On 2003 Sep 02 Tuesday 05:50, john mercer wrote: > Hi I have some questions about metrication in the U K. Does anybody know > if the British auto industry use metric or imperial bolts on their cars?
UK cars have been metric for many years (I'm not saying there are NO inch-based parts, but they are insignificant. Tyres, of course, are still in inches for rim sizes. > Does the British construction industry use metric or imperial? Metric, but in many cases based on the old imperial units, e.g. many products are in multiples of 300 mm. Wood from a DIY store will come in 900 mm and 2.1 lm lengths, but not 1 and 2 metres! > When > highways and roads are been designed ar they designed in imperial or > metric? They've been designed in metric since the 50s, I believe. (All engineers and scientists have been educated in metric-only since the 70s). > Are students in school educated in metric or imperial or both? In Metric is the primary system taught at school, but because pupils will face road signs in miles, etc., they have to learn that as well. They are supposed to have a rough idea of imperial equivalents of common metric units. > Canada students in school from grade one threw grade 12 are educated in > metric. I have a daughter who is going to be 22 years old this month, she > has no idea how many feet are in a mile. Students in Canada have been > educated in metric since about the mid seventy's. In britain are overpass > heights given in metric or imperial, in Canada they are given in metric > only. Height and width signs are only required to be in feet and inches. The law now *permits* (but does not require) the metric values, but only in addition to the imperial - ridiculous, as i know my car's dimensions in metric (that's how they are in the manual)! -- Chris KEENAN UK Metric Association www.metric.org.uk
