imperial system

imperial system
the traditional system of weights and measures in Britain which is gradually being replaced by the metric system. Customary measure used in the US is similar to the imperial system with a few slight differences. Although most imperial measures have now gone out of use in Britain, many older British people still think of things in terms of the old system. The only imperial measure still widely used in the UK is the mile which is used on road signs. In the US, customary units, also called standard units, are still used and the metric system is only used in scientific research. Length is measured in yards, feet and inches, and many people know their height in feet and inches. Weight is measured in pounds and ounces, although many British people say their own weight in stones (= a stone is 14 pounds) and pounds. Larger quantities are weighed in hundredweight and tons, the exact sizes of which are slightly different in the UK and US. Volume is measured in pints and gallons, with a US gallon being slightly smaller than a UK gallon. In Britain, pints are still used to measure beer in pubs. Weather forecasters in Britain now describe temperature in degrees Celsius or Centigrade, but they often convert it to the Fahrenheit scale for older viewers and Fahrenheit is still used in the US.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • imperial system of units — imperinė vienetų sistema statusas T sritis Standartizacija ir metrologija apibrėžtis Didžiosios Britanijos oficialioji skysčių ir biralų matavimo vienetų sistema. atitikmenys: angl. British Imperial system of units; imperial system of units rus.… …   Penkiakalbis aiškinamasis metrologijos terminų žodynas

  • imperial system — noun a system of measurement in use in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries, now mostly superseded by the metric system; similar to currently used in the United States; consisting of units such as the inch, the mile and the pound… …   Wiktionary

  • imperial system — /ɪmˌpɪəriəl ˈsɪstəm/ (say im.peareeuhl sistuhm) noun a system of non metric weights and measures established in Great Britain in 1824, previously used throughout the British Empire and Commonwealth, including Australia, and still used for some… …  

  • British Imperial System — ▪ measurement system        British Imperial and U.S. Customary systems of weights and measures British Imperial and U.S. Customary systems of weights and measurestraditional system of weights and measures used officially in Great Britain from… …   Universalium

  • (the) imperial system — the imperial system [the imperial system] the traditional system of weights and measures in Britain which is gradually being replaced by the ↑metric system. Customary measure used in the US is similar to the imperial system with a few slight… …   Useful english dictionary

  • British Imperial system of units — imperinė vienetų sistema statusas T sritis Standartizacija ir metrologija apibrėžtis Didžiosios Britanijos oficialioji skysčių ir biralų matavimo vienetų sistema. atitikmenys: angl. British Imperial system of units; imperial system of units rus.… …   Penkiakalbis aiškinamasis metrologijos terminų žodynas

  • Imperial units — or the Imperial system is a collection of units, first defined in the British Weights and Measures Act of 1824 , later refined (until 1959) and reduced. The units were introduced in the United Kingdom and its colonies, including Commonwealth… …   Wikipedia

  • British Imperial System — noun a system of weights and measures based on the foot and pound and second and pint • Syn: ↑English system, ↑British system • Hypernyms: ↑system of weights and measures • Part Meronyms: ↑avoirdupois unit …   Useful english dictionary

  • Imperial units —    the units of the British Imperial system, adopted by Parliament in 1824.    The basic units of the system are the foot, the avoirdupois pound, and the Imperial pint. The Weights and Measures Acts of 1963 and 1985 have redefined the Imperial… …   Dictionary of units of measurement

  • imperial — 1. adjective a) Related to an empire, emperor, or empress. b) Relating to the British imperial system of measurement. Syn: imperial system …   Wiktionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”