UKMA has recently acquired two pamphlets from the 1970s Australian metric conversion programme. One about the switchover to metric units for weather reports, and one about the switchover for motoring.
Category: Media
300 million gallons and other dam(n) measurement units
In 2019, readers could be forgiven for having no idea what 300 million gallons of water looks like.
In a recent BBC news article about the Toddbrook Reservoir in Derbyshire, it was reported that, following storm damage, the dam was in danger of collapse with the potential of releasing 300 million gallons of water onto the nearby town of Whaley Bridge.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-49189955
In 2019, readers could be forgiven for having no idea what 300 million gallons of water looks like.
Continue reading “300 million gallons and other dam(n) measurement units”
Is perfect the enemy of good?
Recent experience in France and Greece and a comment last week by Charlie P on this site has prompted us to ask if it would be better if supporters of metric measures were less pedantic.
Imperial echoes in GBBO
A headline in The Independent caused us cause for concern, if only briefly.
Style guide revisited
The Measurements units style guide, published by UKMA in 2012, is now available on line with an index. In this article, we outline the purpose of the Guide and note recent enhancements.
Carry on muddling
In these uncertain times, politicians are often keen to point out areas where Britain leads the world. We have a suggestion: creating a measurement muddle. Examples follow.
cm versus mm
As the UK’s metric changeover drags on with no end in sight, we consider if the advantages of encouraging widespread use of the centimetre outweigh the risks.
An Imperial Royal baby
Our post on 23 April reported briefly on that day’s addition to the Royal family. John Frewen-Lord, one of our regular contributors, now discusses some related issues.
A lesson from Sweden
We do not suggest that the UK should switch from driving on the left to driving on the right, but we ask if there are lessons from Sweden’s switch in 1967 that might be applied to the oft-postponed changeover of UK’s road traffic signs to metric.
Autumn watched
UKMA has received a message from a viewer of BBC’s ‘Autumn Watch’. This article includes the message and the response.
Metric Views 