Originally Posted by
xsnaggle
We have used both systems side by side for ages anyway.
A lot of construction is done in imperial like a standard stair riser is 10 inches, and a load in metric. We order concrete in Cubic metres and skips by yardage. Timber has already been mentioned.
Land generally in acres, racing in furlongs Fuel we buy in litres and measure consumption by miles ger gallon. Try converting that in your head.
Ships used to be measured by long or short tons, not sure what it is now (when constructing I mean)
In markets everything is usually marked in both weights.
The reason that the old system used 12 pennies to a shilling was because a person can count to 12 on the fingers of 1 hand so people who couldn't read or write could still count and understand what they were getting. By extension a Gross is 12 x 12 which is countable on the fingers of 2 hands, when someone reached that quantity they had to stop because they couldn't count any more, i.e. they grossed out.
Oil is still traded worldwide by the barrel, a barrel measure being 36 gallons. A gallon of water weights 10 pounds which is why a pint is 20 ounces.
Champagne is sold by the bottle, and all sizes up which were originally imperial measurements. Beer is casked/barreled in firkins barrels, hog heads, tuns. When I lived in Berlin in the 80s you could by fresh meat in a butchers by the pound.
Nothing about any of this confuses the average person, it just is what it is and people understand what they're getting without consciously thinking about it.
I'm sure there are lots of other example which I can't think of because they come so naturally (I just thought of one, trouser and suit measurements, shoe sizes ladies dresses etc)
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