as apposed to (roughly) 30cm
An interesting factette - Napoleon's responsible for the spread and common use of the metric system. A foot varies by region? I wasn't aware.
A 'Mile' to I believe - US v UK?
As an ex O&G geologist I've found it obfuscating starting in metric as a kid (Total) and latterly with imperial in American companies as a consultant. (A barrel more imaginable as a volume entity than a cubic metre (6.2894 bbls) and a foot better than metres for geological horizons / markers in a well bore).
But as for furlongs and chains 🤔. Centigrade✓, Fahrenheit x... the list is endless.
Metric proportions has been found in measurements of very old temples and such. Foot does vary. I know of at least 3 different foot lengths from when I still practiced architecture. Metric is just much easier than doing fractions. I know many feet and inch measurements by head because of architecture. Just over 3 feet is a metre. 6' is 182,5cm (roughly) The fractional system is not easy to use, even for those who grew up with it. In architecture we actually work in mm, and I work to the nearest 15mm, which is 0.59 inches or just under 5/8 inch. Yes, I used a conversion. Inches is a nuisance
Base 10 too large a number system perhaps?
Too funny. Good stuff. I can see you're a true O&G professional (I'm a chem. eng; I promise I'm not being sarcastic).
Why I don't know. I'm not interested enough to research it. Like most measurements — most are redundant now — they began locally as a standard. This is why we have different foot lengths. 'em bloody giants!