[USMA:10901] Office Depot Products for US/Canada
Here is an interesting metric product twist on a Office Depot item. We have boxes of Office Depot brand small binder clips that are made in China, marked "3/4 INCH / 19mm", and the box text is in English and French.
[USMA:10906] Re: Avoirdupois
Pat Naughtin wrote in USMA 10892: In all this kafuffle arising from the activities of the UKIP, the BWMA, and their 'metric martyrs', I have been struck by the fact that they seem to be supporting the 'Avoirdupois pound' that was formally introduced to England - from France - in 1824. My 11th Edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica dates the avoirdupois pound in England from 1303. What happened in 1824 is that the imperial gallon equal to the volume of 10 pounds of water was established. This was the British response to the metric system. The only other factor of 10 that I have found in the imperial system is 1 furlong = 10 chains. In 1834 the House of Parliament burnt down and the prototype pound was lost. It was found again in 1891 Joseph B. Reid 17 Glebe Road West TorontoM5P 1C8 Tel. 416 486-6071
[USMA:10904] UK: New legislation
The legislation referred to in the Telegraph article is as follows: The Units of Measurement Regulations 2001 http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2001/20010055.htm The Weights and Measures (Metrication Amendments) Regulations 2001 http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2001/20010085.htm It's interesting that the only other paper to mention this was the Sun, with a 1 column-centimetre inside page piece. The Telegraph has it on the front page. Chris -- UK Metrication Association: http://www.metric.org.uk/
[USMA:10905] Re: Gruyere cheese
Pat Naughtin wrote in USMA 10891: I have made some remarks below. on 2001-01-31 15.49, kilopascal at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: snip I think we need to get it through some peoples heads that anything more than one place after the decimal in centimetres for most applications is a sign the person coming up with that number is innumerate. It irks me that when converting from metric to imperial, numbers are rounded to the nearest rational number or fraction, but when a number is converted or back converted to metric, the result is always to some un-godly number of decimal places. What stupidity. This is worse than stupidity. It makes SI look bad because of an apparent - but non-existent - complexity. How can we show the simplicity that is SI when examples like the one you quote abound? However, this proves how it is much easier to be precise in SI than in imperial by using sixteenths, thirty-seconds, sixty-fourth, etc. Joseph B. Reid 17 Glebe Road West TorontoM5P 1C8 Tel. 416 486-6071
[USMA:10907] time to mark the Harvard Bridge in SI!!!
To the MIT community, In 1968, I first learned of the 1958 MIT legend, when the Harvard Bridge was marked off in smoots, one smoot being approximately 67 cm (the length of one 1962 MIT alumnus named Oliver R. Smoot). In light of the fact that the International System of Units is now the "preferred system of measurement for trade in the United States (1988 Amendments to the Metric Conversion Act of 1975), wouldn't it now be appropriate to mark the bridge in metres as well? The span is approximately 620 m. Thanks, -- Paul Trusten, R.Ph. 3609 Caldera Boulevard, Apt. 122 Midland TX 79707-2872 USA (915)-694-6208 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[USMA:10908] Re: Avoirdupois
I spotted an error in USMA 10982 by Pat Naughtin. The Avoirdupois weights were imported into Britain in the 13th century from Florence, Italy; they replaced some native units. The Florentine pound of 12 ounces was about 340 g, the 16 oz pound was 453.9 g; the ounce was 28.33 g. See how close these Florentine units are? There was a brisk trade between Britain and Florence then But, indeed, Avoirdupois remains an old 'European' system. In 1750 there were harebrained plans by the Carysfort Committee to make the Troy pound the standard for all weights. The Avoirdupois pound would be tolerated but it was to be engraved with: 1 lb 2 oz 12 dwt and it would have to used that way! The 1824 Act established the Troy pound as the standard but the Avoirdupois pound was recognized as a 7000 grain weight and it could be used as it was in the past, with its own subdivisions and multiples. Then came the fire in the British Parliament buildings in 1834 that destroyed the standards. After a lot of work the Avoirdupois pound became the national standard by law in 1855 as the recognized came at last that it was used for almost all applications and trades. (R.D. Connor, The Weights and Measures of England, London 1987, pp. 131-132, 246-249, 256, 261-264, 268-271) I wonder how much the members of the BWMA and the UKIP really know about the history of what they are defending. If they take the trouble of reading Connors book they will find out soon that Avoirdupois was 'European' and that there was a lot of coercion and denial of free choice in the past if they read Connor's book. Han - Original Message - From: "Pat Naughtin" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "U.S. Metric Association" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2001 7:42 AM Subject: [USMA:10892] Avoirdupois Dear Chris and All, In all this kafuffle arising from the activities of the UKIP, the BWMA, and their 'metric martyrs', I have been struck by the fact that they seem to be supporting the 'Avoirdupois pound' that was formally introduced to England - from France - in 1824. Is it not the case that the UKIP is posturing about the replacement of the 'old' European measures by the 'new' European system? Cheers, Pat Naughtin Geelong, Australia snip
