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Imperial measurements

(74 Posts)
mrsmopp Mon 19-Feb-18 17:48:47

Do you still think in Imperial measurements?
Half a pound of butter, a 5 pound bag of potatoes? Do you weigh yourself in stones and pounds and wish you had a 26 inch waist?
Al these years and I still haven't gone decimal. There's no hope for me now.....

Nelliemoser Sat 24-Feb-18 18:04:06

I have never had a problem with using Metric measurements. It is so much easier than calculating in 3 Different types of coinage. Weight and length. Once you get it it is much easier. I measure in centimetres.

My father kept pointing out that in the war, he was making rivets etc, to hold together probably airplanes and God knows what else, and that the "international units" were millimetres. That's what comes of having a mechanical engineer for a father though.

DeeWBW Sat 24-Feb-18 16:58:29

I’ve never been metric. We’re British and I have always hated the change from feet and inches and also pounds and ounces. My maths is still excellent and I can quickly change from inches to centimetres and vice versa but, when I need to be able to see a length or a distance in my mind’s eye, and it’been stated in metric measures, my mind’s eye can’t see that length until it is in miles, yards, feet and inches.

Aepgirl Thu 22-Feb-18 08:04:39

I detest metric weights and measures. Why do we use them as we thankfully kept our pound, and roads are still measured in miles? However I have had to buy a set of metric weights for my balance scales so that I can cook new recipes.

endre123 Wed 21-Feb-18 22:36:13

I think imperial and have to see decimal as it's still not ingrained in my mind. I always have a tape measure in my bag.

MissAdventure Wed 21-Feb-18 22:28:02

Its laziness for me.

Legs55 Wed 21-Feb-18 22:23:57

I mostly use Imperial, height & weight, nurses will often convert without being asked for us "oldies" (I'm only 62grin). Mostly use Imperial when cooking although my scales do oz/g/Kg/lb so it's never a problem. Babies weights are still given in lb/oz (my GDS2 was born May 2017) but measure length in cm.

Petrol is easy as there are 4.5L to 1 gallon, I still work in gallons unless I'm filling car up for a long journey when I don't bother (just look horrified at how much it's costinggrin)

I left School in 1972 so I learnt Imperial & still occasionally convert back to "old money" although that's frightening when you realise how much prices have increased.

Temperature has to be F not C although my oven is C but recipes give temperatures & I have conversion charts on my fridge. All my tape measures have both Imperial & Metric measurements.

I still buy in lbs & ozs but know what say a lb of mince looks like so it doesn't really matter confused

allule Wed 21-Feb-18 19:27:38

I was teaching in 1971, and we switched to teaching just metric measurements. However, in real life children were still meeting imperial measures, so we had to start teaching those again as well.
I thinking it's a shame weather forecasters didn't stick to centigrade. If we'd started in winter with zero, everyone would have adjusted easily.

Grandmama Wed 21-Feb-18 19:16:19

I'm totally imperial. I use kitchen scales that are balanced with imperial weights so arithmetic is needed when baking. I always used imperial at my (now sadly retired) butchers, I even asked for a pound of eggs once! I wish TV presenters would use miles, kilometres mean nothing to me. As for 4% hills on road signs . . . .

Kim19 Wed 21-Feb-18 17:35:14

I think it' s 80/20 l4357. Statistics (God bless 'em) say the older one is the greater the resistance.

lesley4357 Wed 21-Feb-18 17:28:46

Do people not like change - or is it just laziness?

