Are Imperial units based on 12s?
May 22nd, 2008It is often claimed that imperial is based on 12s (duodecimal) and that this has advantages over decimal. But is this truth or myth? Read the rest of this entry »
LACORS confirms imperial units illegal for office floorspace – Government advice misleading
April 29th, 2008LACORS (the Local Authority Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services) has confirmed its earlier advice that, where office floorspace is let per unit of floorspace, that unit must be metric. In doing so, it implicitly says that previous Government advice on this matter is wrong and/or misleading.
A snapshot from planet USA
April 22nd, 2008A reader has returned from an extensive tour of the USA, and has provided Metric Views with a personal view on their version of two-system systems of weights and measures. (Article contributed by Tony Wilson)
UK pays the cost of failure to implement the Vienna Convention
April 17th, 2008The Department for Transport (DfT) continues to ignore the clear advantages of the adoption of the international norms for road signage, namely the use of metric units, while potentially preventable accidents occur on our roads.
First Emperor showed the way - 2000 years ago
April 12th, 2008I recently had the pleasure of visiting the splendid (Chinese) First Emperor exhibition at the British Museum. Apart from the terracotta warriors, what impressed me the most was the way that Qin Shihuangdi imposed standardisation on his vast empire - including, of course, weights and measures.
The London Marathon
April 6th, 2008This weekend thousands of runners will test themselves to the full in the annual Flora London Marathon. At 42.195 km, it is a race of endurance. But why 42.195 km? That is tied up in the history of the 1908 London Olympic Games. But why does the United Kingdom press call it a 26 mile 385 yard race and does it matter? For the record, two measurements differ by 1 cm. (Article contributed by Martin Vlietstra)
Decimal measures to oust inches and miles
April 1st, 2008But seriously folks. The article below was an April fool joke but the decimal tape measure is real. In Britain surveyors did use the decimalised foot before going metric. Clearly they recognised the advantages of a decimal system but realised that the metric system proper had much more to offer. The tape featured in the article is in fact American where they still use old fashioned units of measurement. They too clearly see the advantages of decimal in measurement, so the next step is …
Visionary sci-fi writer uses metric
March 26th, 2008The late Arthur C Clarke who died this month (March 2008) wrote what may be regarded as his most memorable non-fiction article in 1945. He was the first person to propose the use of satellites in geostationary orbit to form part of a global communications network.
http://lakdiva.org/clarke/1945ww/1945ww_oct_305-308.html
It was quite fitting that his orbital calculations and other details were entirely in metric in recognition of the future as seen from early post-war England.
TSI cops out
March 14th, 2008The Trading Standards Institute (whose members are responsible for enforcing weights and measures law) has declined to support the UK Metric Association’s campaign for a single, rational system of measurement that everybody understands and uses for all purposes. In response, UKMA has accused the TSI of “an abdication of professional responsibility”.
“Best bananas. Two pounds for a pound!”
February 19th, 2008An item on a BBC Radio 4 programme today included some interviews in a Tyneside market. A market trader was heard selling his wares with the cry, “Best bananas. Two pounds for a pound!”
[Article by Martin Ward]