Tony K Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Posted by Mr.B. on 17/02/2015 14:09:33: Erf. Pa I can live with. It's Bar that annoys me. I think Pa is used for pressure in place of N/m^2 to avoid confusion with torque in Nm. Also, there is a common misconception of mass, force and weight. It's the Joule which has the same units as torque. Like Erf, I have always wondered why we need the Pascal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.B. Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Tony, The unit for Joules is Joule. 1 N for 1 m is the definition. It's turning into pedants corner over here today isn't it? To help if offer the following glossary Pascal, fruit ones. yummy Mass, something to do with Catholicism Force, a belief system from star wars Weigh, what you before the train arrives Joules, loverly girl, have you met her? Newtonmeters, a market town in Devon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wright Stuff Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Posted by Tony K on 17/02/2015 15:06:44: It's the Joule which has the same units as torque. Like Erf, I have always wondered why we need the Pascal. Derived units like this I suspect are just for brevity: like using litres instead of cubic decimetres, watts instead of joules per second, etc etc... Incidentally (relevant to the thread), units like pascals and joules are not capitalised. If it's named after a person, then only the abbreviation is: (Pa, J, W, V, A), but units not named after people are always uncapitalised in their abbreviations: m, g, s. Edited By The Wright Stuff on 17/02/2015 15:28:30 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Moyler Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Reading the above you would think that most people in industry do not use imperial measurements. I work in the oil industry and I mostly work in imperial measurements. All the fittings I use and tools are imperial. I was brought up on imperial but was taught decimal as well in school. When I went to Polytechnic everything was done in imperial and ever since I have worked more in imperial than metric. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Ramsay-Fraser Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Just thought I'd post the reply I got from Alexander Stewart, the prospective Conservative candidate for Perthshire North in answer to a question regarding tax evasion and HSBC. Dear Michael, If anyone brakes the law they should be dealt with by the authorities and sent to court and punished even if that mean going to prison. There must not be laws for one group and not for another. Regards Alexander Stewart Obviously handled by one of his minions but it doesn't say much, does it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Price 2 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Michael. Why do you excuse this by saying it was composed by a minion. The big wigs at HSBC will no doubt say that they were not aware in their defence. Tis no excuse. If it happens on your watch - you pick up the tab. By the way. I also wrote to my MP, Peter Bone, but, as yet, have not even been blessed with his normal, lying and insincere, automated reply stating he will respond when time permits. He never does. Nuff said methinks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Ramsay-Fraser Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 I just, perhaps wrongly, assumed that a potential Tory MP might have a better grasp of the English language. I did take the liberty of pointing out the errors but, like your MP, he has not yet replied. I guess my comments don't fit in with the standard responses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Price 2 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 I suppose the fact that Peter Bone didn't respond means that he hasn't lied to me - again!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony K Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Posted by The Wright Stuff on 17/02/2015 15:21:45: Posted by Tony K on 17/02/2015 15:06:44: It's the Joule which has the same units as torque. Like Erf, I have always wondered why we need the Pascal. Derived units like this I suspect are just for brevity: like using litres instead of cubic decimetres, watts instead of joules per second, etc etc... Incidentally (relevant to the thread), units like pascals and joules are not capitalised. If it's named after a person, then only the abbreviation is: (Pa, J, W, V, A), but units not named after people are always uncapitalised in their abbreviations: m, g, s. Edited By The Wright Stuff on 17/02/2015 15:28:30 Well, you learn something every day. I was not aware of that. What really upsets me is the reluctance of British people to try to learn a foreign language. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Gordon 2 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Wow! I couldn't believe the sheer number of posts! Over here in Canada we're officially metric too, but there are still a lot of things that are still SAE. When I was in printing we rarely used paper that was rated in metric terms. While building materials are still sold in Imperial units. I do notice that your petrol is sold in litres, but your roads are still in Imperial. However, when I see a model being sold, I have the maths where-withal to know that cool model with the 1530 mm wingspan is 5 ft 1 in or 61 in (give or take) without having to reach for a calculator. See? Maths are important! Edited By Bill Gordon 2 on 17/02/2015 18:56:21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Price 2 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Thanks for that TWS. A nice very informative post. I will add it to the other million, seemingly, useless facts that I have stored in the old grey matter and I'm itching to unleash on an unsuspecting world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Plains Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Posted by Geoff Sleath on 16/02/2015 23:46:57: I'm 75 and nothing would please me more if the UK finally grasped the nettle and scrapped all reference to the Imperial system of measurement. The metric sytem is used throughout science and engineering and has been for many years; moreover it's a far more useful measurement. The only thing I measure in inches is my bike frame size and that's largely irrelevant these days because frame design has changed so much. I think the only unit in official use is the statute mile and I tend to use km quite a lot anyway. It's just that there's a lot of signposts to change but that could be done progressively. It wouldn't be so bad if fractions of an inch were in decimal but 1/32nds and 1/64ths? Give me strength! I try to use SI units where possible and certainly in electrical engineering they make a lot of things easier. It's time the UK was dragged kicking and struggling into the 20th