Tessa101 Wed 21-Feb-18 16:40:13

I’m still feet, inches, pounds and miles. I use google to convert or ask a man they all seem to have adapted well no matter what age.

lovebeigecardigans1955 Wed 21-Feb-18 16:21:48

I feel annoyed when a TV presenter says 'three kilometres away' or '20 centimetres of snow/rain/whatever' and always shout 'what's that in old money?' at the screen. I think that many of us use the old imperial measurements. I know that one inch is around two and a half centimetres and there's 30 cm in 1 foot but as for the rest of it, no chance.
I never remember my height in metric and weigh myself and most cooking ingredients the old way - makes sense to me.

quizqueen Wed 21-Feb-18 15:56:43

I can think in imperial and metric for length; it's easy to remember 30cm=12 inches and work from there. However, I haven't got a clue about metric weight or capacity and have no interest in learning either.

grandtanteJE65 Wed 21-Feb-18 14:59:59

I moved to Denmark when I was 16, so I had to get used to metric measurements. By and large I am perfectly comfortable with weights and measurements when cooking, baking or sewing, irrespective of whether they are metric or imperial.

But somehow, talking distances, I still find it easier to visualise how long 3ft are rather than 1 meter.

I have to think very hard indeed if I am to work out heat degrees in Fahrenheit, being now much more familiar with centigrade

Lioness68 Wed 21-Feb-18 13:58:05

I use imperial and have the temperature on my phone in Fahrenheit. It still makes perfect sense to me. I lived Germany from 1971 to 1977 and used metric over there and I can do conversions if I have to.

sarahellenwhitney Wed 21-Feb-18 13:02:59

I have charts on the inside of a cupboard door that converts everything metric back to what I call the good old days. I am grateful the UK fought against the euro.

grandMattie Wed 21-Feb-18 13:01:11

When I came to the UK in 1972, it was after metrification of the money. I spent many [futile] hours doing conversions from one to the other for my secretarial course. Never understood why!

nannypiano Wed 21-Feb-18 12:59:38

I was given an Amazon Dot for Christmas, so when I have a recipe in metric I just ask Alexa to convert to Imperial. Cheating or what?

Craftycat Wed 21-Feb-18 12:45:53

Imperial every time. My butcher is happy to serve me 1lb meat ( OK I know it is roughly 500g)& I still think in lbs & ounces. However I can cook with metric as my scales do both.
When crafting I measure in mm as my guillotines use metric but I still think in inches & I have no clue what I weigh in kg. Probably too much the same as stones & pounds!

W11girl Wed 21-Feb-18 11:42:52

I'm £'s shillings and pence woman myself!

CardiffJaguar Wed 21-Feb-18 11:40:15

After Brexit we can go back to all our old measurements if we wish. I hear lots of market traders will jump at the chance as well as many retailers. A boost to sales is their idea.

JackyB Wed 21-Feb-18 11:39:22

Having lived in Europe for 40 years, I am forced to think in metric. But so many things are 30 cm (a foot) or 2.5 cm (an inch) I still think they are very arbitrary measurements, and the imperial ones are more natural and occur far more often in life.

Fortunately, we did both at school, and in science I'm pretty sure we measured in ml and grams.

One thing I have never worked out though is how tall I am in metres and cm. I have to convert that every time. I know I'm 5' 5" but can never remember what it is in metres.

And there we have yet another case where nature dictates us to use imperial: a tall man is over 6' - a man over 2m is VERY tall! The 6 foot mark seems a far more sensible benchmark.

grannyinmypocket Wed 21-Feb-18 11:37:09

I was talking to someone the other day , we were talking about being overweight for our height, I said I was 4ft10in , she said she was 4ft13 in??

Greciangirl Wed 21-Feb-18 11:21:59

I absolutely dislike metric measurements, although obviously I have to use them. But I always veer towards imperial when I can.
Centimetres and millimetres confuse me and I'm never sure even looking at a tape measure that I've got it right.
You know where you are with feet and inches.
I wish the powers that be would leave things alone.
We were perfectly happy with the old system.

schnackie Wed 21-Feb-18 10:51:37

I think it's whatever you actually have to use. I still think of everything in Imperial, but as a nurse I was forced to use the 24 hour clock, so that is easy for me now, and I also worked with babies, so I will always know that 454 grams equals a pound. (Very handy visualising at the butchers, lol). But telling me that an adult weighs 64 kg and I have no point of reference!