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15 June 2008

Measuring Up #1

I've been doing a bit of reading about measurement, and it's surprisingly interesting.

The metric system, for instance. Did you know there are only three countries in the world who haven't adopted the metric system? Liberia, Burma and the United States of America. What excellent company the US keeps.

Let's take a look at the battle of the measurments, Imperial vs Metric.

1 litre of liquid weighs 1 kilo. 78.9382 litres is 78.9382 kilos. This seems sensible.

But in America...

1 pint of liquid weighs 1.0431758 pounds. You want to tell me how much 78.9382 pints weighs without using a calculator?

Obviously not the best example of the many benefits of the Imperial measurement system. Let's try distance.

There are 1000 millimetres in a metre. 1000 metres in a kilometre.

And 12 inches in a foot. And 33/50 feet in a link. And 25 links in a rod. And 4 rods in a chain. And 80 chains in a mile.

Totally makes sense.

Senator Obama, if you're reading this (which I know you are), you might want to consider a bit of a rethink on the whole measuring-stuff front.

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