Re: CHAT: measures (was: browsers)

From: "Tristan" <kesuari@...>
Subject: Re: CHAT: measures (was: browsers)


> (I also just want to make sure: a bushels still used? And things like
> horsepower? Links, rods and chains? I'm guessing quarters (2 stones)
> aren't. And that's all the odd ones I haven't heard on the back of this
> exercise book.)
First, why would they have units of measure listed in an exercise book?

Anyway, here are the units that I would use, being an American, specifically
from New York state (not the city).

- length
inches - anything from 1/16 inch up to 1 foot
feet - from 1 foot up to 1/2 mile
yards - measuring land distances from perhaps 10 yards to 1/2 mile
miles - from 1/2 mile and up

- liquid
teaspoons, tablespoons, cups - amounts of liquid for cooking
pints, quarts, gallons - standard units of liquid
liters - absolutely only used for soda (that's carbonated sweet stuff like
Coke), never used for anything else, often viewed as a ridiculous unit as it
doesn't fit in with any of the other standard ones

- weight
grains & carats - only for gemstones, grains not being known by most outside
the jewelry industry
ounces & pounds - standard weight of objects
tons - used for cars, tractors, and other big things (and that's 2000lb
here, I understand they have some other size ton in England)

- dry measure (volume)
teaspoons, tablespoons, cups - same as liquid measure
bushels & pecks - only for buying apples
(measures of volume other than tsp, Tbsp, cups is done with cubic length
units)

Metric is generally viewed as a clumsy, foreign system, that has little
relevance in everyday life.  I'm quite well aware of how it works, and
certainly don't find it clumsy, but it doesn't really offer any advantages
for most people.  The only hard conversion of units is between feet/yards
and miles, and it's one I rarely need.