Question for Londoners

[zdas04]

I saw the attached sign in London today. I understand why the 3/4 mile (it still makes me smile), but does "20 tons" mean short tons, long tons, or metric tonnes?

David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering

"Belief" is the acceptance of an hypotheses in the absence of data.
"Prejudice" is having an opinion not supported by the preponderance of the data.
"Knowledge" is only found through the accumulation and analysis of data.

 

[SomptingGuy]

You can buy some canned beers in the mysterious size of 586ml, with the word "pint" implied.

- Steve

 

[dgallup]

The "fifth" is long gone in the USA. All wine and spirits have been sold in various milliliter and liter volumes for decades. Most common is the 750 ml bottle but there are lots of variations.

I remember my father becoming nearly apoplectic when the fifth was replaced by the 750 ml bottle because the cost stayed the same but the volume was 0.9% less.



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The Help for this program was created in Windows Help format, which depends on a feature that isn't included in this version of Windows.

 

[SomptingGuy]

Aha! That explains all those mentions of "a fifth" in Charles Bucowski's books. A unit of booze I wasn't familiar with.

- Steve

 

[zdas04]

dgallup,
Your father didn't happen to be an engineer did he?

David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering

"Belief" is the acceptance of an hypotheses in the absence of data.
"Prejudice" is having an opinion not supported by the preponderance of the data.
"Knowledge" is only found through the accumulation and analysis of data.

 

[cswilson]

A dozen years ago, I won $5000 on a game show because I knew what a "dram" was. Who says the traditional units don't come in handy sometimes?

 

[hokie66]

Thanks for correcting me on that, dgallup. My mention above of spirits in fifths and pints was from memory...shows how old I am. Now that I think of it, all the liquor in duty free shops seems to be in litre and 1.1 litre bottles. A "bottle" of wine is 750 ml.

 

[KENAT]

zdas, the UK isn't exactly a 'hardcore SI location'.

Sure, much more so than the US but still very mixed.

Posting guidelines faq731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[dgallup]

Canadian duty free shops (going into Canada) have special 1.14 liter bottles, that's the rough equivalent on an Imperial Quart, the legal limit per person.

My favorite obscure unit is the miners inch which is actually a unit of flow rate and varies by local statute.

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The Help for this program was created in Windows Help format, which depends on a feature that isn't included in this version of Windows.

 

[Latexman]

An erg is the amont of energy for a fly to do a push-up.

Good luck,
Latexman

 

[Pud]

obscure unit is the miners inch

When I wus an apprentice, the patternmakers* all had their own rule - graduated in shrinkage inches (for cast iron, of course) to make the wood patterns to. Who does that nowadays?

* people who made the wooden models of the part to be made in cast iron. Involved sand and stuff...

www.tynevalleyplastics.co.uk

Why be happy when you can be normal?