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Old October 19th 18, 05:52 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Martin Gregorie[_6_]
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Default CELEBRATING OUR 12TH BIRTHDAY

On Fri, 19 Oct 2018 08:27:08 -0600, Dan Marotta wrote:

Is there a difference between a GB pound and a pound sterling?Â* If so,
what?

The currency is "pound Sterling", symbol GBP, presumably to distinguish
it from the 'pound weight' also known as the 'pound Avoirdupois', which
refers to the Avoirdupois system of measuring weight using pounds and
ounces. The latter dates from the 13th century and was internationally
standardised in 1959 (or so it says in Wikipedia, so it *must* be right).

IOW British and American pounds and ounces are (or should be the same
weight) but Imperial and US hundredweights and tons differ. I've never
seen grains, drams and quarters used, though apparently they are still
current in the USA.

Apologies for the topic drift, but different systems of measurement
intrigue me (with a scientific background I switched from Imperial to
Metric ASAP (and then from cgs to MKS and SI units).

I now return you to our regular programm.


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