THE IMPERIAL VS.
THE METRIC SYSTEM
Jess S. Prez Patricia Snchez
CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION 2. IMPLEMENTATION 3. UNITS 3.1. LENGTH 3.2. AREA 3.3. VOLUME 3.4. MASS AND WEIGHT
4. RELATION TO OTHER SYSTEMS
5. CURRENT USE OF IMPERIAL UNITS in UNITED KINGDOM
6. CONCLUSION
1. INTRODUCTION
The system of imperial units or the imperial system (also known as British Imperial) is the system of units first defined in the British Weights and Measures Act of 1824, which was later refined and reduced. The system came into official use across the British Empire. By the late 20th century, most nations of the former empire had officially adopted the metric system as their main system of measurement; however some Imperial units are still used in the United Kingdom and Canada.
2.IMPLEMENTATION
The Weights and Measures Act of 1824 was initially scheduled to go into effect on 1 May 1825. However, the Weights and Measures Act of 1825 pushed back the date to 1 January 1826. The 1824 Act allowed the continued use of pre-imperial units provided that they were customary, widely known, and clearly marked with imperial equivalents. The Weights and Measures Act of 1824 was initially scheduled to go into effect on 1 May 1825. However, the Weights and Measures Act of 1825 pushed back the date to 1 January 1826. The 1824 Act allowed the continued use of pre-imperial units provided that they were customary, widely known, and clearly marked with imperial equivalents.
Apothecaries' units are mentioned neither in the act of 1824 nor 1825. At the time, apothecaries' weights and measures were regulated "in England, Wales, and Berwick-upon-Tweed" by the London College of Physicians, and in Ireland by the Dublin College of Physicians. In Scotland, apothecaries' units were unofficially regulated by the Edinburgh College of Physicians. The three colleges published, at infrequent intervals, pharmacopoeiae, the London and Dublin editions having the force of law. Imperial apothecaries' measures, based on the imperial pint of 20 fluid ounces, were introduced by the publication of the London Pharmacopoeia of 1836, the Edinburgh Pharmacopoeia of 1839, and the Dublin Pharmacopoeia of 1850. The Medical Act of 1858 transferred to the Crown the right to publish the official pharmacopoeia and to regulate apothecaries' weights and measures
3. UNITS
3.1. LENGTH
3.2. AREA
3.3. VOLUME
3.4.MASS AND WEIGHT
3.1. LENGth
Table of ength equivalent units Unit Relative to previous Thou (th) inch (in) foot (ft) yard (yd) chain(ch) furlong(fur) 10 chains 1000 thou 12 inches 3 feet 22 yards Feet 1/12000 1/12 1 3 66 660 Millimetres Metres Notes 0.0254 0.0000254 Also 25.4 m 25.4 304.8 914.4 20116.8 0.0254 0.3048 Defined as exactly 0.9144 metre by the 0.9144 International yard and pound agreement of 1959 The distance between the two wickets on a 20.1168 cricket pitch 201.168 220 yards
mile(mi)
league(lea) fathom(ftm)
8 furlongs
3 miles ~2 yards
5,280
15,840 Maritime units 6.08 or6 1,853.184
1,609.344 1760 yards
4,828.032 No longer an official unit in any nation.
cable nautical mile
100 fathoms 10 cables
link rod chain
7.92 inches 25 links 4 rods
1.853184 The British Admiralty in practice used a fathom as 6 feet. This was despite its being 1/1000 of a nautical mile (i.e. 6.08 feet) until the adoption of the international nautical mile. 608 185.3184 One tenth of a nautical mile. When in use it was approximated colloquially as 100 fathoms. 6,080 1,853.184 Used for measuring distances at sea. Until the adoption of the international definition of 1,852 metres in 1970, the British nautical (Admiralty) mile was defined as 6,080 feet. Gunter's survey units (17th century onwards) 66/100 201.168 0.201168 1/100 of a chain The rod is also called pole or perch and equal to 66/4 5,029.2 5.0292 5.5 yards 66 20.1168 100 links or 1/10 of a furlong
3.2. AREA
Area
Unit
Relation to units of length
Square feet
Square Square Square miles rods metres
Hectares
Notes
perch
1 rod 1 rod
272.25
1/102400 25.29285264
Although the proper term is square rod, for centuries this unit has been called 0.002529 a pole or perch or, more properly, square pole or square perch.
rood acre
1 furlong 1 rod 1 furlong 1 chain
10,890 43,560
40 160
1/2560 1/640
1011.7141056 4046.856422 4
0.1012 0.4047
The rood is 1,210 square yards. One acre is 4,840 square yards
Note: All equivalences are exact except hectares, which are accurate to 4 significant figures.
