Re: Ada 9X Doc v5.99

[csusb@csv.warwick.ac.uk (Jules)]

In article <3ggh6q$bpd@felix.seas.gwu.edu>,
	mfeldman@seas.gwu.edu (Michael Feldman) writes:

>But soft drinks are typically sold in liter bottles now, even in the
>backward U.S. Liquid refreshment may in fact be sold formally by the
>metric system in Europe, but the actual bottle sizes certainly are
>not in round numbers. Soft drinks In Europe tend to come in strange
>(though metric) sizes, like 33 cl. Beer too, I think. And one definitely
>runs into 750 ml wine bottles. Marketing, no doubt, just like here.
>
>Mike Feldman

It's to do with standardisation. When we all metricated (?) we decided on
various capacities that were standard. For any particular type of product,
there are only certain sizes that the vendors are allowed to sell them in.

For example, drinks may be (for example), 250ml or 330ml. You could not
sell a can of drink containing 300ml in Europe. I believe 330ml originated
because it was quite close to a common imperial unit (could be half a pint,
but I'm not sure), whilst still being a relatively round number in the decimal
system.

Oh and 750ml is absolutely standard for a 'bottle' of wine. Has been for ages.
I don't know when this tradition started, but something to do with the French,
at a guess.


-- 
/* Julian R Hall				csusb@csv.warwick.ac.uk
   
   Flames should be redirected to /dev/null - I don't know what
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