h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Okay, I'm extremely impressed with the amout of information contained in your entry. Most of this "units of measure" stuff is WAY beyond me.
But, since I have worked in an American pharmacy for all of my adult life I couldn't help but notice some problems with your listings of US volumes of liquids. I question your measurement for a teaspoon. (listed as 9.8578432 ml and 1/3 of a fluid ounce) According to my calculations a teaspoon is actually 4.9289216 ml and 1/6th of a fluid ounce. There are 3 teaspoons per tablespoon, and 6 teaspoons in a fluid ounce. Also I noticed that you've listed a cup as being 16 tablespoons. Althought this is technically correct, I have never met an American who would think of it as such. We usually would refer to one cup as 1/2 pint, or more commonly as 8 fluid ounces.
I read (in another conversation) someone's suggestion that we Americans should give up our system of ridiculously difficult measurement, and I could not agree more. Compounding the problems we have using our system is the fact that we use parts of many different measurement systems in dosing medication. (A common formula we use calls for adding 2 tablespoons of bleach and 5 grams of soda bicarbonate to a half gallon of sterile water)
So my proposal is to standardize. But what should we standardize to?!?

Teresa

How about using the SI standards like (almost) the rest of the world?

SI, without question. Scientists have already standardised on it.

Despite all the fuss in the UK about standardisation and shops being prosecuted for using imperial units, it's still illegal to put up signs that use the metric system. I know of a case of a council being fined for puting up such a sign.