People are blaming recent airplane tragedies on a confusion between the imperial and metric systems. Often, Canada’s transition to the metric system in the 70’s is discussed. Yeah, let’s check in and see how the transition has come along…
| Quantity of… | Unit of Measurement |
|---|---|
| Height (of a person) | X foot Y inches |
| Height (of a building) | Metres |
| Altitude (of an airplane) | Feet |
| Land size | Acres |
| Room size | Square feet |
| Speed (of a car) | Kilometres per hour |
| Speed (of a train) | Miles per hour |
| Distance (within town) | kilometres |
| Distance (out of town) | Hours |
| Gasoline | Litres |
| Mileage (officially) | Litres per 100-kilometres |
| Mileage (in practice) | Miles per gallon |
| Weight (of a person) | Pounds |
| Weed (street) | Grams |
| Weed (wholesale) | Ounces |
| Laptop size | Inches |
| Paper | Inches |
| Penis length | Inches |
| Bottle of water | Usually 591ml |
| Milk (in a store, cartons) | Litres |
| Milk (in a store, bags) | Even smaller bags of 1⅓ litres |
| Milk (in a recipe) | Cups |
| Flour (in a store) | Kilograms |
| Flour (in a recipe) | Cups |
| Baking soda (in a store) | Grams |
| Baking soda (in a recipe) | Teaspoons |
| Butter (in a store) | 454g packages |
| Butter (in a recipe) | Cups |
| Cup (metric) | 250ml |
| Temperature (outside) | Degrees Celsius |
| Temperature (in an oven) | Degrees Fahrenheit |
| Temperature (of a swimming pool) | Degrees Fahrenheit |
| Canadian indie bands | Metrics |
| Wood | 2"x4" (a “two-by-four”) |
| Dimensions of a newborn (officially) | Centimetres & kilograms |
| Dimensions of a newborn (in practice) | Inches & pounds |
| Deli meats | Price per 100g |
| Steak (advertised) | Price per pound |
| Steak (in-store) | Price per kilogram |
| Steak (at a restaurant) | Ounces |
| Burgers | Quarters pound |
| Wine (bottle of) | Millilitres |
| Wine (glass of) | Ounces |
| Beer (bottle) | 341 millilitres |
| Beer (can) | 355 millimetres |
| Beer (draught) | Pint (imperial) |
| Beer (bulk, 24-can case) | “Two fours” |
| Pint (imperial) | 568 ml |
| Wrench (that you have) | Inches |
| Wrench (that you need) | Centimetres |
I think Canada would have a lot easier time if it weren’t geographically face-sitting on the US.