[USMA:10911] Re: Avoirdupois
How did the avoirdupois pound get a French name if it was imported from Italy? -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Han Maenen Sent: 2001 February 7 Wednesday 03:06 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:10908] Re: Avoirdupois I spotted an error in USMA 10982 by Pat Naughtin. The Avoirdupois weights were imported into Britain in the 13th century from Florence, Italy; they replaced some native units. The Florentine pound of 12 ounces was about 340 g, the 16 oz pound was 453.9 g; the ounce was 28.33 g. See how close these Florentine units are? There was a brisk trade between Britain and Florence then But, indeed, Avoirdupois remains an old 'European' system. In 1750 there were harebrained plans by the Carysfort Committee to make the Troy pound the standard for all weights. The Avoirdupois pound would be tolerated but it was to be engraved with: 1 lb 2 oz 12 dwt and it would have to used that way! The 1824 Act established the Troy pound as the standard but the Avoirdupois pound was recognized as a 7000 grain weight and it could be used as it was in the past, with its own subdivisions and multiples. Then came the fire in the British Parliament buildings in 1834 that destroyed the standards. After a lot of work the Avoirdupois pound became the national standard by law in 1855 as the recognized came at last that it was used for almost all applications and trades. (R.D. Connor, The Weights and Measures of England, London 1987, pp. 131-132, 246-249, 256, 261-264, 268-271) I wonder how much the members of the BWMA and the UKIP really know about the history of what they are defending. If they take the trouble of reading Connors book they will find out soon that Avoirdupois was 'European' and that there was a lot of coercion and denial of free choice in the past if they read Connor's book. Han - Original Message - From: "Pat Naughtin" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "U.S. Metric Association" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2001 7:42 AM Subject: [USMA:10892] Avoirdupois Dear Chris and All, In all this kafuffle arising from the activities of the UKIP, the BWMA, and their 'metric martyrs', I have been struck by the fact that they seem to be supporting the 'Avoirdupois pound' that was formally introduced to England - from France - in 1824. Is it not the case that the UKIP is posturing about the replacement of the 'old' European measures by the 'new' European system? Cheers, Pat Naughtin Geelong, Australia snip
[USMA:10914] Fw: Some comments posted here and there. [Yahoo! Clubs: Metric America]
- Original Message - From: "downtobusiness" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, 2001-02-08 00:34 Subject: Some comments posted here and there. [Yahoo! Clubs: Metric America] We get some comments about various items which we might purchase to help promote metrication. I want more info, more, more. I want to encourage everyone here and everyone at the u.s.m.a. message board to plan now to give out convenient and practical and useful Christmas presents in 2001 which make conversion easy. Please invite a friend. Please come comment. Andy Johnson - DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE BY EMAIL! - You have chosen to receive messages from "Metric America" by email. Reply to this message: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/metricamerica/bbsfrp?action=rtid=metricamerica sid=12177109mid=927 Unsubscribe from the Club mailing list: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/metricamerica/config/change_mb_list Return to "Metric America": http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/metricamerica -- Not a member? Remove yourself from this list: http://edit.clubs.yahoo.com/config/unsubscribe_mb_list?.userID=millitesla.g roupID=metricamerica.groupType=.code=kqkKEmys7C
[USMA:10915] Re: Avoirdupois
At 14:39 -0700 01/02/7, Dennis Brownridge wrote: How did the avoirdupois pound get a French name if it was imported from Italy? Peronally I am not sure that the avoirdupoids pound was imported from Italy. I read somewhere that around 1300, the merchants from London adopted a system then used in France under the old French name "aver de peis". The name remained to make the difference with the "troy pound", which was the unit used in the French city of Troyes which had famous trade fairs. Not only did France invent the metric system, it also inspired the old British system ! Louis
