Talking of things like jam jars getting smaller, and at the risk of
perpetuating the concept presented earlier that Aussies are heavy drinkers,
beers have also shrunk in size since the days of 26 oz (bottle') and 13.5 oz
'stubby, glass can' in Oz parlance).  The 750 ml is fine but there are some
Aussie beer stubbbys which are down to nearly 300ml.

It is like the old beer champagnes I mentioned earlier this week in which
the pushups were often so great that there was little room for much in the
way of contents. Some years ago we did a volumetric check on such bottles.
The range of actual capacity was considerable. Has anyone else tackled
similar studies? I would have to dig out my notes to get our actual results.

Then came regulations and bottles were 'standardised'.  Then, nearly a
century later when we 'metricated' there was another progressive effort to
diminish the actual capacity.  This time they have to label it but not too
obviously.  It is up to the consumer to read every bit of print on the
labels including the fine print that says 'you've been duped, this one is
45ml short' or words to that effect.

Gordon Grimwade

--
"I have not failed; I have just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
(Thomas Edison)


Gordon Grimwade & Associates,
Heritage Consultants,
PO Box 9
Yungaburra,
Queensland, Australia 4872.

Web site <gga.com.au>


> From: Ned Heite <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2003 06:04:39 -0400
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: measuring artifacts
>
> At 8:38 AM -0500 9/17/03, Michael Pfeiffer wrote:
>> I still measure pipe stems in 64s of an inch (I paid good money to get my
>> step guages made) but put the metric in parentheses behind it.  Just makes
>> its easier to compare with older published data and does not alienate
>> non-archaeologist pipe folks.
>
> There are times when "precision" and "accuracy" are not the same.  A
> bunch of zeroes after a decimal point may look "scientific," but we
> are looking for information, not data.
>
> The difference between information and data is too frequently not
> appreciated, especially by those with pretense to casting
> "scientific" aura over their output.  Information is what you get out
> of data, and it makes no sense to gather data in a form that goes
> beyond your information needs.
>
> So if I found a cache of ten-inch dinner plates, or 8" by 10" window
> panes,  I would not need their precise metric dimensions for purposes
> of the report.  If, however, I were studying the progress of
> precision machinery over the years, I would be interested in how
> closely the product adhered to  the standard.
>
> As for pipe stems, I still use twist drills, which give me all the
> information I need, without needless metric data that will just
> clutter the text and reduce the information value.
>
> I'm reminded of the Safeway strawberry jam that appeared in the
> stores every June, packaged in useful drinking glasses. Naturally we
> bought a few jars every year, and saved them in the cupboard.  After
> about a decade, we realized that a "jar of jam" was getting
> progressively smaller. Of course, the labels were long gone with the
> lids, but when we lined up the jam glasses it was clear that a "jar
> of jam" was getting smaller.
> --
> Ned @ Heite.org
>
> You know you're in trouble
> when your idea of excitement
> is the way the receipt pops
> jauntily, even with gay abandon,
> from the slot in the ATM machine.