2002-07-06 This could never officially happen in a country like the US. The US has already officially legal definitions for these units, and business has gigadollars in equipment already calibrated in the present ratios.
In Europe in the 18-th century, there was no problem in rationalising the old units to metric. The scales used had replaceable weights, thus when a new standard came out all that need be changed would be the weights itself and not the whole scale. The only thing that can be done, would be for the government to de-legalise the old units and thus make it open for anyone to choose their own definition as once was done in the pre-metric days. With new scales and other new devices calibrated in metric only, the old terms will gradually drift to the new meanings. When (if) such a time comes, it will have to be such that only metric calibrated instruments are in use legally for trade and these old references are just trade names. Also, we need to refrain from using terms like 1/2 kg, when we mean either 0.5 kg or 500 g, 25 mm instead of 1/40 m, and 30 mL for the ounce instead of 1/32 L. Not all terms need be kept when metrication occurs. Ounce, gallon, pint, quart, hundredweight can go right away. Inch and pound will most likely be the ones to linger the longest. John ----- Original Message ----- From: "Markus Kuhn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, 2002-07-01 06:46 Subject: [USMA:20739] Re: Metric customary units > "Wizard of OS" wrote on 2002-06-30 01:12 UTC: > > > - The exact meaning of the old units could be undefined by > > > making it officially/legally equally valid to use alternative > > > definitions for the colloquial terms, in particular: > > > > > > 1 pound = 1/2 kg > > > 1 pint = 0.5 L > > > 1 inch = 1/40 m > > > > > > and from that follows > > > > > > 1 hundredweight = 100 pounds = 50 kg > > > 1 ton = 2000 pounds = 1000 kg > > > 1 quart = 2 pints = 1 L > > > 1 gallon = 4 quarts = 4 L > > > 1 foot = 12 inches = = 300 mm > > > 1 fluid ounce = 1/128 gallons = 1/32 L > > > > > > etc.
