Understanding tare weights

My Bristol single decker had 3-19-2 on the battery flap underneath the seating capacity. The Setright ticket machine on top of the engine shroud went up to 1/11. All this malarkey with tens, hundreds and thousandths of things is very confusing. Bring back the 4, 6, 7, 12, 14, 16 and 20. I knew where I was then, and I managed to get A level maths. Who else remembers calculus, slide rules, log tables and the like?
 
idlemarvel said:
A US ton is 2000 pounds (lbs) compared to imperial ton of 2,240 lbs. It is also called a "short ton" in comparison to the imperial "long ton" . A metric tonne is 1000 kg or 2205 lbs (in round numbers).
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Confusing that we go from weight (or is it really mass?) to length with short tons and long tons.
 
They are measures of mass but as most of us live in 1g we can call it weight.
Short as in a bit missing as in "sandwich short of a picnic"!
 
Rhinochugger said:
Yes, the problem is that metric is logical but pretty useless.

Even the continentals who invented it, and who devised the SI units, have to have a work around that uses centimetres - something that confuses the hell out of me, as when I converted (well sort of) from metric to imperial measurements, we only used SI units, which rely on multiples of 1,000.

And timber lengths are still multiples of 300 mm (0.3 m). The Danes stuck with a timber measure that was very similar to 1ft.

So I still go to a builders merchants to buy 2.4 m of 4" x 2"
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Which isn't actually 4X2, as that's usually the rough cut size
 
Paul M said:
Which isn't actually 4X2, as that's usually the rough cut size
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:oops::oops::oops:

Yebbut

OK, if you want it smooth all round (PAR) it's ex 4" x 2"

1/8" (or 3mm) for planing

You can have it regularised (planing on short edges only) but it'll still come out at 37/" or 98 mm :cool::cool::cool:
 
Rhinochugger said:
....
The base unit is the metre - so far so good, but it all falls apart after that.
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to me it seems quite simple.

like Decade (10)
Century (100)
Millenium (1000)

Metre =1 - a unit
Decimetre = 0.1 - a tenth
Centimetre = 0.01 - a hundredth
Millimetre = 0.001 - a thousandth

but even in the decimal world we use "fingerwidths" and similar measures now and then.
 
idlemarvel said:
A US ton is 2000 pounds (lbs) compared to imperial ton of 2,240 lbs. It is also called a "short ton" in comparison to the imperial "long ton" . A metric tonne is 1000 kg or 2205 lbs (in round numbers).
Click to expand...

I'm still waiting for the long weight I ordered. :giggle:
 
Paul M said:
Hang on, we haven't started talking about screw threads.........yet
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Screw threads just had some fun with these ordered my 1-72 ANF, and i needed 1-64 ANC, how on earth did I over calculate by 8 TPI.
 
korm kormsen said:
to me it seems quite simple.

like Decade (10)
Century (100)
Millenium (1000)

Metre =1 - a unit
Decimetre = 0.1 - a tenth
Centimetre = 0.01 - a hundredth
Millimetre = 0.001 - a thousandth

but even in the decimal world we use "fingerwidths" and similar measures now and then.
Click to expand...
Yes, that's all fine, but the Systeme Internationale (SI) was based entirely on the 1,000s principle in order to create a .............. well ................. an international system.

So the construction industry worked at that time with SI units :nod: and I have problems visualising a centimetre :shake: SWMBO says something is 75, and I say, 'Oh, you mean 750.' I mean, work it out for yourself, she's looking at 2 ft 6 ins and I think she's talking about 3 inches o_O


That's why all our tables are so low to the ground :confused::confused:
 
I learned my metrics in Italy long before SI, so centimetres are what I use for choice when I'm not using inches.
And the colloquial unit of mass/weight was a kilo, never mind the "correct" kilogram. IIRC, the Italian plural was kili. Incidentally, they still referred to ells (elli) in fabric stores when my Mum went shopping, although they measured out metres.
 
As a kid I learned the old pommy (UK) weights and measures (avoirdupois?) at school and it was a pain trying to remember all the different odd numbers and names for them eg roods, chains etc.

When metric came along it made it just so much easier every measurement was based on mm eg 1.256M = 1256mm so the measurements can be a little more precise and I do not have to resorts to 1/32's and 1/64's.

When I look at forums and books about large scale I convert all the measurements into metric because we cannot buy imperial measuring tapes rulers etc.
I still have a couple of old ones (my folding carpenters ruler for example) stashed away but they rarely see light of day.

In Aust mm is used by tradesmen (tradespeople for the PC crowd), cm is used by dressmakers. ;)

I found the best way forward was to forget the old system and work in the new because that is what everyone else is using, it worked for me until I started working on US aircraft equipment and that is a whole new world altogether.
 
JimmyB said:
Screw threads just had some fun with these ordered my 1-72 ANF, and i needed 1-64 ANC, how on earth did I over calculate by 8 TPI.
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1:24'd when you should have 1:20.3'd?

Related to SI - in the radiation/radioactive world we've gone from an absurdly large number (Curies) to an absurdly small number (becquerels). I do have to admit I like the simple elegance of the becquerel being one decay per second. But, as a practical unit it stinks almost almost as bad as the Curie at 3.7E10 decays per second.
 
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We had to do compound interest on pounds shillings and pence using longhand multiplication at school.

When I started Engineering, we had to land measure from chain to the inch drawings with a metric planometer, and quote acres, rood, and perches.

...and why do I know that one chain is 20.1168m ? I had to measure up 400 miles of railway track with a 20m steel tape !
 
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