Are you up for a challenge?

[rogerjolly]

Fifty years ago today the British currency was decimalised. Back then the term Lsd usually had a very different meaning to what now comes immediately to mind.

The d = pennies and there were 12 in a shilling.
The s = shillings and there were 20 to a pound
The L = pounds and they were worth a great deal more back then. My first salary was £1200 pa.

To commemorate the anniversary here is a math problem:
Add together £3 14s 8d, £1 17s 9d and £4 10s 5d

Come on. I dare you. Have a go and post your answer.

My condescending use of the word “math” when we all know it should be “maths” is to tempt in Americans and Canadians. Come on guys, if you can add pounds and ounces surely you can have a go at this.

I will post the solution in a few days.

Roger.

 

[Second Summer]

£10 2s 10d?

 

[rogerjolly]

Nearly sixty views so far. One taker who got it right.
So, in case other people had a go but preferred to hide their light under a bushel here is the absolutely 100% guaranteed correct full solution.

£3 14s 8d + £1 17s 9d + £4 10s 5d
Adding the pennies: 8 + 9 + 5 = 22 pence = 1 shilling and 10 pence
Adding the shillings: 14 +17 + 10 + 1 = 42 shillings = 2 pounds and 2 shillings
Adding the pounds: 3 + 1 + 4 + 2 = 10 pounds

Total = £10 2s 10p which would be written £10/2/10

The English language lost a lot of its glitter with decimalisation. There are the obvious words such as tanner, shilling, bob, florin and half-crown but there were many more.

We had lovely words such as thruppence and tuppence meaning 3 pence and 2 pence. But everybody was indoctrinated into using the terms new pence and old pence. In the new coinage they would say, “Five new pence, four new pence three new pence two new pence.” When the “new” was dropped it left us with three pence and two pence completely losing the vernacular.

Worse still the pattern continued from three new pence and two new pence to one new pence. Now we have one pence, mixing the singular with the plural for penny. Shakespeare is still turning in his grave.

And here is another piece of vernacular gone forever: “Pence” was pronounced “pence” when there was no specified sum for example “pounds, shillings and pence.” But for a specific sum the first “e” would be pronounced more as an “I”. So sevenpence was sevenpince.

Here endeth the diatribe.

Roger.

 

[KLS52]

I took one look at the problem and ran in the opposite direction. “Maths” was never my forte’.
I was not about to “have a go”.

 

[Second Summer]

There are the obvious words such as tanner, shilling, bob, florin and half-crown but there were many more.

Hmm, they may seem obvious to native Brits, but as a relative newcomer to Britain (15 years now), I have to admit I have no idea what those terms mean!

Worse still the pattern continued from three new pence and two new pence to one new pence. Now we have one pence, mixing the singular with the plural for penny. Shakespeare is still turning in his grave.

So then, what about 'pennies'?

In any case, thank you for the lecture and the challenge! I thought it was very interesting. I'm trying to learn as much as I can about my new homeland, its culture and history.

 

[KLS52]

I had to look up math vs maths.