Page 1 of 2
Imperial or Metric Units of Measure
Posted: Sun 29 May 2011 8:05 pm
by Synewave
Yes, there are ways of providing a user with options to change the units of measure presented on a weather station website. I'd just like to know member preferences for default (presented on first visit) units of measure when visiting a UK weather website.
Re: Imperial or Metric Units of Measure
Posted: Sun 29 May 2011 8:07 pm
by steve
You've missed out 'knots', which professional or 'serious' meteorologists may prefer.
Re: Imperial or Metric Units of Measure
Posted: Sun 29 May 2011 8:11 pm
by Synewave
steve wrote:You've missed out 'knots', which professional or 'serious' meteorologists may prefer.
Poll edited very quickly!
Re: Imperial or Metric Units of Measure
Posted: Sun 29 May 2011 8:12 pm
by steve
Jolly good. No-one will vote for it now, just to spite me

Re: Imperial or Metric Units of Measure
Posted: Sun 29 May 2011 11:18 pm
by GraemeT
In Australia we converted to metric in the 1970's and it took me nearly 30 years to stop thinking in imperial. (I must have been a slow learner!)
Now I tend to do a mental conversion whenever I encounter an imperial measurement.
Re: Imperial or Metric Units of Measure
Posted: Mon 30 May 2011 12:57 am
by gemini06720
GraemeT wrote:In Australia we converted to metric in the 1970's...
But, Graeme, aren't the cars still driven on the wrong side of the roads...

Re: Imperial or Metric Units of Measure
Posted: Mon 30 May 2011 5:52 am
by GraemeT
No Ray, it's the steering wheels in all your cars, they're on the wrong side of the car. If you swapped them over then you, too could drive on the left side of the road and it'd feel right....
...of course, you might have a few problems bumping into the Yanks (they'd never change over).
Re: Imperial or Metric Units of Measure
Posted: Mon 30 May 2011 6:18 am
by robynfali
With my nautical work, you would think knots, but it has to be
Temp in C, Rain in mm, Wind in mph

Re: Imperial or Metric Units of Measure
Posted: Mon 30 May 2011 7:27 am
by serowe
What happened to pressure?

Re: Imperial or Metric Units of Measure
Posted: Mon 30 May 2011 7:34 am
by robynfali
serowe wrote:What happened to pressure?

Theres too much, I can't take it anymore

Re: Imperial or Metric Units of Measure
Posted: Mon 30 May 2011 9:22 am
by RayProudfoot
I've been able to convert Fahrenheit to Celsius and vice-versa for 30+ years so can live with either although logically C makes more sense. I will resist switching to mm for rain and kph for wind until the UK Government changes all the road signs to metric. So that won't be in my lifetime then given the parlous state of the nation's economy!
As usual the UK government makes a pig's ear of trying to switch when we're under no obligation to do so.
Re: Imperial or Metric Units of Measure
Posted: Mon 30 May 2011 9:40 am
by Synewave
RayProudfoot wrote:As usual the UK government makes a pig's ear of trying to switch when we're under no obligation to do so.
Totally agree, it needs to be all metric or imperial, not part of one and part of the other.
What I want to know is when they are going to change time and clocks to metric?

Re: Imperial or Metric Units of Measure
Posted: Mon 30 May 2011 9:45 am
by RayProudfoot
Synewave wrote:What I want to know is when they are going to change time and clocks to metric?


I'm ashamed to say that 30+ years ago I fell for an April Fool's joke that suggested that when I worked as a pay clerk.
As the EU is the master of mad projects I think we can expect it any time soon!

Re: Imperial or Metric Units of Measure
Posted: Mon 30 May 2011 10:13 am
by serowe
Synewave wrote:What I want to know is when they are going to change time and clocks to metric?

They already have:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swatch_Internet_Time
Re: Imperial or Metric Units of Measure
Posted: Mon 30 May 2011 12:40 pm
by Sunfish
The BBC and EU have succeeded in forcing Celsius on the UK, but the rain forecasts are still in inches and wind speds in mph.
Who wants kph? Not us and not the US. Everyone knows what an 'inch' looks like--but, mm?
Oh, dear! Is this too "political"?