3.3. VOLUME
Table of volume units Unit fluid ounce (fl oz) gill(gi) Pint (pt) Quart (qt) Gallon (gal) Imperial ounce 1 5 20 40 160 Imperial pint 1/20 1/4 1 2 8 Millilitres Cubic inches 1.7339 8.6694 34.677 69.355 277.42 US ounces US pints
28.4130625 142.065312 5 568.26125 1,136.5225 4,546.09
0.96076 4.8038 19.215 38.430 153.72
0.060047 0.30024 1.2009 2.4019 9.6076
Note: The millilitre equivalences are exact, but cubic-inch and US measures are correct to 5 significant figures
Table of mass units Unit Pounds grams kilograms Notes grain(gr) 1/7000 0.06479891 Exactly 64.79891 milligrams. drachm(dr) 1/256 1.7718451953125 ounce(oz) 1/16 28.349523125 Pound(lb) 1 453.59237 0.45359237 Exactly 453.59237 grams by definition. A person's weight is often quoted in stone and pounds in English-speaking countries that use the avoirdupois stone(st) 14 6,350.29318 6.35029318 system, with the exception of the United States and Canada, where it is usually quoted in pounds. One quarter is equal to two stone or a quarter of a hundredweight. The term quarter (qtr) 28 12.70058636 quarter was also commonly used to refer to a quarter of a pound in a retail context. One imperial hundredweight is equal to eight stone. This is the long Hundred 112 50.80234544 hundredweight as opposed to the short weight(cwt) hundredweight of 100 pounds as used in the United States and Canada. As with the US and Canadian systems, twenty hundredweights equal a ton. The imperial hundredweight is 12% greater than the US and Canadian 1,016.046908 ton (t) 2240 equivalent. The imperial ton (or long 8 ton) is 2,240 pounds, which is much closer to a metric tonne (about 2,204.6 pounds), compared to the short ton of 2,000 pounds (907.185 kg).
3.4. MASS AND WEIGHT
4.Relation to other system
The imperial system is one of many systems of English
units.
The united son different in United States and United
Kington.
5. Current use of imperial units UNITED KINGTON
The metric system is in official use within the United Kingdom
for most applications; however, use of Imperial units is still widespread amongst the public and all UK roads.
The Units of Measurement Regulations 1995 require that all
measuring devices used in trade measurements in metric quantities.
or
retail
shall
display
Most British people still use imperial units in everyday life for:
distance (miles, yards, feet and inches). - body weight (stones and pounds for adults, pounds and ounces for babies though use of kilogrammes is increasing). - and volume (especially pints and rational fractions thereof).
-
Regardless of how people measure their weight or height, these must be recorded in metric officially, for example in medical records.
Petrol is occasionally quoted as being so much per gallon (despite having been sold exclusively in litres for nearly three decades).
Fuel consumption for vehicles is often discussed in miles per gallon, though official figures always include litres per 100 km equivalents. When sold "draught" in licenced premises, beer and cider is measured out and sold in pints and half-pints. Cow's milk is available in both litre- and pintbased containers. Non-metric nuts and bolts etc., are available, but usually only from specialist suppliers.
Areas of land associated with farming, forestry and real estate are often advertised measured in acres and square feet, but for official government purposes the unit is always hectares and square metres.
Office space and industrial units are often advertised in square feet, despite carpet and flooring products being sold in square metres with equivalents in square yards. Steel pipe sizes are sold in increments of inches, while copper pipe is sold in increments of millimetres. Road bicycles have their frames measured in centimetres, while off-road bicycles have their frames measured in inches.
The size (diagonal) of television and computer monitor screens is denominated in inches.
6. CONCLUSION
Legally English people have Metric System.
Although, their daily lifes, they use as reference
some of the Imperial British, helped by the difussion of English means of communication, on the movies and the Commonwealth.
