Old money,New money

[Shedendman]

Not so much money,but more about measurements.
Having a pint in the local today(just the one mind),the topic got onto want we did at school in our tech classes ie metalwork/woodwork/TD,anyway when we came onto measurement one guy said he was taught in imperial(old money) wheres i was taught in metric(new money),when i asked his age he said 41,now i'm 47 and if i remember back then old money was never used just metric,got a few of us puzzled seeing as one of the group was in his 50's and when he went to college back in the early 70's he was on metric to,this guy at 41 was no bull****** as he could rattle off fractions like no ones busniess.
Anyone else within this age group taught in old money at skool?
Just one thing,he went to a school in kent wheres i went to one in hertfordshire(well,sometimes,LOL)

 

[chunkolini]

I think I was taught imperial measurements, or was I?
I converted myself to metric making kites a youth, I am 48.

Is that old?

Chunko'.

 

[Rick]

I'm young so everything was metric, I use both though. More in mm these days, as the young lad who works for me always uses metric. But if I talk to somebody older they tend to use inches.

When I'm measureing something if its exactly 1/2/3 foot i'd always say that, or if it falls exactly at 1 inch or something. If it goes intro fractions I usually go to the other side of the tape.

Same with weight really, parent's/grandparents always used stones lb's but i'm slowly converting myself to KG's to weigh myself.

 

[rtbcomp]

The 70s was when metrification was being introduced. I remember seeing a symbol like a key with a Union Jack attached to it on our circuit diagrams.

IIRC correctly we used metric weights & meaures in science, but imperial in woodwork & metalwork. That would have been circa 1960.

 

[Shedendman]

I think I was taught imperial measurements, or was I?
I converted myself to metric making kites a youth, I am 48.

Is that old?

Chunko'.

I'm 47 and was told the other day i'm a dinosaur so yes your old


See i cant do imperial has to be metric,unless i miss those classes

 

[Metalkoi]

I am 43 and was taught in imperial in woodwork and metalwork

 

[scott0031]

Always a good subject this one....................... Well I'm early 40s and i was taught both. I think it really comes downs to the persons working background.

My years at college were all taught in metric with the theory side. Then you would go into the workshop and the instructor would give you a project all dimensioned in English using English bar stock etc................ so a bit of an oddity. The ideal was we were taught metric but in real terms English was what we had to work with. Imperial machine tools, cutters, bar stock, drawings.


Where i learnt my trade it was exactly the same. All existing drawing were in English, anything new coming out the drawing office would be metric. In The tool room. Oh look! Some English machines some metric! All tool steels English................ all Mild steel English.......... cutters and tooling English.

I'm like rick though i will use what ever measuring system fits the bill for the job in hand. I cant say i know all fractions off by heart, but have a good grasp of the ones used most.

This one always gets me though. The EU saying we have to comply with weights and measures to metric.................. But they let Eu member states produce steel and other materials in English still........... me thinks its more about money than the metric ideal!


Kind regards,


Scott (ward eng)

 

[Shedendman]

nice post scott so right to with the end comment.
I still cant do old money though,always wondered why i was in a class on me own

 

[Fazed]

I'm 40 (near as dammit) and use both metric and imperial, and was taught both at school.
I worked at an agricultural engineers a couple of years back and had the boss's son working with me. He was supposed to be doing some engineering course at college on day release, but I still had to teach him to read a tape measure.
He couldn't tell me how many 8ths there were in an inch

 

[piman]

Hello all,

I'm much like Rick in using both measurements, although I was only taught imperial, and convert common fractions to decimal quite readily. (and I remember what a guinea is)

While the metric system is lauded for it's ease of calculation being based on ten, it is easy to get decimal points misplaced when doing calculations and hence mistakes can be made as they are not as obvious as with imperial.

Alec

 

[Shedendman]

your age piman,if its ok to ask lol

 

[malcolm]

I used to make model aeroplanes as a kid. All the materials were sold in imperial so it made sense to design in imperial. Once you get familiar with it all the units seem a handy size.

