Road Signs: Time to change to Metric?

[850Chris]

I know this will be a controversial one, but;

Given that we're all now taught in metric (and have been for some 20 years), isn't it high time that road sign distances and speed limits were updated from imperial to metric units?

[tt82]

How about we went back to teaching inches, feet and yds?

Or even better taught both!

[DaveNP]

Originally Posted by tt82

How about we went back to teaching inches, feet and yds?

Or even better taught both!

How about we try to teach anything. It seems that most kids these days have no clue what any unit of measurement is so however you write the signs or quantify the beer and burgers they havn't got a clue.

[kieran40]

Originally Posted by tt82

How about we went back to teaching inches, feet and yds?

Or even better taught both!

And go back to having money before decimialiastion we were all ripped off got less in our wage packets . Since the change over in the 70's. I think British measurements make sense yards and feet inches are much easier, pints are much easier and simple, oz and ib's are aswell and we still measure in Britain in those we never use metric weights.

[NigelDay]

Originally Posted by kieran40

And go back to having money before decimialiastion we were all ripped off got less in our wage packets . Since the change over in the 70's. I think British measurements make sense yards and feet inches are much easier, pints are much easier and simple, oz and ib's are aswell and we still measure in Britain in those we never use metric weights.

It's nice to be a certain age when you can converse in inches and shillings, remember how to use a slide rule and navigate an OS map with a compass. The younger generation would get really lost if the batteries to their 'smart devices' went flat.

[jonnyf90]

^
This.
My girlfriend and I were out for a walk last week. I had an OS map and compass with me (even though I knew my bearings). She was surprised that I didn't need to use my phone's GPS to work out where we were, where we were going, or how I had found the way.

Words nearly failed me.

For my "Pure Core 1" maths exam in Lower Sixth Form we were not allowed calculators. I took in a slide rule with me and scored 95%.

[Fantastic]

It certainly is nice to have 'the knowledge' and have enjoyed using it for many years in engineering.
Unfortunately, the younger people don't even seem to want to learn about metric stuff, never mind good old imperial. Too much in their lives is 'instant' (internet etc) or disposable (without the know how or inclination/ability to mend/repair). Therefore, they don't need to measure or weigh much in their life.

[coolcity]

I agree with many of the sentiments to a point, and a teenage counter assistant had to use the till the other day to find out how much change to give me from a £20 note for a £5 purchase. I kid you not. It's hardly their fault we let things get this bad though.

However I can't accept that it's easier to work with pounds and ounces, feet and yards and so on. Us older ones are equally guilty of being stubborn about metric and not learning it. I assure you it's far easier in base 10 and makes more sense than imperial ever did. At 55 I am from a time where they were just starting to switch from imperial to metric, and taught both in schools. Calculators were just starting to become popular and some schools allowed the use of them, but not in exams.

I kind of accept that it's not quite so necessary to know how to work out some things when there are machines to do it for you, and there's nowt better than GPS for navigating, but if we want our kids to become smarter again we need to ban the use of any sort of mathematical aids, be it calculators or smartphones. That said, it's spelling that seems to have been hit the most over the years. I trade online and the number of people that can't even type in even their correct name and address is frightening.

[Daim]

I personally would say: yes.

Not that the imperial measurement system is outdated, but it doesn't make sense to use two different systems when the rest of the world (except the USA) use the metric system... Even the USA was going to adopt the metric system under Jimmy Carter, but Reagan said "nope".

The metric system is straightforward, which makes it easier to understand:

1 meter = 10 decimeters = 100 centimeters = 1000 millimeter
Deci = 10 -> December used to be the 10th month,
Centi = 100 -> Century is 100 years,
Milli = 1000 -> Millenium is 1000 years

1 km = 1000 m
Kilo = 1000 of something (10K miles -> 10 kilo miles -> 10.000 miles eventhough the Kilomile is a possible useage of the Kilo term, it isn't a commonly used version)

Now do the same with imperial measurements... Doesn't work that simple. This graphic shows the problem with the imperial system:



Everything else, but easy to understand.

Money is paid in the metric system (£1 = 100p = 10x 10p). Mathes is done in the metric system. Why not just go conform with the rest of the world (except the USA) and use a system which is easier to understand.

I'm 6'1" tall... What an awkward way to say "I am 1.82m tall".
I way 12.5 stone... What another awkward way to say "I weight 80 kg".
I am going 125 mph fast... What a yet again awkward way to say "I'm going 200 km/h"

It makes life easier. I learnt the metric system as I was in school in England in the 90ies. The teacher said - and I remember that well - "Kids, we won't be learning what a mile is or how many ounces are a pound. We are learning how many grammes are one kilogramme. How many meters are in a kilometer. And how many 10th's of a millimeter are in a decimeter!"

The only imperial measurements I can understand, are the mile and the inch. 1.6 km = 1 mile. 2.54 cm = 1 inch.

[tt82]

Originally Posted by Daim

I'm 6'1" tall... What an awkward way to say "I am 1.82m tall".
I way 12.5 stone... What another awkward way to say "I weight 80 kg".
I am going 125 mph fast... What a yet again awkward way to say "I'm going 200 km/h"

Those points only convince me more that your arguements are wrong.

I want a pint of beer/milk, not 0.568l!
I want a 1/4lb burger, not a 113 gram burger!
I want a 1/4 mile drag race, not a 402 meter race.

And time isn't metric! 60 secs in a min, 60 min in a hour and 24 hours in a day. That's easy enough to understand! Likewise with co-ordinates.