Why hasn't any country outside the USA insisted that Subway use metric measurements? And why is a "Quarter Pounder" (4oz) beefburger still so prevalent?
The 6 inch and footlong subway sandwich, and Mac quarter pounder are not measurements or tools or instruments for measuring measurements.
They are commercial names.
Metrication does not change names, it changes measurements.
The only people who want fully metric are the ones who are too thick to understand imperial and metric. I am happy to use both equally well. I like having the choice.
I'll go along with that evaluation except I would include that the only people who want fully metric are the ones who are lazy, innumerate and boring.
I can use both systems because I learnt Imperial first and acquiring knowledge of the Metric System is easy. Had I learn Metric first then it would be very difficult to acquire the knowledge of the Imperial System.
I'm so glad I was educated the way I was. Now I have the choice.
The 6 inch and footlong subway sandwich, and Mac quarter pounder are not measurements or tools or instruments for measuring measurements.
They are commercial names.
Metrication does not change names, it changes measurements.
Are you saying that a 6" and 1' is an inaccurate measurement of the Subway sandwich? Would trade description legislation come into effect if a customer found that one of their sandwiches was too short?
They could use 15 or 30 centimeter sub and call them a "15 Semmy" or a "30 Semmy", however, that would probably be confused with "semi", which in the UK describes a style of house, or indeed describes a half of something, which in the case of the "30 Semmy would be incorrect causing even more confusion ! It's the Metric System here which causes the problem.
I know it's about marketing, but Subway is also a fast food company from the USA which uses Imperial for its system of measurements.
Are you saying that a 6" and 1' is an inaccurate measurement of the Subway sandwich? Would trade description legislation come into effect if a customer found that one of their sandwiches was too short?
They could use 15 or 30 centimeter sub and call them a "15 Semmy" or a "30 Semmy", however, that would probably be confused with "semi", which in the UK describes a style of house, or indeed describes a half of something, which in the case of the "30 Semmy would be incorrect causing even more confusion ! It's the Metric System here which causes the problem.
I know it's about marketing, but Subway is also a fast food company from the USA which uses Imperial for its system of measurements.
Subway is a multinational company, but generally the quantity of the sandwich would be measured by weight, rather than the length or width. There would a minimum legal weight for the sandwich.
However there has been situations, I think it was in Australia, where the a footlong subway sandwich was measured at less than a foot, but no legal action could be taken, because by law it was greater than the minimum weight.
Cars. Nobody, but nobody will measure fuel consumption in litres/100k. Nobody but nobody will use metric tyre pressures. We still want 30lbs/sq inch say.
We will be metric when we are familiar with these.
You sure about that?
When I bend down from my 1m 83 height to check my tyre pressures I know they should be 2.4 bar at the front and 2.1 at the back. I have no idea what that those would be in pounds per square inch, and I don't really give a damn either.
When I bend down from my 1m 83 height to check my tyre pressures I know they should be 2.4 bar at the front and 2.1 at the back. I have no idea what that those would be in pounds per square inch, and I don't really give a damn either.
The only people who want fully metric are the ones who are too thick to understand imperial and metric. I am happy to use both equally well. I like having the choice.
The thing is some people do not like that others choose, they want it all the way they want it rather than allow things to rub along quite happily together.
When I bend down from my 1m 83 height to check my tyre pressures I know they should be 2.4 bar at the front and 2.1 at the back. I have no idea what that those would be in pounds per square inch, and I don't really give a damn either.
I bet you even measure your car engine size in Litres.
All the Australians I've worked with since 2002 all use feet and inches for height and without exception they've all beein under 34 years old.
Or a coffee in American-style coffee shops (8oz, 12oz or 16oz).
Why hasn't any country outside the USA insisted that Subway use metric measurements? And why is a "Quarter Pounder" (4oz) beefburger still so prevalent?
Why should they? And it's only in English speaking countries that use them. They'd be aware of what things mean. Everywhere that doesn't speak English uses 15cm and 30cm for subs and the name royale with cheese for the Quarter Pounder.