These days I do all design work in SI units (metric), but when estimating dimensions with other people I still tend to mix and match units. Much easier to say "about half an inch" than "somewhere between 11mm and 14mm". Imperial measurements somehow allow for tolerance more easily, but that's probably because everything is still sold in imperial sizes.

 

[Omniata]

I have to agree with you there Malcolm...

I was taught metric, not a mention of imperial, but sometimes I do find it so much easier working with the imperial system...

I do find fluid measurements much easier on maths, eg: 1 gallon as opposed to 4.5 litres, there's a hint there Chunko

I'm only 30 but hell, what needs must...

 

[scott0031]

Hello all,

While the metric system is lauded for it's ease of calculation being based on ten, it is easy to get decimal points misplaced when doing calculations and hence mistakes can be made as they are not as obvious as with imperial.

Alec

That's as broad as it is long. English and metric are still decimal based on ten. or a whole number. To measure anything accurately you still need to convert the English fraction into English decimal. All other measuring instruments use English as a decimal The only bit of kit that's uses a fraction is a tape measure or rule.(that i can think off the top of my head) The only difference is the physical unit of length it measures. Mistakes can still be made with either.

The thing here is, a fraction is actually neither English or metric. Its a fraction if you see my point. We relate fractions to the English unit of measurement as that's what we have been taught. When there would be nothing incorrect in using the metric units as fraction.

For example: You could use 10MM (or any unit you choose) as the base unit of 1.

1= 10mm
3/4=7.5mm
1/2 =5mm
1/4=2.5mm

It is really only the way we have been taught, but using fractions with imperial or metric unit is still correct.


King regards,


Scott (ward eng)

 

[Robotstar5]

Only used metric at school (71-76) for tech. drawing & woodwork. These days I'm like some of the other posters and use whatever is most convenient, even been known to measure 46" and a couple of mm as I don't do fractions!

 

[W4yne]

Not so much money,but more about measurements.
Having a pint in the local today(just the one mind),the topic got onto want we did at school in our tech classes ie metalwork/woodwork/TD,anyway when we came onto measurement one guy said he was taught in imperial(old money) wheres i was taught in metric(new money),when i asked his age he said 41,now i'm 47 and if i remember back then old money was never used just metric,got a few of us puzzled seeing as one of the group was in his 50's and when he went to college back in the early 70's he was on metric to,this guy at 41 was no bull****** as he could rattle off fractions like no ones busniess.
Anyone else within this age group taught in old money at skool?
Just one thing,he went to a school in kent wheres i went to one in hertfordshire(well,sometimes,LOL)

We were taught in Imperial up until 1971 when it was all change, I left school in 1974. I always remember thinking going decimalization would be great as a mars bar then cost 6d- a tanner! but under the new currency it would only cost 2.5p LOL Derrrr!

Napoleon Bonapart has a lot to answer for. Blame him it was his fault for metric.

 

[Rudi McAnichal]

If young folk cannot work with both millimetres and inches, how on earth do they choose car tyres?

 

[Rick]

If young folk cannot work with both millimetres and inches, how on earth do they choose car tyres?

I don't think it matters to be honest. You just buy the same as already fitted

Although I run 235's on 5.5" wheels. And on my other car 245's on 9" wheels. Its not because I got it wrong though

Another thing I always laugh at is 1" pipe and 2" pipe etc always comes in 6 meter lengths.

 

[Shedendman]

and you dont get 8x4x3/4 inch sheets anymore..............but we still ask for it

 

[Paul.]

The aluminium industry hasn't caught up fully yet, sheets are now in metric sizes, but bars and tubes, angles etc are still imperial. the weights are listed in kg, so a 2" x 2" x 1/4" angle is .43kg.
The metric / imperial thing never bothered me, I adapt to whatever measurements are suitable for the job, I do a fair bit of work on machines from the US, all made from imperial sized materials, held together with imperial bolts.
one thing I cant get my head round though is fuel economy figures, miles per gallon I can relate to, but litres per 100 km, means nothing.