>BTW, I always assumed that British cars used metric markings - kilometers,
>liters, etc., but have recently seen something that makes me think
>otherwise.... What's the story here? Thanks....
We are slowly moving over to metric (Europe and all that). I was born in '74
and was taught purely metric at school.
A law has just been passed making it illegal to advertise prices for food
etc in imperial only. Usually the shop shows just metric or both. Different
things have moved over easily, whereas others are stuck with traditional
imperial. ie: Petrol used to be gallons, but is now priced and sold in
litres. No problems with that, but we still use miles for distance and
'miles per gallon' for fuel economy. Food is pounds as well as kilos, but
rapidly moving to kg only. Persons weight is stone or kg. Length tends to be
metres and mm now for eg: a plank of wood, but we tend to use feet and
inches when estimating (or bragging!!). Clothes are still sold in inches.
I think the main difference with the states is that you guys use gallons for
volume and pounds for weight "in the blue corner, weighing in at 300
pounds...".
I always have trouble with that. Stone I understand...12 stone = heavy, 16
stone = fat bastard ....but 300 pounds...erm....let me see...how many pounds
in a stone? 14? 16?......oh just give it to me in tons (or tonnes)!
Whilst I prefer metric and see the ease of it compared to remembering all
the odd numbers in imperial, I just can't handle driving in kph....it's just
so......French!
Scott
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