Feet and inches!!!

Most of us of a more mature age were taught in feet and inches so tend to prefer that - we can, and do, use metric. It is easy enough to convert to whichever method you prefer so I really don't see what the problem is.

My grandchildren are amazed when Mr LD talks about feet, inches, pounds, ounces or Fahrenheit. They laugh at his idiosyncrasies. At least we no longer talk about ten bob notes. We are stuck with a dual system but they shouldn't be.

Given that we are moving into the last decades of our lives and that at least two younger generations have used the metric system all their lives, it would be deeply unreasonable to expect them to cope with pounds and ounces, pints and quarts, etc.

If there ever turns out to be any sort of trade deal with any European country – and quite a few others – it would be a troublesome and expensive business to work in both imperial and metric measurements.

I still think in feet and inches, pounds and ounces. Prices on the market fruit and veg stalls are for metric weights, but I still ask for a pound of whatever I need, and they still do it without question.

I know that our sitting room was 6" too wide for a 4 metre wide carpet ……..

When are the estate agents going to finally enter the 21st century kicking and screaming by actually no longer using such dimensions as, 18 feet, 19 and three quarter inches
Our local estate agents use either just metric or metric first then imperial in brackets afterwards.

TheArk was measured in cubits.
watermeadow
There is a short cubit and a long cubit so it's a moot point!
Using the Great Pyramid data, it is 25.0265" to be exact
Or it could have been 18"
Sorry - approximately 64 cms or 46cms (ish)

Don’t do metres or grams , the most I can do is change cms to inches with a calculator,

TheArk was measured in cubits.
Like many old people I can’t visualise metric measurements. I could make a cake without scales because I know what 4oz butter looks like. I know how long it takes me to walk a mile. We all know that a 6lb baby is small and a 10 pounder is big.
Americans use imperial but seem to prefer small units, like “First 100 days” and weigh themselves in pounds.
I get mad at “65 pee” as we don’t have a coin called a pee, it’s a Penny.

BlueBelle exactly!
I was buying a dress for a 9 yr old. I looked first by age, not very accurate but a guide.
Then by height, ft and inches but actually just inches.
Then by chest measurement, cms.
I didn't have the child with me at the time but I still managed and the garment fitted. Victory!

Perhaps the fact that most of us on here use both to some degree puts us in the modern intelligent bracket not ‘out of the ark’ as Evians suggests a bit like being bi lingual and perhaps it’s those that only think one way that are really the dinosaurs ?

Yes me too Kitty & N&G I just can't visualise metric measurements but use both where necessary. I still can't get my head around bra sizing in France.

Thank you Petra
Definitely food for thought there.....

I totally agree Kitty I can use metres but I visualise in feet and inches, pints and fl ozs and lbs and ozs.

It's like speaking another language. I'm sure it must be good for our brains to work in more than one currency.
I was about to start a thread about still living in the 1970s when it comes to prices.
When out for coffee & cake and the price is over £12 for two or we could have bought a house for the equivalent of 2 months rent nowadays, I realise I am too old to change perceptions now.
The worst are IMO baby weights and shoe sizes.
8lb bouncing baby please not 3 point something kg.
I take a size 5 not 38.
I like feet and inches because you can pace it out. My ruler and tape measure give both metric and imperial.
6 inches is a span from thumb tip to pinkie tip. An inch is from finger tip to first joint.

It's all human scale.

I left the UK in 1973, not long after decimalisation and still have trouble with the "new" coinage when I am back there. But then we introduced the Euro in 2001 and I still have to look at those "new" coins to see what their value is.

When I was teaching the metric system made it far easier when learning the times tables. We only needed to go up to 10 - no more 12x and 16x.
I work in metric because I lived abroad for so long.

We seem to muddle along using a combination of imperial and metric, I don't really notice.
The European Commission announced it was dropping its attempts to bring the UK into line with the rest of the EU over 10 years ago.
Beer and Cider is still sold in pints although spirits are metric, so is milk.
I buy fabric in metres but if altering a garment I think in inches.
Youngsters are taught in metric but still use imperial, hockey pitch is 100 x 60 yards, penalty kick is 12 yards from the goal line, I'm sure if asked the height of someone they'd be more inclined to say 6ft.
Cannabis is typically sold in ounces while cocaine is packaged in grams.
I tend to think of some items by size/look now rather than weight, e.g. a packet of butter, a small, medium or large bottle of milk (no idea how many litres I'm buying), a bag of flour etc.

I tend to use both but it depends on the situation. I cook in metric now though unless I use an older recipe and also with sewing and knitting but my weight remains in imperial!!!

I always use feet and inches.

I still prefer imperial measurements just can’t envisage metric measurements.

Perhaps you should re-think your plans. Why would you want to return to this terrible backwards country.
It's a wonder that we've given the world so much in so many fields when really, we are just a bunch of Neanderthals.

Still use feet and inches yards
Ounces and pounds.

It is not a problem if something has to be measured or weighed in metric.
However I can only 'visualize' in imperial.

Our roads are still in miles and speedometers measure in MPH

I think its a generational thing, my children and grandchildren use only metric weight and measurement.

However My daughter still weighs herself in stones.

I still happily use feet and inches and also miles I weigh myself stones and pounds My measurements of my body is 36” 24” 36” (hahahaha) and I know I m 5ft 6in I buy my bottles of drink in litres but would have half a pint in the pub I cook in both and I know the temperature in both but predominantly use centigrade now (although I still convert to Fah in my mind)
I barely remember pounds shillings and pence
I m a mixed up girl but I like it that way

It’s nothing to do with the ark it’s a preference, they use pounds to weigh in US and miles to drive in, they use Fahenhite for temperature
Hardly a backward continent Evisners

Since our major trading partners are and still will be European, and most countries use the metric system, it would be very silly to go back to non- metric measurements. Imagine if you were a company making car components and you had to have machine tools in both metric and imperial....
I remember when we went over to decimal currency and some people complained. And I remember having to learn all sorts of complicated linear measurement- 12 inches to a foot, three feet to a yard, then chains and furlongs and all those complicated things!

Cannot visualise metric measurements. Always convert to feet and inches. See, we aren’t supposed to be in Europe!!