One thing I've noticed, mainly since I began coming to this site, is that you British seem to measure and mark everything in yards, for example, 100 yards to the restroom. In America, we rarely use yards for anything. Feet is the measurement of choice, for example, Road Construction 1500FT. Just a little oddity I picked out to mention today. As a metrication report, metrication seems to lose ground here everyday. I've noticed that more products are coming marked in Imperial only. A couple of Imperial only people: Boeing Corporation, the Unites States Military (even though some gun sizes are measured in metric, they have imperial equivalents commonly used), NASA (they claim to be metric, but everything is designed and built in imperial, and flight plans are also being converted back to imperial). Also of interest, Intel Corporation, who I'm sure you've all heard of, is more imperial than is commonly known. The press loves to mention .18 micron and 300mm wafers, but Intel itself uses "mils," or 1,000 of an inch, far more commonly than any metric measurements. Liters are also nowhere to be found in the gasoline industry, all fuel is in gallons. I have suggested to Coca-Cola that they convert the liter bottle to quarts, but haven't heard back. I think it would be in Coke's best interest to do something different than Pepsi, it would certainly get them more publicity. Anyway, that's all I've got for now. If you ever have any questions for an American, send me an e-mail. Thanks.

Bill Roland

Bill,
Feet in Britain are used almost universally to describe height - for instance, a 15ft bridge. It is very unusual to use feet to describe distance. For example, a road sign may say: "15 ft bridge, 200 yds".
I've noticed that the US uses a wider variety of fractions to describe parts of a mile, for instance, six-tenths of a mile. In Britain, it is usually only quarter-miles and half-miles.

With reference to Coca Cola and Pepsi, you might want to look at the Great Metric Rip-Off page. There is a photograph of a US 12 floz Pepsi can alongside a metric 330ml can. Needless to say, the metric can is smaller. American consumers need to be made aware that metric conversion will lead to smaller quantities being sold for the same price as it has in Britain, so be on your guard against metric downsizing by Pepsi and Cola.

>> Coca-Cola that they convert the liter bottle to quarts, but haven't heard back <<

Why would you want 5.4% less Coke for the same price?

I took it for granted that the price would be lowered in accordance. Nobody should pay more for less, that is a metrication tactic.

Product shrinkage occurs in the U.S. all the time, even though english units are still legal.

An interesting thing is how we once had 3 units of distance for different things: feet for height, yards for distance, and fathoms for depth.

Wonder why we dumped the fathom?

Bill Roland wrote: "One thing I've noticed, mainly since I began coming to this site, is that you British seem to measure and mark everything in yards, for example, 100 yards to the restroom. In America, we rarely use yards for anything. Feet is the measurement of choice, for example, Road Construction 1500FT."

Yes I noticed this cultural difference on my first visit to the US. It is, of course, easier to metricate from yards to metres than from feet to metres.

>>
>> >>
Coca-Cola that they convert the liter bottle to quarts, but haven't heard back
<< <<

Why would you want 5.4% less Coke for the same price?
<<


Actually you would get more Coke ... US quarts are smaller than UK quarts but the only difference between US liters and UK litres is the spelling.