Mathematicians to the fore please

Mi brane hurts…

I agree.

.-.. . – … ..-. — .-. –. . – .–. .-.. .- .. -. … .–. . . -.-. …. .- -. -.. –. — -… .- -.-. -.- – — – …. .. … .- … .– . .-.. .-..

We have all been working in different number bases, perhaps without realising it. Sixty minutes to the hour, twenty four hours to the day, seven days to a week. Not to mention, thirty one, thirty, twenty eight, or twenty nine days a month every four years; with twelve months to a year. Despite the apparent complication, there seems to be no demand to decimalise time, or the calendar.

So using ounces, pounds, stones, inches, feet, yards, furlongs, miles, knots, and other imperial measures, was right all along.

The point of teaching the theory behind number bases in maths is important in explaining that although most things might be done using decimal, it is purely a convention, with no special mathematical or scientific distinction over any other base.

Steven

Re 40

I like a bit of creative accounting !

Re 42

Charlie.

The period to which I refer was, 1977/8/9 and perhaps a bit of 1980. The mix of measurements seems to work. At least in some things the principle of compulsion was abandoned.

Re 49

Having just got used to barometric pressure in millimeters, we have someone in the tower at OS yacking on about ‘hectopascal thingies’.

In aviation we have height and altitude in feet, speed in knots, visibility in kilometres and pressure in lord knows what :confused:

Moggy

Strange to write, that, most people, about 95%, on being asked their height and weight will still reply imperially.

And, thankfully, we still have miles!

That, and some other possibilities here

A pound comprised twenty Shillings, commonly called ‘bob’, which was a lovely old slang word. It was ‘bob’ irrespective of how many shillings there were: no-one ever said ‘fifteen bobs’ – it would have been said as ‘fifteen bob’. The origin of the word ‘bob’ meaning Shilling is not known for sure, although the usage certainly dates back to the late 1700s. My favourite is suggested in Brewer’s 1870 Dictionary of Phrase and Fable in that ‘bob’ could be derived from ‘Bawbee’, which was 16-19th century slang for a half-penny, in turn derived from: French ‘bas billon’, meaning debased copper money (coins were commonly cut to make change); and/or the Laird of Sillabawby, a 16th century mintmaster. Perhaps there is also a connection with the church or bell-ringing since ‘bob’ meant a set of changes rung on the bells. This would be consistent with one of the possible origins and associations of the root of the word Shilling, (from Proto-Germanic ‘skell’ meaning to sound or ring). Also perhaps a connection with a plumb-bob; (the association with another heavy piece of metal), made of lead and used to mark a vertical position in certain trades, notably masons. ‘Bob a nob’, in the early 1800s meant ‘a shilling a head’, when estimating costs of meals, etc. In the 18th century ‘bobstick’ was a shillings-worth of gin. In parts of the US ‘bob’ was slang used for the US dollar coin.

Moggy

The initial letters of the latin words – libra, sestertius ( sometimes solidus ) and denarius.

Why bob.No one knows for sure but the best bet might be the connection between the OE word scilling – meaning a ringing sound and a bob being one of the bell peals in campanology.

Now we have cleared this one up can someone explain LSD and the `bob`?

That neatly makes the point, trumper. Not that there’s anything to get your head around because there’s nothing to learn – only your ten times table.

If all imperial measurements had been removed from use after say 6 months that would have been that. And anyone now aged about 47 or less would have never known any other form of measurement.

I seem to recall the switch over around my early school years.I still work in feet,inches,gallons,pounds ,ounces,stones ,i just cannot get the hang of metric at all.

Well I was too, John but have no recollection of there being an EU undercurrent. In any case the EU did not exist in 1971 and we did not join the EEC until 1973.

I do remember it being used as an argument by anti- marketeers as the debate raged on following de Gaulle’s double “non”. But the fact that four of our significant Commonwealth allies changed in the sixties had as much to do with the Wilson/Callaghan shock decision.

The real problem was that there was never any clean break from Imperial to Metric – the dual system ended up being the worst of both worlds.

Re 38

Charlie

I was bang in the middle of this metrication malarkey. Trust me, although they always denied it and said that it – metrication – was a matter for the British Govt. it was the EU pulling the strings.

I had more TV appearances and newspaper quotes defending our native measures than I can remember, including a court appearance as a defence witness during the very first metrication prosecution by Weights and Measures in this country.

After all the hullaballoo, we’ve got the rump of a dual system which seems to work. What we didn’t need was the legal compulsion. That, is what caused all the trouble.

Strange to write, that, most people, about 95%, on being asked their height and weight will still reply imperially.

Re 31

….” the last 4p which was 4p x 2.5 = 10d….”

Errr, not quite. One new penny = 2.4 old pennies, so it is 4p x 2.4 = 9.6 old pennies.

My bad

the last 4p which was 4p x 2.5 (near enough for all practical purposes) = 10d….

Moggy

Thats one thing I missed, getting 10 flowers in a bunch, instead of 12.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Who benifitted by the change over?.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

No one was meant to benefit, Linc, other than the thousands who would be able to calculate in multiples of 10 instead of 12. The roller coaster had happened globally with most of the major trading nations with decimal currencies and Wilson and Callaghan decided they would make the change before it became even more expensive than it was.

It had nothing specifically to do with the Common Market, as it then was, at all.

Re 31

….” the last 4p which was 4p x 2.5 = 10d….”

Errr, not quite. One new penny = 2.4 old pennies, so it is 4p x 2.4 = 9.6 old pennies.

Re 35

Jim.

More EU control over this countries internal affairs. Ve haf told you, all systems must be ze same !

Decimalisation was the biggest Con out.a Packet of crisps cost 5 old pee one day, the next it had gone up to 10 New pee.
Also the price of petrol. changed it from Gallons to Ltrs, I still convert it from Ltrs to Gallons, and the price per Gallon, if still shown on the pumps is staggering.
Who benifitted by the change over?.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

I have really been enjoying this thread. And of course the balance between the the theory and the practice particularly at the age of the OP’s son, is crucial. How does what they learn translate into use everyday life?

The last two posts illustrate the example well.