A new international standard for sizing clothes would overcome many of the problems of incompatible size labelling. But will it be undermined by the British retail and clothing industries because it is metric? - article based on contribution by M-V.
How should the alcohol content of drinks be measured? - asks M-V
If you are thinking of visiting the moon, you will now need to take only one set of spanners. (News item reported by two UK Metric Association members). (more…)
The European Commission has proposed a compromise which would effectively retain fixed sizes for a limited number of prepackaged goods until 2013 or 2014. [article originally drafted by Robin Paice for UKMA News]
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Road signs in Britain closely follow international norms as laid out in the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals. Where possible, language-independent symbolic signs are used so as to be as universally understood as possible. (Article contributed by Martin Ward).
The Government’s reluctance to consider decimal measurement of distance on UK roads ignores a successful precedent at sea. (Article submitted by Derek Pollard).
Our correspondent reports problems matching the size of a new bed, mattress and bed linen. (Reported by m_t, and edited by Derek Pollard). (more…)
A contributor asks whether the failure of UK signs to use the correct international symbols could enable lawyers to get their clients off fines for motoring offences
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I recently received the following enquiry expressing concern about imperial conversions in school.
“My daughter brought home some homework last week which included learning some constants - e.g. 1kg = 1000g. Included in the list was 1kg = 2.2lb and 1 mile = 1.6km. I think it’s out of order for a school to be spending time on metric/imperial conversions. Imperial is dead and the school should help to bury it. Do I have a point, and should I talk to the teacher?”
[article by Phil Hall]