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Every country in the world (including the USA in a limited scope) uses the metric system. But, of course, other systems of measurement preceded metrication. But to what extent are traditional units employed in different countries around the world? I assume that traditional units are still used in some informal fashion throughout the world, varying by country according to their history and how recently they went metric.
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Originally Posted by ProtoStrata
Every country in the world (including the USA in a limited scope) uses the metric system. But, of course, other systems of measurement preceded metrication. But to what extent are traditional units employed in different countries around the world? I assume that traditional units are still used in some informal fashion throughout the world, varying by country according to their history and how recently they went metric.
The Anglosphere countries tend to use more of a mixture of the British Imperial System and French Metric System.
Quote:
The system of imperial units or the imperial system (also known as British Imperial or Exchequer Standards of 1825) is the system of units first defined in the British Weights and Measures Act of 1824, which was later refined and reduced. The Imperial units replaced the Winchester Standards, which were in effect from 1588 to 1825
The Metric system originally based on the mètre des Archives and the kilogramme des Archives introduced by the French First Republic in 1799,but over the years the definitions of the metre and the kilogram have been refined, and the metric system has been extended to incorporate many more units.
distances are offically measured in km in ireland but informally miles are used , it would be rare for an average person to say dublin is 250 km from cork etc
land area is quoted in acres but occasionally in hectares in a formal sense , both are understood however
a persons height is quoted in feet and inches , never in metres or cm so we are imperial in this sense
in terms of weight , we use imperial though a dog or a horse or a cow would be described in kg ,unlike mainland europeans , we say someone is 12 stone 6 pounds etc ,a baby was born weighing 8 pounds etc , unlike americans , we never refer to a person as weighing 200 pounds , that makes someone sound like they weigh the same as a very small car !
weather , we are metric , no farenheitt here
to conclude , we use a mish mash of metric and imperial
In the US, standard/imperial is dominant but metric is used and understood a lot. Distances are usually in miles but we have running events which are 5k and 10k. Some things like soda pop are measured in 12 cans and 16 ounce bottles but larger sizes are 1 and 2 liter bottles. Wine is measured by the liter. All medication is metric as is everything else that's science based.
In Arizona south of Phoenix, distances are in kilometers, not miles.
Canada is probably a really interesting case study. It switched over from imperial to metric in the 70s or 80s, and most of the population seems to be comfortable only using a combination of the two. Not just one. For example, people will tell you their height in feet and inches, but have no idea what they are driving in miles per hour. Just km/h. It's kind of strange. I met an alleged Canadian nurse in Nepal two years ago who genuinely didn't know if we used metric or imperial. We'll probably continue to transition like this for a few more decades to come.
China uses the Jin for weight, it's maybe 8-9/10ths of a pound. Actually I've discovered China uses a strange mix of metric/imperial/traditional measurements.
Here in the US, Imperial is still the major measurement system, but metric is widely used in retail and anything scientific. Most drinks are sold by liter, except milk some reason. Car engines are in liters and no longer in cubic inches. Soccer fields are now 100 meters and not 100 yards. Track and field is moving to KM and M, but there are still races in miles and feet. Medication is all metric. Most retail items have pounds and grams/KG.
Eventually the US will convert to metric, maybe with the exception of speed limit signs.
I've been hearing British people use the weight measurement "stone" every now and then for much of my life, but I have no idea how much it represents in pounds or kilos. (Both of which I do understand.)
I've been hearing British people use the weight measurement "stone" every now and then for much of my life, but I have no idea how much it represents in pounds or kilos. (Both of which I do understand.)
LOL...you could end you misery and look it up
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