Imperial/Metric

[Western SMT]

Years ago there were many screw thread and spanner sizes, Whitworth, BSF, AF etc then some bright spark introduced metric as well just to confuse us and bulk out our toolboxes.

http://www.vars.freewire.co.uk/tech/charts/spanners.htm

http://www.boltscience.com/pages/screw1.htm

Another long forgotten problem was hitching up a trailer with a 2” coupling to a vehicle with a 50mm tow ball.

Any Imperial v’s Metric stories

[G-CPTN]

Another long forgotten problem was hitching up a trailer with a 2” coupling to a vehicle with a 50mm tow ball.
Indeed - one way you risked losing the trailer, the other you couldn't get the trailer unhitched . . .
I believe the metric ball has a flat on top, but I don't know of any obvious identification on the 'socket'.

Any Imperial v’s Metric stories
Just the one about the (maybe apochryphal) factory in Ireland where the clocking-in clocks were installed a couple of feet above eye level due to confusion between imperial and metric dimensions on the installation drawings

Though there is the space shot that went wrong because the calculations were done in the wrong system.

[Bobjork]

The onlyu metric/imperial type of stories I know are from the swedish railway.
But then it was not metric but the old swedish system. So they sometimes used "imperial" feet instead of swedish. And such things. But I dont know any modern stories. But here we always use metric. (But for some reason some nuts in my Volvo are som strange non metric measurement. (american I think))

The metric system is taking over. Inch by inch!

[Western SMT]

The metric system is taking over. Inch by inch!

Nice one Bobjork


Found this photo

http://www.mconie.com/sam/qdig/?Qwd=./Noel&Qif=NBN%2001%20Imperial%20metric%20confusion.jpg&Qiv=num&Qis=L


Vehicles are advertised as capable of doing xx miles to the gallon yet fuel is sold in litres.

[Ian]

....and charged per litre so 1p on a litre = 4.5p a gallon we're ripped off at every turn.

Ian

[G-CPTN]

Having landed in Helsingborg in Sweden (before the bridge was built) I proceeded to drive north (over snow-packed roads) heading for Stockholm.
I stopped after a while to ask how far I still had to go and was told '10 miles'.
I hadn't realised that Sweden used miles, but I was even more confused when I hadn't reached my destination after 10 miles. I later discovered that Swedish miles are 10 kilometers long . . .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_mil

[Western SMT]

I know it's the Truck and Bus forum but is worthy of a mention in this thread.

http://www.wadenelson.com/gimli.html

Same story wikipedia style
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider

[Bobjork]

I now remember an episode when our school was in London. We asked for the way to some museum and were told to go "200 meters" in that direction. We walked and walked... and we found the museum. More like 2000m (2km)...

[Ian]

Re:- Gimli Glider thanks for the link Western SMT

Ian

[dmackay]

I know it's the Truck and Bus forum but is worthy of a mention in this thread.

http://www.wadenelson.com/gimli.html

Same story wikipedia style
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider

Great story Western SMT keep em coming ;)

[Western SMT]

Though there is the space shot that went wrong because the calculations were done in the wrong system.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Climate_Orbiter

[Western SMT]

It seems the mistrust of the metric system dates back to 1791, when the British Government declined France’s invitation to join in establishing an international system devised by the Paris Academy of Sciences. It took until 1897 for Parliament to legalise the use of metric measures in trade and commerce.