Fans of archaic unit systems may find solace in the fact that astronomy still stubbornly resists the onslaught of SI units. The CGS system is still king in astronomy: ergs/cm^2/s is our preferred unit of flux (except radio astronomers use the Jansky) and we also like such non-standard units as the Angstrom for wavelengths, light years and parsecs of course for distance, and arcseconds and arcminutes instead of radians for angular measures. In the astronomy articles I've written for Wikipedia, though, I think I've stuck with SI except for light years and parsecs.
As for what UK folk use, well, the packets might be marked in metric but the amounts are still imperial. We buy milk in 568ml (pint) bottles, peas in 455g (1lb) packets, that kind of thing.
Not sure that changing distances on road signs would be that difficult or at all dangerous, it's just that being on an island we have no compelling reason to conform to the continental standard - there would be no benefit to be gained from a switch.
-----Original Message----- From: Tony Sidaway [mailto:minorityreport@bluebottle.com]
In the UK this is only for "folk" uses such as pints of beer and road signs. I believe all scientific and engineering ventures switched to SI long ago, and nearly all commercial institutions (aforementioned pints of beer excluded, for instance) are required to use metric measure although they are also permitted to provide equivalent ounces, pounds, stones and whatnot. They sell orange juice in liters, butter by the kilogram, cloth by the meter. Liquor is sold in metric measure, so in a pub you get a pint of beer but a 35 ml measure of brandy, and a 200ml glass of wine.
Road signs haven't switched because it would be very difficult and dangerous as well as politically explosive.
From: "Roger Wesson" wikipedia@world-traveller.org Not sure that changing distances on road signs would be that difficult or at all dangerous, it's just that being on an island we have no compelling reason to conform to the continental standard - there would be no benefit to be gained from a switch.
Hmm. Well, using the Canada example again, it shares a continent with a huge neighbour that uses miles, yet it apparently found a compelling reason to switch anyway.
Jay.
On 5/17/05, Roger Wesson wikipedia@world-traveller.org wrote:
Not sure that changing distances on road signs would be that difficult or at all dangerous, it's just that being on an island we have no compelling reason to conform to the continental standard - there would be no benefit to be gained from a switch.
You might not drive overseas, but I'm sure that many other British folk drive on the Continent.
I'm all in favour of standardisation in driving in the interests of safety. I grew up with driving on the left, but it makes it an added stress to drive on the right when I visit the USA. Likewise with speeds.
We should have a global standard in this shrinking world of ours.
Speaking of astronomers, there's the case of Gene Shoemaker, who was driving on a narrow outback Australian road when he unexpectedly confronted an oncoming vehicle. The standard practice on these roads is to move onto the shoulder so that both cars may pass each other. But the Aussie driver automatically went left and Shoemaker automatically went right, and that was it.
We should all drive on the same side. In the long run it works out safer. And cheaper. As a right hander, I'd rather change gears and fiddle with the radio with my right hand instead of the left like I do now.