# Do you do nasty math in English units? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 16, 2004, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-nasty-math-in-english-units/275082 "2004-11-16T17:37:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Yamirskoonir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/c0e974/32.png) [@Yamirskoonir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yamirskoonir)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-nasty-math-in-english-units/275082/21 "2004-11-18T01:07:22Z")
Hehe. Reading this thread title, my first thought was that “nasty math” was a _type_ of mathematics, like discrete or continuous. :smack: _::slinks back to safe, happy world of English Literature::_ ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-nasty-math-in-english-units/275082/22 "2004-11-18T02:09:52Z")
By the way, my favorite odd unit from nuclear power is the [Barn](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barn_%28unit%29) – it is used to measure cross sections at the atomic level. Its name always made me think “Couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn door”, and apparently the Wikipedia entry I linked to seems to support that silly association. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-nasty-math-in-english-units/275082/23 "2004-11-18T02:39:28Z")
Petroleum geophysics in the U.S. is conducted using feet, pounds, miles, etc. On the occasions when I’ve had to work on international projects, switching to metric units has not been much of a problem. But my repertoire of memorized calculations is in the old English units. Didn’t the Brits use miles up until sometime in the mid-20th century? ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-nasty-math-in-english-units/275082/24 "2004-11-18T03:10:56Z")
> [@Ringo](#): > > Didn’t the Brits use miles up until sometime in the mid-20th century? They still do. Metric for everything else, but they drive in miles. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-nasty-math-in-english-units/275082/25 "2004-11-18T03:17:54Z")
**minor7flat5** Besides the **barn** , an equally humorous area unit is the **shed**. That one cracks me up because it reminds me of the ridiculous Monty Python sketch “Arthur 2 Sheds Jackson”. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-nasty-math-in-english-units/275082/26 "2004-11-18T10:24:40Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > They still do. Metric for everything else, but they drive in miles. Still a lot of opposition to it, basically because it was forced on them by the EU: shopkeepers being prosecuted for still weighing in pounds and ounces, that kind of thing. Many people still see it as a French plot. Me, I like the Imperial system over the metric system: if you count in 10’s, it’s only divisible by 2 and 5; if you count in 12’s, it’s divisible by 2’s, 3’s, 4’s and 6’s - I find it easier in my head. Besides, the metric system has yet to come up with a measurement of length that I can relate to easily: I’m 5’11": Ok, that’s 5 and almost-another units I can picture - if I put on my boots, I’m 6 foot. I’m 179 cm: Ok, that’s, um, 179…little…things. Think I’ll put on my boots anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-nasty-math-in-english-units/275082/27 "2004-11-18T11:47:39Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > It doesn’t really have to be strictly scientific, but I’m looking for places where people are forced to endure calculus or at least strenuous algebra using English units. > > Tell me about your own work that uses English units. > > When I studied nuclear power in the Navy, every single calculation was performed in pounds force, pounds mass, gallons, feet, British thermal units, horsepower, and so forth. What’s the big deal, really? If you can do the math in the first place and understand the engineering, then…what’s the big deal? - Jinx [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-nasty-math-in-english-units/275082.md?page=1)