this post was submitted on 23 Dec 2024
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Science Memes

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A ton of bollocks, more like (files.catbox.moe)
submitted 4 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The long (British) and short (American) ton are both 20 hundredweights. The American hundredweight is exactly 100 pounds, while the British hundredweight is 112. You tell me which of those is more reasonable.

That said, both units did, in fact, come from Britain. The old Imperial system often used the same name for different units depending on what was being measured and for what purpose. Both countries passed laws to simplify and consolidate these measurements in the early 19th century, but in many cases chose different versions to standardize on.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Isn't it also because they would use the same units but undercut the American buyers or something? Same why a pint isn't a pint?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The pints thing actually has the same cause as I was talking about above: The British standardized around the Elizabethan ale gallon, while America used the Queen Anne wine gallon.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago

fuckin'. WHAT!?

like i absolutely believe you, but this sounds completely insane