all posts post new thread

Off-Topic Hamburger Math Story

Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
Steve Freides

Steve Freides

Staff
Senior Certified Instructor Emeritus
Elite Certified Instructor

A&W Restaurants

By now you've probably heard the story: once upon a time, A&W Restaurants released a third-pound burger that failed to catch on thanks to a misunderstanding of fractions. Just how accurate is this tale of math mistakes and fraction flubs? Read on for the scoop. In the 1980s, then-owner A. Alfred...
awrestaurants.com awrestaurants.com

-S-
 
Steve Freides said:

A&W Restaurants

By now you've probably heard the story: once upon a time, A&W Restaurants released a third-pound burger that failed to catch on thanks to a misunderstanding of fractions. Just how accurate is this tale of math mistakes and fraction flubs? Read on for the scoop. In the 1980s, then-owner A. Alfred...
awrestaurants.com awrestaurants.com

-S-
Click to expand...
Back in the day Horst Szymaniak, a German soccer player, famously said during contract negotiations:
"A pay raise of a third? I want at least a quarter more!"

Same but different :)
 
Wow, just wow. As an Aussie, I will never understand the American obsession with fractions. Absolutely does my head in. Nothing against you lot, but just doesn't work for me at all. Give me the nice clean 10 based metric system anyday.
 
offwidth said:
Depends upon wether its a pint glass or a .47 liter glass…
Click to expand...
Benjamin Renaud said:
Haha, I immediately thought of a pint of beer or a half liter reading this just 5 minutes ago.
Click to expand...
There's a scene in 1984 by George Orwell where an old man complains about being served a half liter of beer instead of a pint because "A 'alf liter ain't enough. It don't satisfy."
 
I’m an Aussie too but work in manufacturing where all different types of equipment mean we deal with both.

As a beer drinker also I got quite annoyed when I bought some pint glasses online only to discover they were American pints, not English pint glasses. It means I just have to have an extra one.

On that note, last week the family traveled and we had to stop. We don’t eat McDonald’s, been many years but when you’re far from anywhere, what do you do?. Anyway I got a Bic Mac and was surprised at how much smaller it seemed from when I was young. Nothing big about it. My stomach complained for a few hours afterwards. Never again haha
 
offwidth said:
So… riddle me this…in regular conversation would you say “half a kilometer” or “500 meters”?
Click to expand...
500 meters anytime.
But if it's 1500 meters, it'll be kilometre-n-half
And no way 500 ml, only half of litre.
And if you say to Russian "half of litre", he will never ask you litre of what.
Same weird as mile, gallon and that weird thing you, muricans, call football, God forbid.
Go figure
 
Last edited:
Benjamin Renaud said:
Working as a carpenter in Canada is a pain. We all learn metrics in school, but end up having to work with imperial measures all the time. And don't get me started on using Allen keys, Torx or a ratchet set here...
Click to expand...
The minute you think ratchets are a good idea you suddenly need two sets, because you never know if you'll need a 6mm or a 1/4" and by golly when you need one and have the other nothing's going to wrok...
 
Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
Back
Top Bottom