In an episode of the Simpsons, Grampa declares the the metric system to be the work of the devil, saying "my car gets 40 rods to the hogshead." While the hogshead may not be quite so easy to define (it is around 50 or 60 gallons, but varies depending on what is measured), the rod was a standard measure of distance. Just how far was his car going on a 40th of a hogshead? (Put much more simply, how long is a rod?)
And yes, Grampa's car got really, really bad mileage.
February 26, 2008
Trivial Tuesday
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6 comments:
a yard?
5 and a half feet to 6 feet I think. the only reason I know this is because I am a nerd, and like reading about random trivia, especially if it is related to any period of history before the 19th century.
Esther, It's more than a yard.
Hex, Nope, not quite right.
Hmm, perhaps if one were to combine part of each of those answers...
so 4 1/2 feet o.o?
a meter?
A rod is 16 and a half feet, or (combining the guess of a yard and the guess of 5.5 feet) 5.5 yards.
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