Re: measuring systems (was: Selenites)

Carlos Thompson scripsit:

> [...] _barril_ used when giving
> oil production (I suppose there is a counterpart in English).
The barrel, which is standard worldwide as a unit of petroleum volume.
1 barrel = exactly 42 U.S. gallons, or just less than 35 Imperial
gallons, or just less than 159 liters.

Metrication anecdote:  During preparations for metric conversion
in the U.K., the railway industry came up with the following problem.
For troubleshooting purposes, railway lines are marked with mileposts,
one per mile, showing the distance in miles from the start of the
line.  Trouble reports take the form of "Cow on the line, half a
mile past milepost 132."  Not only would kilometre markers require
60% more markers to be made, but the expense of moving them all would
be prohibitive.

The final recommendation was to leave the mileposts alone, and change
the format of reports to: "Cow on the line, halfway between
marker 132 and marker 133."

--
John Cowan      http://www.ccil.org/~cowan              cowan@ccil.org
        You tollerday donsk?  N.  You tolkatiff scowegian?  Nn.
        You spigotty anglease?  Nnn.  You phonio saxo?  Nnnn.
                Clear all so!  'Tis a Jute.... (Finnegans Wake 16.5)