We take a look at the past year on Metric Views and speculate about what the future holds.
Rio 2016, a showcase for the metric system
As 2016 draws to a close, we look at one of the institutions that benefits from an international and universal measurement system – the Olympic Games.
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Imperial on the surface, metric beneath
Following on from his article about the far-reaching influence of the measurement units used on road traffic signs, Ronnie Cohen now takes a look at the signs themselves and the roads they complement.
The influence of traffic signs goes way beyond transport
During the past few weeks, there have been many news stories about the removal or modification of certain metric traffic signs by an elderly gent from Huntingdon and his friends. Their inability to see beyond the narrow remit they have set themselves has become very clear. In this article, Ronnie Cohen puts forward a contrary view.
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Education matters
The benefit for education is an important but often ignored reason for completing the UK’s metric changeover. Metric Views welcomes a new report that has recently appeared on the subject, entitled “Metrication in education”. Our article includes a link to download the report. Continue reading “Education matters”
Isolationist thinking behind Trump and Vote Leave
UKMA did not takes sides in the EU referendum campaign – the UK would have to do business with a world that is predominantly metric whatever the outcome. However, one of our regular contributors, Ronnie Cohen, detects a theme of isolationism in pronouncements by both Trump and Vote Leave. Here is his personal viewpoint.
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Quirks of US Customary Units
Some would argue that the decline of manufacturing industry in the USA contributed to Mr Trump’s surprising victory in the Presidential election*. Others might say that manufacturing’s decline was due in part to the tardy adoption of the international system of measures. Here we look at some of the quirks of ‘English measures’, a throw back to the USA’s colonial past and still widely used in America today.
Imperial habits die hard
The attention of Metric Views has been drawn to a question appearing in the ‘Problems solved’ section of the November edition of Which? magazine. It relates to washing powder weights and volumes.
Could London bus accident have been prevented?
This weekend we heard the sad news that 26 people were injured when a double-deck bus hit a low bridge in Tottenham, north London. But could this accident have been prevented?
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How can people’s behaviour be changed?
One of our regular contributors, Phil Hall, looks at the success of the recently-introduced plastic bag charge in England, and asks if there are lessons for the completion of the UK’s stalled metric changeover.
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