if they want a system that works on halves and quarters, why not stick with ounces, cups, pints, quarts, ...
.

The problem here in Canada is that those units of measurement are different depending on which side of the border you are, Canada=Imperial, U.S.A. =American measure. (Can Imp.pint=20ozs, US pint 16ozs).
Here in Canada a vendor now is allowed to use the old Imperial, as long as the metric is also shown.
When I first came here from Europe before metric was established, I would buy a (US) gallon of cooking oil at the grocery store, but If I bought gasolene at the gas barI recieved a Imperial Gallon!.
Max.

 

The problem here in Canada is that those units of measurement are different depending on which side of the border you are, Canada=Imperial, U.S.A. =American measure. (Can Imp.pint=20ozs, US pint 16ozs).
Here in Canada a vendor now is allowed to use the old Imperial, as long as the metric is also shown.
When I first came here from Europe before metric was established, I would buy a (US) gallon of cooking oil at the grocery store, but If I bought gasolene at the gas barI recieved a Imperial Gallon!.
Max.

Germany seems to agree with me, they started named the half kilo unit, Pfund (sounds a lot like "pound" when spoken). There are some less formal names for half liter (pint) and quarter liter (cup) that sound familiar to Imperial land as well.

 

It's nice to be in control of 'British subjects' .

In his ruling, the lord chief justice, John Thomas, said that “the most fundamental rule of the U.K. Constitution is that Parliament is sovereign and can make or unmake any law it chooses.”

Every act is the US's equivalent of a constitutional amendment.

 

Parliament is sovereign and can make or unmake any law it chooses .

It's good to be the almost King.

 

The problem here in Canada is that those units of measurement are different depending on which side of the border you are

But if you are in Canada, aren't you on the Canadian side of the border?

(But your point is well taken)

The biggest problem (that I see and have) with the Imperial/U.S. units is that we have a unit of mass and a unit of force that, very regretfully, happen to have the same name (namely "pound"). Everything else we can generally manage to easily deal with from the context. Another collision that sometimes causes problems is "ounce" when people don't distinguish between fluid ounces and Avoirdupois ounces.

Note that the issue of confusing mass and force is also common in the metric system -- I've seen countless pressure gauges calibrated in kg/m².

 

A lot of the bars and restruants here try to pull a fast one by selling a pint of beer, but it is the 16oz (US) version.
I much prefer the metric system when dealing with machining measurements and threads, tapping sizes/drills etc, non of the #2 to #10 and BA and Whitworth etc, not to mention 'Cycle' threads!.
The US automotive Ind has also virtually gone over to metric for fasteners.
I believe the US changed the volumetric (16 ounce) measure for liquid measure to conform to the same numeric value as the ounce capacity of 16oz/pound.
Max.

 

I believe the US changed the volumetric (16 ounce) measure for liquid measure to conform to the same numeric value as the ounce capacity of 16oz/pound.
Max.

That's not even possible, since it would require that 16 volumetric ounces of mercury would be one pound and that this would be true of very other substance regardless of its density.

Even if we amended this to say that the fluid ounce were defined to be the volume of 1/16 of a pound of water, it wouldn't fly because the volume of a given mass of water is not constant. So you would have to define it to be commensurate with 1/16 of a pound of water at a specific temperature (and pressure). Doing this is certainly possible, but it isn't done.

By definition, one fluid ounce is a volume equal to 1/128th of a gallon.

By definition, one U.S. gallon has a volume equal to 231 cubic inches.

By definition, one inch is equal to 2.54 cm.

So one fluid ounce has a volume of exactly 29.5735295625 cubic centimeters.

16 fluid ounces of water weighs about 16.7 oz (Av).

This results in one gallon of water weighing about 8.33 lb.

 

That's not even possible, since it would require that 16 volumetric ounces of mercury would be one pound and that this would be true of very other substance regardless of its density.

Even if we amended this to say that the fluid ounce were defined to be the volume of 1/16 of a pound of water, it wouldn't fly because the volume of a given mass of water is not constant. So you would have to define it to be commensurate with 1/16 of a pound of water at a specific temperature (and pressure). Doing this is certainly possible, but it isn't done.

