Oil volume between marks on dipstick

Post by **Cam** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 10:47 am

Well, a BTU (British Thermal Unit) is a measure of engergy and is really only used for heating systems nowadays (i.e. how many BTU's required to heat a room of a certain size, etc). It's also used for gas appliances but not much anymore I don't think.

Anyway 1 BTU is around 1055 Joules

A slug is a small shell-less mollusc of the class Gastropoda.

No, seriously, a slug is an old unit of mass and is around 14.59 kg

Post by **ColinP** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 10:56 am

Well,

I've just been looking for a central heating radiator (replacing a long low one with a tall thin one). The calculator provided on-line takes measurements in metric or imperial, but provides the information in BTUs!

Unfortunately, the radiator outputs are in watts.....

Whatever happened to SI units?

(1 BTU = energy to raise 1 lb of water by 1 degree F).

I'm glad we don't have too many nuclear physicists here - ther have units of area (cross-section) called "barns" and "sheds"

By the by - (an old Asimov question) what do you first think of when you read the word "mole"?

Colin

Post by **Cam** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 10:59 am

This:

And not benign skin growths or acid strength!

Post by **paulk** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 11:11 am

Learnt about slugs in Uni. The US use them in Aeronautical Calculations still. Well, they did 10 years ago anyway.

Paulk

Post by **ColinP** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 12:18 pm

Well that rules you out as an MI5 agent!

If we're not careful Onne wil learn about rods, poles & perches, then become an expert on cricket (distance between creases)

Colin

Post by **bigginger** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 12:31 pm

...and let's not forget chains, Furlongs, virgates (yardlands), bushels, pecks and guineas...

Post by **Cam** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 1:04 pm

And one I thought Andrew might mention: CWT!

Post by **bigginger** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 1:46 pm

Short or long CWT?

Post by **Cam** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 1:50 pm

Erm......... long I think. Wasn't short just rounded down to make the calculations easier and the quantities more prone to be wrong?

Post by **bigginger** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 1:57 pm

Simplified for/by the Americans, who liked their units imperial but their counting metric...

Post by **MikeNash** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 5:27 pm

OK folks! Here's the answer!
I find that between Min & Max marks on my 1098 dipstick is near as I can measure it exactly 2 pints! I sure this can't be chance and probably reflects the sale of oil in quart cans when we were young.

The distance between the markings is 13/16 of an inch, and this gives as near as dammit
18mm to one litre
0.4inches to one pint.

(And a slug is 32.174 pounds in the slug-foot-second measure or 47.88 kg in the slug-metre-second reckoning. Not a lot of people know that.)
MikeN.