Thursday, August 21, 2008

Units of Measurements

There are many differences between America and Germany. At the most basic- they speak German in Germany, na klar! But there are smaller ones too. For example, I constantly have to remember to begin counting with my thumb. Perplexed shopkeepers, I have had enough of you- I will remember!

However, the other day, Melanie and I were sharing stories of our families. She was describing a cousin to me, one she said was very tall- over two meters. Then I had to tell her, that sorry- I really have no clue what that means. A meter is a small yard, right? And a centimeter is a really small inch, no? The conversation expanded to our crazy world of Fahrenheit. That's right, Melanie- Fahrenheit. According to some cursory research only a few nations retain Fahrenheit. The US, Liberia, Myanmar, and Belize, together going strong with Fahrenheit! It does seem, interestingly enough, that the Fahrenheit system was developed by a German.

I have almost no perception of Celsius. Hmmm...I know (from Cordelia) that over 30°C is surely a sign of the apocalypse, but beyond that- not so much. And even then, how much can I trust that? According to the handy conversion website I found, 30°C is only about 86°F. Really, Apocalypse??

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

counting on thumbs--weird, but farenheit--weirder.

also, that park from the other day's post sounds marvelous. I love urban parks.

and, hey , the german women won the bronze in football/soccer, so good for them (but US just won GOLD!--maybe that's what farenheit's good for . . . ?)