Japan has told its citizens living in China to keep a low profile, including talking quietly in public, after Beijing blasted Tokyo for releasing treated radioactive water from a wrecked nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.

  • Zoidsberg@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    15
    ·
    10 months ago

    500 Olympic-sized pools

    Why do people use football fields and swimming pools as units of measurement.

    • magnetosphere@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      10 months ago

      I assume it’s to help people visualize volume/distance/size/etc. If an article said “50,000 gallons”, it would be much more precise, but also harder to relate to. When an article says “500 Olympic-sized pools”, it’s significantly easier to picture in my mind.

      It’s also worth remembering that this is a newspaper intended for the casual edification of the general public, not a scientific document.