Reply To: Richard Branson – Virgin Pledge

[Duke Leto]

Aeronaut, you just aren’t getting this.

A ton is not traditionally a measure of MASS at all, it is a measure of weight. The standard definition of a ton of weight is 2000 Imperial Lbs, which are also a measure of weight or force and not mass. Technically, as a weight measure rather than a mass measure, the weight of a ton of goods as sea level is slightly more than its weight at a higher altitude. The sea level pound is considered to be equivalent to the metric mass measure of about .45 kg. It is also acceptable, although not generally approved of, to consider gravitational force weight in Imperial pounds, again the same number as considered equivalent to 2.2 times the metric mass, as also equivalent to the metric gravitational force measure which will be about 4.5 Newtons to the pound. (Note the linked Wiki article differentiates between the American short ton and the old British long ton of 2240 lbs, but this does not make much of a difference for our purposes.)

But when we are talking about the conversion of Imperial tons to Imperial pounds, the rate is 1:2000, end of story. You seem to be confusing an Imperial measure of Mass, the Slug, with the Imperial pound, if I am reading this thread correctly.

You really need to get straight on this —–.