‘A generation of children is being taught to give their weight in kilograms, to measure their height in centimetres and to think of their drinks in litres.’ as BBC said.
To be honest, it could be good news for many international students because we are totally accustomed to the metric system. I think the change of Briton in scale means (by and large) the change of entire world. Very few on earth would insist to use pint, feet, stone. I cannot help admitting that it would have some advantages in terms of standardization and mass-production. If we learned general science in the college, we surely know that ‘1 kilogram is the exact weight of 1 litre of water, which has the exact volume of 1 cubic decimeter.’ What a simple logic it is!
This saying was really funny. “Are we dumber than the Australians, New Zealanders and the Canadians? They have all managed to convert without a fuss. Lets finish the job and convert to metric."- Mark Byrne, Isle of Man
However, I also note from this row over the scale of one country that it is enormously intractable to change practice. Many people also maintain the assertion that UK should go as it went. It is obvious that it would be pathetic that the older generations have held on to the non-decimal imperial system for so long.
“I went through school with the metric system but even still I estimate distances in feet and inches. I measure my weight in stones. I really cannot see any benefit from changing to all metric as long as people get what they expect when they ask for something in either system. We are a nation of proud people not sheep and do not need to follow the rest of the world in everything.”, Stephen Moll, London, UK.
What do you think of this row?
*Schools - children learn metric system *NHS - no central guidance to hospitals, but most use metric *Shops - by 2009 it will be illegal to show price of loose goods using imperial measurements *Pubs - illegal to sell draught beer or cider in anything other than pints. Imperial measures for spirits phased out in 1988 *Roads - most traffic signs still use miles and feet