Metric

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Metric

Post by mausermate » 03 Sep 2014, 11:01 am

In 1970, the Parliament of Australia passed the Metric Conversion Act, which created the Metric Conversion Board to facilitate the conversion of measurements from imperial to metric. A timeline of major developments in this conversion process is as follows:

1971 – the Australian wool industry converted to the metric system.
1972 – all primary schools were teaching the metric system alone. Many had been teaching both imperial and metric and later, metric alone since Australia changed to the decimal currency system in 1966. Horse racing converted in August 1972 and air temperatures were converted in September 1972.
1973 – all secondary schools were now using the metric system.
1974 – large scale conversion across industries, including packaged grains, dairy products, eggs, building, timber, paper, printing, meteorological services, postal services, communications, road transport, travel, textiles, gas, electricity, surveying, sport, water supply, mining, metallurgy, chemicals, petroleum and automotive services. Most beverages, aside from spirits, also converted to metric units by the end of 1974. The conversion of road signs took place in July 1974. There was a publicity campaign to prepare the public.
1977 – all packaged goods were labelled in metric units, and the air transport, food, energy, machine tool, electronic, electrical engineering and appliance manufacturing industries converted.
1987 – The Real estate industry converted to metric.
1988 – Metrication completed, with the metric system becoming the only system of legal measurements in Australia.


Can anyone one tell me why an Aussie forum uses imperial? I am 50, born in Australia and educated using metric but I notice a lot (most) people on this forum use imperial measurements. Personally, I find imperial hard to use and I guess that most of the younger ones on this forum would be the same.

Is there any particular reason why you use imperial?
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Re: Metric

Post by 1290 » 03 Sep 2014, 11:58 am

beeeeecause.... I like to see the youngsters floundering when you talk roods and rods :D (not that I'm that old)

really, our yankie brothers persist with imperial, therefore all non-euro shooting stuff has to be in imperial measure, but as far as discussion concerning inches, feet, yards.. the only excuse is when they are parroting convo from a US forum perhaps...

btw, I think units are a very interesting topic (also as a technically oriented professional);
Can anyone tell all where the unit of the 'mile' is derived? (without asking the google machine) the answer is actually very interesting.....
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Re: Metric

Post by Shotfox » 03 Sep 2014, 1:02 pm

And I was thinking A.F stood for Australian Fred :lol:

Hows about tyre sizes then - EG 245 / 70 / R16 = 245mm, then 70 % profile ,then 16 inch rim .. Go figure ?? :shock:
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Re: Metric

Post by Baldrick314 » 03 Sep 2014, 2:35 pm

mausermate wrote:Is there any particular reason why you use imperial?


I'm 24 so I was taught strictly metric in school but use imperial most often in relation to shooting. I'd put it down to most of the information I read about shooting comes from US gun mags and videos. Plus because a lot of terminology is based in imperial (MOA and the like) it was easier to stick in imperial than convert the idea back to metric. When I read australian mags it irks me a little to read OAL and barrel lengths in metric measurements :lol:
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Re: Metric

Post by petemacsydney » 03 Sep 2014, 2:39 pm

1290 wrote:Can anyone tell all where the unit of the 'mile' is derived? (without asking the google machine) the answer is actually very interesting.....


it was the bl**dy Romans...
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Re: Metric

Post by Warrigul » 03 Sep 2014, 2:45 pm

I am not fussed with either, I occaisonally drag out the "chains" to upset the young blokes.

And we all use grains.............................
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Re: Metric

Post by Download » 03 Sep 2014, 2:58 pm

mausermate wrote:Can anyone one tell me why an Aussie forum uses imperial? I am 50, born in Australia and educated using metric but I notice a lot (most) people on this forum use imperial measurements. Personally, I find imperial hard to use and I guess that most of the younger ones on this forum would be the same.

Is there any particular reason why you use imperial?


Because most firearms related things are made in the US.

I could call a 1" scope ring a 25.4mm scope ring but there is no point. I could call 45ACP 11.48x22.81mm but why would I?(actually they do call it that in central and northern Europe...) Why? Why bother converting everything when I know off the top of my head that 45ACP is 0.45" in diameter?

Sure, when I make or design things I use the metric system; it simply makes more sense. But if something is originally in imperial I probably will stick with imperial because I end up with a dozen decimal places when I convert it.
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Re: Metric

Post by 5Tom » 03 Sep 2014, 8:59 pm

I only refer to the imperial system when talking about or working with firearms. It's more natural to do so and that's what I was taught while learning about firearms.

Everything else in terms of work or other types of measurement, it will always be using the metric system.
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Re: Metric

Post by Westy » 04 Sep 2014, 5:51 am

If it isn't broke why fix it Mauser!!!!And mine isn't broke!!!LOL Serious though I did a apprenticeship with a few old guys and they weren't changing for anyone to the metric system, so I learned to talk both language's Metric and Imperial!!!!! Have to say it served me well as in the early 90's I packed up and lived in the U.S for a few years and I went straight to the top of the class!!!!!LOL
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Re: Metric

Post by kritch » 04 Sep 2014, 12:11 pm

Westy wrote:I did a apprenticeship with a few old guys and they weren't changing for anyone to the metric system


That's just being stubborn though, and not changing to a simpler, easier to use system because you can't be bothered.

I'll always use metric wherever possible.
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Re: Metric

Post by loopal » 17 Sep 2014, 11:22 am

Imperial will never get phased out.

Way too ingrained in way too many things for it to ever happen.
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Re: Metric

Post by Westy » 18 Sep 2014, 6:47 am

kritch wrote:That's just being stubborn though, and not changing to a simpler, easier to use system because you can't be bothered.


You tell them that!

More than likely their all dead now days anyways but they all said metric was for the rag trade not the building trade!!!
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Re: Metric

Post by jennageit » 18 Sep 2014, 10:25 am

I was taught metric at school, but my parents were taught imperial. In our house, we had to know both.

If you buy rugs or anything similar for horses, it's all imperial. And I've found that working with my husband on the cars, some cars we need to use metric sockets, spanners etc, others use imperial.

I do better with imperial, but I still find it all a pain in the bum.

One system for everything I reckon, oh, and colour coding ammunition too :lol:

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Re: Metric

Post by kritch » 18 Sep 2014, 3:14 pm

Westy wrote:You tell them that!


Oh I do.

Never miss a chance to put down imperial :lol:
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