Measuring drink volumes in centiliters

[CookingWithGas]

@spingears

Let me guess.
You paid the equivalent of $1.00/L!
It was $1.oo/L in Geneva in 1958.

Diesel was 1€20 per liter, or about US$5.86 per gallon (or, keeping with the theme, 0.04578125¢ per fluid ounce ).

[UncleRojelio]

@CookingWithGas

I was interested in this because I spent two weeks in France last month. In general, units are chosen so that the scale yields measurement that are simple to deal with. People generally prefer to measure 50 of something over 0.5 of something or 500 somethings. I bought gas there by filling the tank with 45 liters rather than 4,500 centiliters. I would rather drive 10 kilometers than 1,000,000 centimeters. I would rather weigh 80 kilgorams than 80,000 grams. If you pick the wrong units the numbers just get unwieldy.

I got tired of telling folks that our big test tank held 700,000 gallons so now I tell them it contains 26 myrialiters.

[naita]

@quelquechose

In France it seems like drink volumes are almost always stated in terms of centiliters, with 50cl being the most common. Is this the same in other parts of the world? Why are centiliters used instead of milliliters or deciliters?

Because old habits die hard.

In Norway shots are measured in cl, and cl is used to indicate the contents of long drinks. Soda bottles from .5l and up are labled in liters. The .33 bottles of soda might have 330ml on the lable, but I think they at least used to be 0.33l cause that’s what I remember calling them. “Zero thirtythree” Of course they’re sometimes 0.35 instead… Restaurants have .8, .5, .4 and/or .33 liters of soda on the menu, depending on the type of restaurant.

Cooking recipies will usually have fluids measured in deciliters.