>Yoiks - it appears that Irish schools retained the teaching of >'evolved-out' units more than British Schools.
Lest I have given a misleading impression, I remember being taught imperial units in primary [grade?] school. I entered secondary [high] school in 1970, and that was the year they switched to metric. No imperial units have been taught since. >The furthest I can remember back is 5p called "5 new pence". The >decimalisation thing was "before me" do to speak. Don't ask me how many >p's in a � there were! There were 12 "old pence" which made a shilling. Twenty shillings made a pound. Coins were 1/4 d (d=old penny), 1/2 d, 1d, 3d, 6d, 1s (shilling), 2s, 2s6d (two-shillings-and-six-pence or 2.5 shillings). There was also a 10s note. Money was quoted as �3-12-10 (3 pounds twelve shillings and 10 pence). Change from a five pound note would be calculated as �1-7-2. It was a dreadfully complicated system. Thanks to your recent ancestors, who were willing to undergo the temporary inconvenience of change, you don't have to grapple with it. It's a pity that so many who have benefited are not prepared to undergo a similar temporary inconvenience so that their children don't have to grapple with similar awkward conversions in their measurements. >Personally I believe that money matters are best done decimally. Any calculations involving a base 10 numbering system are better done in a decimal system. 16 ounces to a pound makes sense if you work in hexadecimal. You find money matters easy to do because that is what you are familiar with. Similarly you find imperial easier because it is what you are familiar with. It's like typing with two fingers. Trying to change to standard typing results in a temporary loss of efficiency, because you are not used to it. Persevere, and you'll never go back. We should probably avoid straying into any further EU-in-or-out argument, as it is off topic. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Tom Wade | EMail: tee dot wade at eurokom dot it EuroKom | Tel: +353 (1) 296-9696 A2, Nutgrove Office Park | Fax: +353 (1) 296-9697 Rathfarnham | Disclaimer: This is not a disclaimer Dublin 14 | Tip: "Friends don't let friends do Unix !" Ireland
