In this fight, i have to side with metric. Not just because i grew up in a society that uses the metric system but it just makes more sense.
100cm - 1m vs 12 in - 1 foot. Why count everything in strange increments, it makes more sense to count things in 10s and 100s.
The Imperial stystem is mostly just ceremonial. With modern man now using the metric system there is sometimes a need to remember what the old units of measurement were, the common and not so common.
The UK table should really be the English table as some very old measurements were slightly different in Scotland, Ireland or Wales.
The metric conversions shown are approximate, see the main tables for accurate factors.
Imperial - UK Units of Length
1 inch ( in. or " ) = about the width of a thumb = 25.4 mm
12 inches ( ins.) = 1 foot about the length of a size 10 shoe = 305 mm
3 feet ( ft. ) = 1 yard about from nose to stretched finger = 0.91 m
1760 yards (yds) = 1 mile ( m ) about 15 minutes walking = 1.61 km
Less common units
25 links = 1 rod for measuring land = 5m
4 rod or perch = 1 chain ( ch ) surveying; length of a cricket pitch = 20m
10 chains = 1 furlong ( fg ) length of a furrow; horse racing = 200m
8 furlongs = 1 mile ( m ) = 1610m
Imperial - UK units of Area
144 square inch (sq.in) = 1 sq.foot about a paper napkin = 0.093 m2
9 square feet ( sq.ft) = 1 sq.yard about the size of a card table = 0.84 m2
4840 sq.yards (sq.yds) = 1 acre about a football pitch = 4047 m2
Less common units
30 1/4 sq.yds = 1 pole (P) also called a square pole = 25.3 m2
40 poles = 1 rood (R) = 1012 m2
4 roods = 1 acre = 0.4 hectare
Imperial - UK units of Mass or Weight
16 drams ( dr ) = 1 ounce a tablespoon of sugar = 28 grams
16 ounces ( ozs.) = 1 pound a bag of sugar = 0.45 kg
14 pounds ( lbs) = 1 stone used in body weight = 6.35 kg
2 stone = 1 quarter less common unit = 12.7 kg
4 quarters = 1 hundredweight = 112 lb; bag of cement. = 50.8 kg
20 hundredweight (cwt) = 1 ton = 2240 lb.; about 14 men = 1.016 tonne
Imperial - UK units of Capacity
5 fluid ounces = 1 gill = 142 ml
20 fluid ounces = 1 pint an english beer = 568 ml
2 pints( pts.) = 1 quart a german beer = 1.1 L
4 quarts ( qrt ) = 1 gallon a large can of paint, maybe = 4.546 L
less common units
2 gallons ( gals ) = 1 peck 'pick a peck of pickled pepper' = 9.1 L
4 pecks = 1 bushel = 8 gals; bulk food measure = 36.4 L
Note:- In USA 16 fluid ounces = 1 pint = 0.473 litre and US gallon = 3.785 litre
Imperial - UK units of Volume
1728 cubic inches = 1 cu.foot cu.in to cu.ft = 0.028 m3
27 cubic feet = 1 cu.yard cu.yd. = 0.76 m3
Imperial - UK units, coins and notes of Old Money, pre Feb 1971
2 farthings = 1 halfpenny pronounced 'hapepenny' = 0.208p
4 farthings = 1 penny ( d ) Latin - denarius = 0.417p
3 pennies = 1 threepenny bit used to be 'silver', then bronze = 1.25p
6 pennies = 1 sixpenny piece first coin in nickel = 2.5p
12 pennies = 1 shilling ( s ) a bob as in 'bob a job' = 5p
2 shillings = 1 florin a tenth of a pound = metric! = 10p
2s - 6p = 1 half crown biggest coin in regular use = 12.5p
10 shillings = 1 ten 'bob' note first in paper money = 50p
20 shillings = 1 pound note (quid) also £5 and £10 notes = £1
less common units
5 shillings = 1 crown = 25p
21 shillings = 1 guinea to buy horses = £1.05
4 pennies = 1 groat 13th centuary coin = 1.7p
£ s d or L s d is a term for pounds, shillings and pence
Imperial - UK - US and current metric units of Time
60 seconds ( secs, " ) = 1 minute There are proposals for decimalised time with a day devided into 10, 100, 1000, etc.
60 minutes ( mins, ' ) = 1 hour
24 hours ( hrs ) = 1 day
7 days ( d ) = 1 week ( wk )
28, 29, 30 or 31 days = 1 month
12 months ( m ) = 1 year
10 years ( y ) = 1 decade
1000 years = 1 millenium
Personally I think that metric makes more sense, but I still like to use imperial. I would much rather say that I am 5' 8" then saying that I am 1.725168 m. On the other hand I don't say we were driving 60 MPH I say 100 KMH. I guess, yeah I like metric better but there is no need to get rid of imperial.
Like previously mentioned, imperial is useful for certain things like height or time where we've just grown accustomed to working in certain numbers. But for most things, metric is key.
When it comes to Math I find the Metric system to be much more easier for me. Mostly because you only have to use the 'King Henry Died By Drinking Chocolate Milk' and then loop over it with your pencils and count by 10's, 100's, 1,000's and so on.
I think I'd do better if Metric were my key measurement, but for now I'm just stuck with the United States standard measurement key.
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Like the yard thing.
