Britain said it was taking steps to return to the traditional system of imperial weights and measures

[WobblyHand]

Minister David Frost announced this on Thursday.

Honestly, once the pain of conversion was done, why would one want to revert? Having grown up with Imperial, I find the system awkward at best. I use imperial more or less since I'm in an imperial world. Metric makes more sense and seems to be less error prone.

Converting measurement systems back and forth at countrywide level has to be disruptive. Going back to imperial will probably make Britain even less competitive world wide.

What do you folks think of this?

 

[Jake P]

I for one wish that we (U.S.) had gone metric back when it was discussed when I was way younger!

 

[rwm]

‘Metric martyr’: the government’s plan to revive imperial measurements

The return of pounds and ounces is part of a ‘nostalgia war’, says historian Mary Beard

www.theweek.co.uk

I think this is probably a FU to the EU? I agree, I would stick with metric after it was implemented.
Robert

 

[Larry$]

A really stupid idea. I wish the US had converted back in the 70's when it was considered.

I switch back & forth but use metric when designing from scratch. Only a politician!

 

[WobblyHand]

I for one wish that we (U.S.) had gone metric back when it was discussed when I was way younger!

Agreed.

 

[benmychree]

I like Imperial just fine!

 

[aliva]

Canada went metric in 1970 I grew up in the imperial world and still find it difficult to convert from metric to imperial. My generation got caught in the transition. I still convert kilos to pounds and liters to gallons. Metric is a much better system, my kids grew up with metric so imperial is foreign to them. I do all my work in imperial as I can understand it. When Canada changed, the government said it would be necessary in order to trade with Europe. Not sure if it actually helped or not.
I still can't wrap my head around acers vs hectares. I think Britain is making a mistake in going to imperial. But look at their monetary system, I can't figure that one out, between pound, pence ( not Mike), tuppence shilling and quid. I've watched many British television shows and they seem to measure distance in miles and speed in MPH but volume in liters. So I I think they use the metric system only when they feel like it.

 

[pdentrem]

In 1977 when Canada switched I was already indoctrinated to the Imperial system, while my younger brother had no clue what Imperial was! The rest of the world in metric why waste the time and money switching back! Seems like a political ploy to curry some votes from the geriatric generation, which I am sort of but being more realistically minded.
Pierre

 

[RandyWilson]

I grew up with imperial, obviously, but spent most of my life working with metric cars and equipment. The trick is you don't convert. You learn to think in either system.

Now if only the UK would give another F-U to the US, scrap the UNF/UNC pitches, and go back to a true and elegant thread form. Whitworth. I have my wrenches still.

 

[benmychree]

I grew up with imperial, obviously, but spent most of my life working with metric cars and equipment. The trick is you don't convert. You learn to think in either system.

Now if only the UK would give another F-U to the US, scrap the UNF/UNC pitches, and go back to a true and elegant thread form. Whitworth. I have my wrenches still.

Elegant in theory, perhaps not so much in practice. Cutting threads by single point cutting in the lathe, one ends up with a 55 deg. included angle with truncated crest and root, not the radius of the theoretical Whitworth thread, I have cut several over the years and have the pitch/form gage and the "fishtail" gage, seldom used, the reside in my Gerstner box, and I have a few tool bits ground for them. The 60 deg. included angle of Imperial and metric threads is much more sensible when it comes to generating the angle by geometric means.