By shtidsfpa - 18/06/2014 21:06 - United States - Shelby

Today, I only just found out that the abbreviation "lbs" is actually short for pounds. I've been saying "labs" my entire life. I'm 21. FML
I agree, your life sucks 27 346
You deserved it 55 842

Same thing different taste

Top comments

I guess we all know you didn't pay attention in school.

I'm surprised that nobody ever corrected you before. You must have some crap friends.

Comments

You're 21? Don't worry; you've hardly lived, and there's plenty of other mistakes waiting to be made.

anybody can make that mistake if they're not corrected fyl.

ileenefudge 29

How did you pass your classes without knowing that? More like how did you ever manage to pass your science classes(assuming you passed) without knowing that?

I'm no expert on America but isn't science taught in metric?

ileenefudge 29

I think it depends on the science class? I know for sure all if not most of my classes used pounds and ounces ect. At least one grade teaches it in America for sure.

I have a degree in the sciences. I'm more familiar with grams and kilograms than ounces and pounds. Liquid units such as pints and teaspoons confuse me, and I'm more likely to use milliliters and liters in conversation. But that's only because I'm in daily contact with these units. Most US citizens wouldn't know what .5 g or 15 ml look like.

I'm assuming OP knows what the terms 'pound' and 'lbs' mean, just not how to pronounce the abbreviation (it is possible to know what something means but not know how to pronounce it). In that case, I can't see how a mispronunciation would affect a science grade unless it was an oral exam-- and even then it would probably just momentarily flummox the teacher, not earn a failing grade.

I reread it and apparently she didn't know lbs meant pounds. I desperately wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. My point is still kind of valid.

This never made sense to me: you need to know the metric system in any science class and it's the norm in medical areas,why do use the other one (whatever it's called)?

#39, because the United States, Burma and Liberia are the only places in the world still stuck on the damn Imperial system... And the rest of us still have to allow for that. If I was president of the US, Imperial and pennies would be the first things to go.

justmeCee 16

That sucks that they don't teach metric in the states. In Canada (at least when I was in elementary and high school) we were taught both, metric and US imperial in math class.

We are taught both in the US. Also, the Imperial system is only really used in the commercial area, and switching it out in one move would be extremely confusing to most people. Sports especially would be almost impossible to convert. Also, WHATS WRONG WITH PENNIES???

Also #53 you know almost nothing about the US Political system if you think the president alone has the power to make such huge changes. You are thinking of Congress.

pwnman 33

Seems like a lab report on you should be made for your intelligence!

Wow...I'm not American and English is not my first language and even I learned this in school.

buckeye1 9

Did you do that based off of what you thought or was it that nobody ever told you exactly what it meant.

buckeye1 9

True. where is a L or B in the word pounds?

Well, lbs is an abbreviation for Libra which is pounds in Latin, if I'm not mistaken.