English/metric measurement error in the Mars Climate Orbiter

[MeJasonT]

I'm currently making a tripod stand for a garden sculpture/armillary one leg is 15 3/4 " and the other two are 40mm the circumference at the base is 7 3/4" and only one fathom and that is can anyone fathom out what the hell I'm supposed to be doing - just yards away from reality.

why is a Newton in metric anyways, isn't he pre decimalisation

[mklotz]

Let's not forget:

Crown (5/-)
Half Crown (2/6d)
Florin (2/-)
Sixpence (6d)
Silver threepence (3d)

My ex and I visited England in the days before decimalization. She insisted on dragging me to the high-end stores where everything was priced in guineas. I had to ask one of the locals what a guinea was. He told me and I commented that I had never seen one of the bills. "Oh, they stopped minting them before Victoria was crowned" (1837). My first introduction to English monetary confusion.

At first, I carefully checked my change every time I bought something. That required learning about crowns and half crowns, other puzzling denominations. I noticed that the change was often wrong. At first I thought they were just cheating foreigners but at least half the time the error was in my favor so I decided I wasn't the only person confused by such an idiotic money system; the natives were just as confused.

The 'd' for penny derives from the Latin "denarius", a silver coin of the Roman empire used by the English after the Roman occupation. It was simpler to weigh coins than count them and 240 denarius weighed a pound, 'libra' in Latin from which the '£' symbol derives.

[tonyfoale]

Let's not forget:

Crown (5/-)
Half Crown (2/6d)
Florin (2/-)
Sixpence (6d)
Silver threepence (3d)

Crowns and Florins existed but were only in common use way back.

Threepence, you can do better than that - thruppence please.

[mklotz]

Crowns and Florins existed but were only in common use way back.

I was there in the mid-sixties and remember getting half crowns in change. This Wikipedia entry...

In the years just before decimalisation, the circulating British coins were the half crown (2/6, withdrawn 1 January 1970), two shillings or florin (2/-), shilling (1/-), sixpence (6d), threepence (3d), penny (1d) and halfpenny (​1⁄2d). The farthing (​1⁄4d) had been withdrawn in 1960. There was also the Crown (5/-), which was, and still is legal tender, worth 25p, but normally did not circulate.

says they weren't withdrawn until 1970. I seem to remember crowns as well in the change I brought home but can't verify since that was stolen years ago.

[tonyfoale]

I was there in the mid-sixties and remember getting half crowns in change.

Yes half crowns were very common, it was crowns that I said existed but were not in common use. Crowns would be prized and given to the children of well off families for Xmas and birthdays. As my family was not in that class I had to settle for half crowns as very special presents. Sometimes people would put a half crown in a Xmas pudding but a few thrup'ny bits would be more common.

[Tonyg]

Yes half crowns were very common, it was crowns that I said existed but were not in common use. Crowns would be prized and given to the children of well off families for Xmas and birthdays. As my family was not in that class I had to settle for half crowns as very special presents. Sometimes people would put a half crown in a Xmas pudding but a few thrup'ny bits would be more common.

I remember having coins in Christmas pudding - normally sixpences (half-a-bob) and thrup'ny bits (tickey). I still have some of the tickeys (pre 1960) which are made of silver.

[MeJasonT]

I don't have a clue what any of you are on about as i was a baby and didn't require coinage - felt almost regal not having to carry cash and have my servants pay for everything (otherwise known as parents). Oh happy days.

I now pay approximately 50% of my income to a bunch of bafoons in taxes

[drum365]

And then we've got pennies,* long tons, statute miles, nautical miles, swimming miles,** stone,*** rods, leagues, pecks, bushels, hands, blocks,**** shots, jiggers, ponies, drams, board feet, acre feet, cords, and RCHs.*****

And don't get me started on Whitworth nuts & bolts!

* nail sizes
** 1650 yards
*** yes, the plural of "stone" is "stone"
**** as a city distance
***** the smallest distance you can move a rip fence by tapping

[Tonyg]

And then we've got pennies,* long tons, statute miles, nautical miles, swimming miles,** stone,*** rods, leagues, pecks, bushels, hands, blocks,**** shots, jiggers, ponies, drams, board feet, acre feet, cords, and RCHs.*****

And don't get me started on Whitworth nuts & bolts!

* nail sizes
** 1650 yards
*** yes, the plural of "stone" is "stone"
**** as a city distance
***** the smallest distance you can move a rip fence by tapping

The stone (14lbs) is still commonly used in the UK when they discuss their body weight. Perhaps it makes them sound slimmer?

[mklotz]

The stone (14lbs) is still commonly used in the UK when they discuss their body weight. Perhaps it makes them sound slimmer?

The stone is also the reason the British hundredweight (cwt) weighs a surprising 112 pounds (8 stone).

Anvils used to be stamped with three digits, eg. ABC, to denote their weight

A = hundredweights
B = quarters cwt (28 pounds)
C = pounds

so, instead of three digits denoting weight in pounds, they made you work for it. This system was probably created by a frustrated arithmetic teacher.