never mind the 21st century. Geoff Teehee, I'm sure you've purchased tires for your car at some time and have experienced the joys of those mixed units of measure that haven't changed and show no signs of changing in the near future. A 2011 Ford Focus Estate 2.0l TDci would normally have something like a 205/55x16 tires fitted. That's 205mm at the widest point of the tire's sidewall, then 55% of that width (allegedly) as the height of sidewall from the wheel and, wait for it, 16 inches wheel diameter. Yup. I wonder if Bob Monkhouse had that one in his vast books of true jokes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff S Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Posted by Chuck Plains on 17/02/2015 22:50:25: Posted by Geoff Sleath on 16/02/2015 23:46:57: I'm 75 and nothing would please me more if the UK finally grasped the nettle and scrapped all reference to the Imperial system of measurement. The metric sytem is used throughout science and engineering and has been for many years; moreover it's a far more useful measurement. The only thing I measure in inches is my bike frame size and that's largely irrelevant these days because frame design has changed so much. I think the only unit in official use is the statute mile and I tend to use km quite a lot anyway. It's just that there's a lot of signposts to change but that could be done progressively. It wouldn't be so bad if fractions of an inch were in decimal but 1/32nds and 1/64ths? Give me strength! I try to use SI units where possible and certainly in electrical engineering they make a lot of things easier. It's time the UK was dragged kicking and struggling into the 20th never mind the 21st century. Geoff Teehee, I'm sure you've purchased tires for your car at some time and have experienced the joys of those mixed units of measure that haven't changed and show no signs of changing in the near future. A 2011 Ford Focus Estate 2.0l TDci would normally have something like a 205/55x16 tires fitted. That's 205mm at the widest point of the tire's sidewall, then 55% of that width (allegedly) as the height of sidewall from the wheel and, wait for it, 16 inches wheel diameter. Yup. I wonder if Bob Monkhouse had that one in his vast books of true jokes. I'm not very interested in cars. When I need new tyres I just go to the supplier and get approriate ones fitted. Now I'm very interested in pedal cycles and, as it happens, I bought a few tyres for our bicyles this week - 622 x 25 (that's millimetres) or 700c x 25 The confusion in bicycle tyre sizes is very confusing and historical but has nothing to do with imperial v metric systems 622m is the rim size and 700 is an old French measurement of the outside diameter of a certain tyre size that fits a 622mm rim. When I build a kit with US hardware I throw it all away and use metric nuts and bolts etc. Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Plains Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 That's fair enough Geoff. My mountain bike has 26 x 1.9 tires, but 50/559 is also marked on there even though it isn't exactly close for an equivalent. Who knows? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff S Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 That 559 is the diameter of the rim fitting and is the most important measure. 50mm is the height of the tyre rather than its width which means the overall diameter is 659mm. The outside diameter of bicycle wheels is of interest because it affects the gearing which is more important for human powered vehicles than those with engines. Interestingly a common measure for gearing is in inches, though less used today perhaps because it represents the diameter of a penny farthing front wheel Units that have a lot of history are all the more difficult to eradicate. I did a lot of sailing some years ago and the nautical mile (a second of arc subtended on the earth's surface from the centre) was always used on charts. Don't know if it still is now that fewer paper charts are used. So that may be dying out. Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Android Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 I cnduo't bvleiee taht I culod aulaclty uesdtannrd waht I was rdnaieg. Unisg the icndeblire pweor of the hmuan mnid, aocdcrnig to rseecrah at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mttaer in waht oderr the lterets in a wrod are, the olny irpoamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rhgit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whoutit a pboerlm. Tihs is bucseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey ltteer by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Aaznmig, huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghhuot slelinpg was ipmorantt! See if yuor fdreins can raed tihs too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatMc Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 That little demo didn't work then, Peter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Gordon 2 Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Posted by Peter Android on 18/02/2015 20:34:42: I cnduo't bvleiee taht I culod aulaclty uesdtannrd waht I was rdnaieg. Unisg the icndeblire pweor of the hmuan mnid, aocdcrnig to rseecrah at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mttaer in waht oderr the lterets in a wrod are, the olny irpoamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rhgit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whoutit a pboerlm. Tihs is bucseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey ltteer by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Aaznmig, huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghhuot slelinpg was ipmorantt! See if yuor fdreins can raed tihs too. Actually I can read it because of 25 years working with people who couldn't spell. I even used to correct the graffiti on the walls of the loo from time to time. I wonder why my colleagues thought I was so smart? Edited By Pete B - Moderator on 18/02/2015 21:45:05 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken anderson. Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 all witches are bad speller's.... ken Anderson...ne...1 spelling dept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterF Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 I had a laugh at work today, I was looking up the density of several different steel alloys and the values were quoted in Mg/m3, I.e. megagrams per cubic metre, someone without much experience of metric units had taken the SI system literally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wright Stuff Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 As a student, I always used to get very upset at the burger van when their "MegaBurger" didn't consist of 10^6 burgers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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