Hi Paul, Since we seem to be in "silly season": I suspect that Napoleon had as much to do with the inauguration of the metric system as King Henry 8(?) had to do with the length of the standard Imperial yard. It just happened on his "watch." I will, however, stand up for the metric system (even though I am and old ****, and was bought up on the silly, and completely arbitrary, Imperial system of measurement. The exact measurement of each of the metric standards is now based on some quite esoteric physical constant but they also approximate to (and were originally derived from) a straightforward piece of physical mensuration available to all. The meter, for instance, is now based on the wavelength of a particular color of light, but in practical terms 100 km equates to about one degree of arc (4 minutes of rotation at the equator) at the earth's surface. The kilogram is defined by a lump of some rare metal but it is very close to the weight (actually mass, but lets not get into that) of a liter of pure water. These two units, together with the second as a length of time, are enough to derive all the other units of measurement we need. (Fortunately the second was defined by the astronomers way back and is related to the speed of rotation of the Earth so we don't have to deal with Imperial and Metric seconds!) Using multiples of ten means that we can define larger and smaller metric units by simply moving the decimal point, without the need to remember 1760 yards in a mile or 16 ounces in a pound, unless its' liquid when it's 20 ounces, except if you live in the US that is when its ...... and so on and so forth. When people in Canada decry the metric system i wonder how they would have got on with Imperial currency if it hadn't been phased out in the early 1800's. How about 240 cents to the dollar? How about 12 cents to the dime? And a halfcrown instead of a quarter? (NB: There was NO "crown"!) Still sound OK? Try working out an 8% and a 6% tax in your head using 240 cent dollars. My only problem with the metric system is that I was bought up on the Imperial system and when I look at a length it comes into my mind in feet and inches, not in meters and centimeters - or I think it's going to weigh so many pounds (not stones thank goodness) rather than kilos - so I'm constantly doing mental arithmetic to convert into the metric system to know how much I need, or how far I have to go. No, lets keep furlongs, poles, peks, barrels and stones and hundredweights (112 lb. - of course!) in the history books where they belong! And a Merry Christmas (Ooops! Sorry!) Happy Holiday to you all. :-) Malcolm Archive CD Books Canada Inc. President: Malcolm Moody PO Box 11 Manotick Ontario, K4M 1A2 Canada. (613) 692-2667 WEB SITE: http://www.ArchiveCDBooks.ca On 23 Dec, 2007, at 3:02 AM, can-ont-simcoe-request@rootsweb.com wrote: > Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2007 12:55:56 -0500 > From: "Paul and Ruth Robins" <robins0379@rogers.com> > Subject: Re: [CAN-ONT-SIMCOE] Measures & chains & acres, lumbermen and > farmers > To: <can-ont-simcoe@rootsweb.com> > Message-ID: <200712221756.lBMHu0aA028749@mail.rootsweb.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > It was always my understanding, that it was NAPOLEON who > commissioned the > study which eventually became the metric standard. The metre became > 1 / > what-ever of the distance between the Equator, and the North Pole. > > I also understand that is why The BRITISH WORLD got > together, and > THUMPED him :-) > > Pierre What's-his-face finessed Canada into the Metric system > during his > Hay-day !!!! > > I hope that they are using IMPERIAL MEASURE in his corner of > Eternity !!!!!! > > Comprennez-vous ? > > Paul Robins >

Heh--what he said! Tracy Walker ----- Original Message ----- From: "Malcolm Moody" <malcolm@archivecdbooks.ca> To: <can-ont-simcoe@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, December 23, 2007 9:30 AM Subject: Re: [CAN-ONT-SIMCOE] Measures & chains & acres, lumbermen and farmers > Hi Paul, > > Since we seem to be in "silly season": I suspect that Napoleon had > as much to do with the inauguration of the metric system as King > Henry 8(?) had to do with the length of the standard Imperial yard. > It just happened on his "watch." I will, however, stand up for the > metric system (even though I am and old ****, and was bought up on > the silly, and completely arbitrary, Imperial system of measurement. > > The exact measurement of each of the metric standards is now based > on some quite esoteric physical constant but they also approximate to > (and were originally derived from) a straightforward piece of > physical mensuration available to all. The meter, for instance, is > now based on the wavelength of a particular color of light, but in > practical terms 100 km equates to about one degree of arc (4 minutes > of rotation at the equator) at the earth's surface. The kilogram is > defined by a lump of some rare metal but it is very close to the > weight (actually mass, but lets not get into that) of a liter of pure > water. These two units, together with the second as a length of > time, are enough to derive all the other units of measurement we > need. (Fortunately the second was defined by the astronomers way > back and is related to the speed of rotation of the Earth so we don't > have to deal with Imperial and Metric seconds!) Using multiples of > ten means that we can define larger and smaller metric units by > simply moving the decimal point, without the need to remember 1760 > yards in a mile or 16 ounces in a pound, unless its' liquid when it's > 20 ounces, except if you live in the US that is when its ...... and > so on and so forth. > > When people in Canada decry the metric system i wonder how they > would have got on with Imperial currency if it hadn't been phased out > in the early 1800's. How about 240 cents to the dollar? How about > 12 cents to the dime? And a halfcrown instead of a quarter? (NB: > There was NO "crown"!) Still sound OK? Try working out an 8% and a > 6% tax in your head using 240 cent dollars. > > My only problem with the metric system is that I was bought up on > the Imperial system and when I look at a length it comes into my mind > in feet and inches, not in meters and centimeters - or I think it's > going to weigh so many pounds (not stones thank goodness) rather than > kilos - so I'm constantly doing mental arithmetic to convert into the > metric system to know how much I need, or how far I have to go. > > No, lets keep furlongs, poles, peks, barrels and stones and > hundredweights (112 lb. - of course!) in the history books where they > belong! > > And a Merry Christmas (Ooops! Sorry!) Happy Holiday to you all. :-) > > Malcolm > > Archive CD Books Canada Inc. > President: Malcolm Moody > PO Box 11 > Manotick > Ontario, K4M 1A2 > Canada. > (613) 692-2667 > WEB SITE: http://www.ArchiveCDBooks.ca > > On 23 Dec, 2007, at 3:02 AM, can-ont-simcoe-request@rootsweb.com wrote: > > > Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2007 12:55:56 -0500 > > From: "Paul and Ruth Robins" <robins0379@rogers.com> > > Subject: Re: [CAN-ONT-SIMCOE] Measures & chains & acres, lumbermen and > > farmers > > To: <can-ont-simcoe@rootsweb.com> > > Message-ID: <200712221756.lBMHu0aA028749@mail.rootsweb.com> > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > > > It was always my understanding, that it was NAPOLEON who > > commissioned the > > study which eventually became the metric standard. The metre became > > 1 / > > what-ever of the distance between the Equator, and the North Pole. > > > > I also understand that is why The BRITISH WORLD got > > together, and > > THUMPED him :-) > > > > Pierre What's-his-face finessed Canada into the Metric system > > during his > > Hay-day !!!! > > > > I hope that they are using IMPERIAL MEASURE in his corner of > > Eternity !!!!!! > > > > Comprennez-vous ? > > > > Paul Robins > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to CAN-ONT-SIMCOE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message