Summer Olympics Paris - 2024

Messi983

Senior Member
Probably for the same reason they call their NBA winner "world champion". They want to be the world!


Jokes aside, I read somewhere because protestants wanted to differ from Europe's catholics. But I don't know if true, could be bullshit of course. At the moment too lazy to google it.

lol Lyles

Yes, I'm sure there is some explanation behind why they are using their system but it's just confusing for most of the world.

And even more so for Americans (not so much for British people I assume) if/when they travel to Europe or other parts of the world.
 

Maradona37

Well-known member
I know, was just kidding.

I understand feet and inches, kind of understand concept behind pounds, never really understood stones though. It's just a bit random. :lol:


also, why is this "sport" on Olympics?

A stone is 14 pounds. I know that a stone is about 6kg give or take but it still doesn't feel natural to think of body weight in kg or height in m. Just the way I have been brought up.

Imperial system is stupid though because it relies on differing type of units whereas metres become km, grams become kg etc in metric. Most people have no fucking clue how many furlongs are in a mile (it's 8).
 

Loki

Well-known member
A stone is 14 pounds. I know that a stone is about 6kg give or take but it still doesn't feel natural to think of body weight in kg or height in m. Just the way I have been brought up.

Imperial system is stupid though because it relies on differing type of units whereas metres become km, grams become kg etc in metric. Most people have no fucking clue how many furlongs are in a mile (it's 8).
Reading last posts while having absolutely no clue what furlongs, shmurlongs and other Imperial names are:
im-still-waiting-on-the-reply-v0-7f8p6xunziqc1.jpeg
 

Messi983

Senior Member
A stone is 14 pounds. I know that a stone is about 6kg give or take but it still doesn't feel natural to think of body weight in kg or height in m. Just the way I have been brought up.

Imperial system is stupid though because it relies on differing type of units whereas metres become km, grams become kg etc in metric. Most people have no fucking clue how many furlongs are in a mile (it's 8).

But why 14 pounds? Why not 10 for example, would at least make some sense. That's why it's confusing.

Never heard about furlongs, lol. Reading now where that name comes from and understand it but no idea why you would use that in every day life, lol.
 

Maradona37

Well-known member
But why 14 pounds? Why not 10 for example, would at least make some sense. That's why it's confusing.

Never heard about furlongs, lol. Reading now where that name comes from and understand it but no idea why you would use that in every day life, lol.
No idea, I wasn't around to create the system. Though some days like today I feel like I was.
 

Messi983

Senior Member
The name furlong derives from the Old English words furh (furrow) and lang (long).[1] Dating back at least to early Anglo-Saxon times, it originally referred to the length of the furrow in one acre of a ploughed open field (a medieval communal field which was divided into strips). The furlong (meaning furrow length) was the distance a team of oxen could plough without resting. This was standardised to be exactly 40 rods or 10 chains.

A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to any of 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres.
 

Maradona37

Well-known member
The name furlong derives from the Old English words furh (furrow) and lang (long).[1] Dating back at least to early Anglo-Saxon times, it originally referred to the length of the furrow in one acre of a ploughed open field (a medieval communal field which was divided into strips). The furlong (meaning furrow length) was the distance a team of oxen could plough without resting. This was standardised to be exactly 40 rods or 10 chains.

A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to any of 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres.
What can I say? We are a very strange and insular little country.

Rods and chains - sounds like a BDSM party.
 

Messi983

Senior Member
21-17 Turkey, let's see if they can win this set.

2-1!!

also, watching rhytmic gimnastics group final, these girls are brilliant
 
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Maradona37

Well-known member
You guys probably know they call the 1500m the 'metric mile'. That's because there are 1609 metres in an imperial units mile.
 

Maradona37

Well-known member
The more you explain, the less I understand why people force themselves through these units.
If it was up to me I'd go back in time and make the metric system the only system that ever existed.

Like I said above, imperial is stupid because different units and names make up new units and names. With metric if you know how long a metre is you know how long 100000000 metres is in comparison.

How many people (even people like me who grew up with imperial) have memorised how many yards, rods, chains etc are in a mile? very very few.
 

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