(:-) How to Measure Cultural Differences in Metric Units

A science test was conducted on adults in different countries. The citizens were asked a simple questions: "How much is 10 x 100 grams?" These are the results:

1) 90% of the USA citizens responded that apart from cheese and wine,

they were not interested in French "inventions".

2) 52% of the UK citizens responded that they did not want to change their

treasured British Imperial system.

3) 30% of the South African in Cape Town responded that science was

always a difficult subject for them; they customarily were buying only

1 x 100 g or 2 x 100 g of a Hungarian salami.

4) 90% of the French citizens answered that a such test was outdated

and should had been administered during a Bonaparte time.

5) 97% Germans responded promptly: "1 kilogram".

6) 80% of Indians responded that the problem was simple as the three

zeros at the end of a number could be replaced by prefix "kilo", therefore,

1000 g equalled 1 kilogram.

7) However, 67% of Polish and Russians answered: "1 litre"!

Conclusions:

Re 1) With One exception, they are too complacent...
Re 2) Hmm, tradition...tradition...
Re 3) The country will need technicians in a short future...
Re 4) They know how to live...
Re 5) They are the best, obviously...
Re 6) "See how they run". Forward, of course...
Re 7) They should drink less vodka !

The moral:

Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is strongly forbidden for the calamity of all people, for all time. Dissemination of SI/metric system is strongly recommended "for the benefit of all people, for all time" (the French Assembly, June 1799).

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Wacek Kijewski
Metric Fun
"SI Units, Conversion and Measurement Skills"
PO Box 2358 George 6530 South Africa
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