How are speedometers designed to accommodate the change from mph to km/h? In this article I will examine a variety of techniques and at the end of the article I will propose a 21st Century solution.
Continue reading “Speedometers and Metrication”20 years of metric speed limits in Ireland
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the metrication of speed limits in the Republic of Ireland. 20 January 2005 was the day that all speed limits in Ireland switched from mph to km/h.
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Does the Traffic Signs Manual promote the illegal use of imperial-only vehicle restriction signs?
Eight years after the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD) were updated to require all new vehicle restriction signs to show vehicle width and height restrictions in both metric and imperial units, the Department for Transport’s Traffic Signs Manual (TSM) has still not been fully updated to take account of the fact that new imperial-only vehicle restriction signs are no longer authorised.
The case for Mondopoint shoe sizes
Mondopoint is a footwear sizing system based on the foot length and linear width of the foot and is measured in millimetres. It is part of ISO standard 9407:2019, which describes the specification for Mondopoint system of sizing and marking. 1 It has the potential to replace various mutually incompatible shoe sizing systems used in different countries. Most of these systems use arbitrary numbers that do not relate to anything obvious. Even worse, different sizing systems are often used for men, women and children.
Continue reading “The case for Mondopoint shoe sizes”Official thinking on dual unit road signs in the 1960’s
HM Government looked at the case for and against the use of dual unit road signs as an intermediate step in the metrication of road signs in the second half of the 1960’s. Three different methods for dual unit sign conversion were evaluated and some technical issues related to dual unit signs were discussed. The findings and illustrations from the National Archive papers are presented here.
Continue reading “Official thinking on dual unit road signs in the 1960’s”Was the 1824 Weights and Measures Act a help or a hindrance for metrication?
The 1824 Weights and Measures Act introduced imperial standards based on physical objects with certain characteristics, such as the Imperial Standard Yard, and a single set of volume measures based on the new Imperial Gallon for dry and liquid measures to replace several that were in existence. To mark 200 years since the passing of the 1824 Weights and Measures Act, I look at the main features of the Act and ask whether it was a help or a hindrance on the path to metrication in the UK.
Continue reading “Was the 1824 Weights and Measures Act a help or a hindrance for metrication?”What has changed since VBM was published?
Twenty years have passed since the UK Metric Association published “A Very British Mess” (VBM). To mark the twentieth anniversary of the publication of VBM, I look at what has changed since its publication in 2004.
Continue reading “What has changed since VBM was published?”Is that really one kilogram?
When a retailer weighs out his product in front of the customer, can the customer trust the scales? It is usually up to local government to certify the accuracy of such scales, though in recent years, certification of measuring devices within much of the world has been privatised with various countries’ national laboratories overseeing the certification process.
Continue reading “Is that really one kilogram?”The health benefits of switching to metric beer sizes
This week saw the publication of research into the effects of reducing the standard serving size of draught beer in the UK.
The University of Cambridge study was described by its leader as being “the first real-world study to look at this”. It shows that reducing the current standard beer glass size in bars, pubs and restaurants from the current pint (568 ml) size has the potential to reduce the total amount of alcohol consumed in the UK, and should be given consideration as part of the Government’s fight to reduce the effects of alcohol consumption on health.
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Why are inches used in legislation and guidance on offensive weapons?
The Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) (Amendment, Surrender and Compensation) Order 2024 is a Statutory Instrument that was made on 30 April 2024 to tackle knife crime. Parts 1 and 3 of it came into force on 26 June 2024, Part 4 came into force on 26 August 2024 and Part 2 will come into force on 24 September 2024. Part 2 contains two references to measurement. One refers to the length of a weapon’s blade and the other refers to the distance of the serrated cutting edge from a blade’s handle. And they are both in inches.
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Metric Views 