I was raised metric and I can't imagine 'two and a half foot'. I can imagine 60cm though (only architects/builders who need to be very precise measure large things like ovens in mm). I know I am 1 m and 79 cm (or 179cm) tall. I don't know exactly what that would be in imperial (something 6 foot-ish), but I bet it would involve having to deal with fractions. Measuring things in Imperial usually seems to involve having to deal with cumbersome fractions.
You're missing the point. The brain can recognise small numbers instantly. Put 5 things on the table, you know there are 5 without counting them. Try that with 600 things or even 60. So having a set of systems that rarely use numbers higher than 12 is fairly natural. Once you start needing to manipulate high 2 digit or even 3 digit numbers most people will reach for a calculator.
When I bend down from my 1m 83 height to check my tyre pressures I know they should be 2.4 bar at the front and 2.1 at the back. I have no idea what that those would be in pounds per square inch, and I don't really give a damn either.
when I bought a vauxhall I was a bit confused re: tyre pressures as handbook had it in 'psi' & I don't have a pressure gauge with 'psi' on it .... found out what they were in atmospheres (bars) and wrote them in book .... someone at vauxhall wrongly assumes owners will be using 'psi'
But.. Conversion is only relevant to measurement within a measurement system.
For example metres to kilometres. (Within the metric system).
Measurement is not about converting from one system to another, from say Imperial to metric.
Measurement is about describing the world around us in one system, and communicating that measurement in universal units, that everyone understands.
Conversion is relevant to those who can relate more easily to the form, other than the one being converted.
As I say in my original post, if they can afford a ridiculous new £1 coin why can't they fully convert everything to Metric.
As I've stated previously, the proposed new £1 coin is far from ridiculous. It is the only way of tackling the huge number of fake £1 coins currently in circulation.
True. Plus a third of a foot is exactly 4 inches. A third of a meter can't be accurately measured.
Base 12 is superior to Base 10. 12 can be evenly divided by 2, 3, 4, and 6. 10 can only be evenly divided by 2 and 5.
It's easy to confuse numbers and numbering systems with measurements. They are not the same thing.
Measurement is never exact. There is always a margin of uncertainty.
Numbers are exact.
Numbers represent measurement, and with regard to measurement, represent measurement only. Numbers are not measurement.
Also there is a difference between theory and the real world.
It's true to say that "third of a foot is exactly 4 inches" BUT in theory only.
However in the real world of measurement there is no exactness, and like a third of a metre can't accurately be measured, 4 inches can't accurately be measured and is not exactly a third of a foot.
I agree that base 12 is superior to base 10. However the base 10 (power of ten decimal numbering system) is well established worldwide and is the universal numbering system. It's not going to change.
When I bend down from my 1m 83 height to check my tyre pressures I know they should be 2.4 bar at the front and 2.1 at the back. I have no idea what that those would be in pounds per square inch, and I don't really give a damn either.
So you are 1.83 m tall and pressurise your tyres to 340,000 Pascals at the front and 310,000 Pascals at the back.
when I bought a vauxhall I was a bit confused re: tyre pressures as handbook had it in 'psi' & I don't have a pressure gauge with 'psi' on it .... found out what they were in atmospheres (bars) and wrote them in book .... someone at vauxhall wrongly assumes owners will be using 'psi'
1 bar = 100 000 pascal or
1 bar = 100 kilopascal ( 100 kPa ).
The tyre technician who services my car recommends a cold pressure of
270 kPa on both front and rear tyres. That's 2.7 bar all round.
Presumably bar(g) - gauge pressure, which is the pressure above atmosphere. Of course atmosphere varies from 870 hPa to 1085 hPa, so there is some variation
Comments
Yes, exactly, which means:
Metric: rubbish for daily life, but great for science.
The 6 inch and footlong subway sandwich, and Mac quarter pounder are not measurements or tools or instruments for measuring measurements.
They are commercial names.
Metrication does not change names, it changes measurements.
I'll go along with that evaluation except I would include that the only people who want fully metric are the ones who are lazy, innumerate and boring.