By definition, one fluid ounce is a volume equal to 1/128th of a gallon.

By definition, one U.S. gallon has a volume equal to 231 cubic inches.

By definition, one inch is equal to 2.54 cm.

So one fluid ounce has a volume of exactly 29.5735295625 cubic centimeters.

16 fluid ounces of water weighs about 16.7 oz (Av).

This results in one gallon of water weighing about 8.33 lb.

Man, the US and Imperial system of units is so nonsensically complicated... I wonder how much more time it will take until the whole world turns (and stays) metric ... but that won't probably happen until after everyone agrees to drive on the same side of the road too, I guess.

 

I've often wondered, do people in Britain tend to walk down the left side of a hallway also?
Here we tend to walk down the right side, the same side we drive.

 

I've often wondered, do people in Britain tend to walk down the left side of a hallway also?
Here we tend to walk down the right side, the same side we drive.

I'm sure WB will soon tell us.

 

This results in one gallon of water weighing about 8.33 lb.

The US. method of learning by rote 'a pint is a pound the world around' only applies in the U.S.!
The one I was instilled with was 'A Pint of water weighs a pound and a quarter' which is more world wide.
Max.

 

The US. method of learning by rote 'a pint is a pound the world around' only applies in the U.S.!
The one I was instilled with was 'A Pint of water weighs a pound and a quarter' which is more world wide.
Max.

Max, the rest of us know what you mean and, yes, a pint weighs a pound - for the less literal Americans.

And, a pint weighs very close to a pound at the boiling point. About 4% more at room temp - but still close. (I have no idea how WB will bring boiling Mercury into this one...)

 

The US. method of learning by rote 'a pint is a pound the world around' only applies in the U.S.!
The one I was instilled with was 'A Pint of water weighs a pound and a quarter' which is more world wide.
Max.

Apparently I completely failed to get the point across -- the saying, "a pint is a pound the world around," does NOT apply in the U.S.!!!!!! A pint is NOT a pound in the U.S. system!!!

 

for the less literal Americans.

didn't you mean to say "for the less literate Americans" ?

 

Max, the rest of us know what you mean and, yes, a pint weighs a pound - for the less literal Americans.

There are lots and lots of people that insist that this is an exact relationship, either by definition or by line of reasoning that says that a pint is 16 oz and a pound is 16 oz and how can an ounce be anything other than an ounce. So when someone trots it out in a situation like this, it is impossible to tell if they are talking about an approximate, or an exact relationship. But in this case it was offered up that the U.S. redefined the ounce in order to make this a true statement -- that's about as literal as it gets.

 

didn't you mean to say "for the less literate Americans" ?

No, it was pointed at the one who cannot understand what the rest of the world seems to grasp quite easily because the common usages do not align with their literal meanings.

 

No, it was pointed at the one who cannot understand what the rest of the world seems to grasp quite easily because the common usages do not align with their literal meanings.

View attachment 114726

... so you were actually being literal !

 

No, it was pointed at the one who cannot understand what the rest of the world seems to grasp quite easily because the common usages do not align with their literal meanings.

So are you claiming that when someone states, "I believe the US changed the volumetric (16 ounce) measure for liquid measure to conform to the same numeric value as the ounce capacity of 16oz/pound," that they are talking about the U.S. changing the common usage?

 

So are you claiming that when someone states, "I believe the US changed the volumetric (16 ounce) measure for liquid measure to conform to the same numeric value as the ounce capacity of 16oz/pound," that they are talking about the U.S. changing the common usage?

No, don't take things so literally. He was simply saying, that in the US, a pound is a pint. The history of how a pint happens to weigh about a pound was irrelevant to the discussion.

 

I've often wondered, do people in Britain tend to walk down the left side of a hallway also?
Here we tend to walk down the right side, the same side we drive.

Yes, they do. Makes for interesting situations at airports like Heathrow with a large British and US population. This effect is also seen on my local bike/walking path where it passes through an area with lots of Indians. ( mostly H-1B visas but thats a different issue). The Americans walk on the right and the Indians on the left. When I come through on my bike it can get a bit dicey. For everyone's benefit I try to educate them by yelling loudly as I pass.