I can use both systems because I learnt Imperial first and acquiring knowledge of the Metric System is easy. Had I learn Metric first then it would be very difficult to acquire the knowledge of the Imperial System.
I'm so glad I was educated the way I was. Now I have the choice.
Are you saying that a 6" and 1' is an inaccurate measurement of the Subway sandwich? Would trade description legislation come into effect if a customer found that one of their sandwiches was too short?
They could use 15 or 30 centimeter sub and call them a "15 Semmy" or a "30 Semmy", however, that would probably be confused with "semi", which in the UK describes a style of house, or indeed describes a half of something, which in the case of the "30 Semmy would be incorrect causing even more confusion ! It's the Metric System here which causes the problem.
I know it's about marketing, but Subway is also a fast food company from the USA which uses Imperial for its system of measurements.
Subway is a multinational company, but generally the quantity of the sandwich would be measured by weight, rather than the length or width. There would a minimum legal weight for the sandwich.
However there has been situations, I think it was in Australia, where the a footlong subway sandwich was measured at less than a foot, but no legal action could be taken, because by law it was greater than the minimum weight.
See link.. http://www.smh.com.au/national/subway-caught-short-on-footlong-20130120-2d1bh.html
And ... http://gawker.com/5977183/subway-responds-to-sandwich-scandal-footlong-not-intended-to-be-a-measurement-of-length
You sure about that?
When I bend down from my 1m 83 height to check my tyre pressures I know they should be 2.4 bar at the front and 2.1 at the back. I have no idea what that those would be in pounds per square inch, and I don't really give a damn either.
bar(a) or bar(g)?
The thing is some people do not like that others choose, they want it all the way they want it rather than allow things to rub along quite happily together.
I bet you even measure your car engine size in Litres.
Pfffft, philistine !
Why should they? And it's only in English speaking countries that use them. They'd be aware of what things mean. Everywhere that doesn't speak English uses 15cm and 30cm for subs and the name royale with cheese for the Quarter Pounder.
You're missing the point. The brain can recognise small numbers instantly. Put 5 things on the table, you know there are 5 without counting them. Try that with 600 things or even 60. So having a set of systems that rarely use numbers higher than 12 is fairly natural. Once you start needing to manipulate high 2 digit or even 3 digit numbers most people will reach for a calculator.
Conversion is relevant to those who can relate more easily to the form, other than the one being converted.
As I've stated previously, the proposed new £1 coin is far from ridiculous. It is the only way of tackling the huge number of fake £1 coins currently in circulation.
True. Plus a third of a foot is exactly 4 inches. A third of a meter can't be accurately measured.
Base 12 is superior to Base 10. 12 can be evenly divided by 2, 3, 4, and 6. 10 can only be evenly divided by 2 and 5.
It's easy to confuse numbers and numbering systems with measurements. They are not the same thing.
Measurement is never exact. There is always a margin of uncertainty.
Numbers are exact.
Numbers represent measurement, and with regard to measurement, represent measurement only. Numbers are not measurement.
Also there is a difference between theory and the real world.
It's true to say that "third of a foot is exactly 4 inches" BUT in theory only.
However in the real world of measurement there is no exactness, and like a third of a metre can't accurately be measured, 4 inches can't accurately be measured and is not exactly a third of a foot.
I agree that base 12 is superior to base 10. However the base 10 (power of ten decimal numbering system) is well established worldwide and is the universal numbering system. It's not going to change.
So you are 1.83 m tall and pressurise your tyres to 340,000 Pascals at the front and 310,000 Pascals at the back.
1 bar = 0.987 atm....
1 bar = 100 kilopascal ( 100 kPa ).
The tyre technician who services my car recommends a cold pressure of
270 kPa on both front and rear tyres. That's 2.7 bar all round.
Presumably bar(g) - gauge pressure, which is the pressure above atmosphere. Of course atmosphere varies from 870 hPa to 1085 hPa, so there is some variation
Everyone uses Light Years or Parsecs (3.26 ly). Should we use petametres instead?
Alpha Centauri is just over 40 petametres from earth. The Andromeda Galaxy is around 21 zettametres and the universe is 880 yottametres in diameter.