Would I be correct in deducing that the preference of fractions or decimals is
tied to a preference of English units or metric units? From my experience,
the English system tends to be more fractional driven where the metric system
is more decimal driven?
Someone may be looking for a
Yes. Computers, calculators, etc only use decimal. In the real world, you
almost never have the nice clean coefficients where fractions really work.
--- On Thu, 8/13/09, Stephen Davis stevo.da...@btinternet.com wrote:
From: Stephen Davis stevo.da...@btinternet.com
Subject: [USMA:45608]
On Friday 14 August 2009 08:38:33 John M. Steele wrote:
Yes. Computers, calculators, etc only use decimal. In the real world,
you almost never have the nice clean coefficients where fractions really
work.
Computers use binary, in which 0.1 cannot be represented exactly. They can be
Crunching numbers is not the issue. Pure mathematics starts with ratios
(fractions) then moves on to tools for what we call geometry. For example,
the volume of a sphere is defined as a ratio (fraction), not a decimal
approximation. Next we move into Trigonometry and Calculus. The
definitions
Amen!
I beginning to wonder what kind of forum this is. When a topic involving the
metric system is brought up the responses are almost zero. Talk about
something other then the metric system or something loosely connected and then
everybody joins in.
I hate to complain since I'm so new
Do you think that for effective integration of SI into American society, it
would have to forced through and made mandatory to only use SI units?
Or do you think freedom of choice and polite persuation would be more effective
in getting the benefits of SI across? Something that seems to be the
Hey...I didn't say it was hard, I said it was a trick! :-)
- Original Message -
From: James R. Frysinger j...@metricmethods.com
To: Stephen Davis stevo.da...@btinternet.com
Cc: U.S. Metric Association usma@colostate.edu
Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 1:36 AM
Subject: Re: [USMA:45619]
I agree. The quick brutal approach is, rightly or wrongly, the most effective.
Short term pain for long term gain. The persuasive gentle approach has been
shown to not work, and is, as has been said here many times before, the primary
reason why the UK (and Canada) are in such a measurement
Sirs:
.The question of whether decimals or fractions are better.
Is the forum still debatingwhat is better or needs to re-construct ideas to
'implement' what had been agreed over 200 years earlier while signing
'Convention du Metre'? How long will US take to THINK and/or GO
That¹s funny. I wonder if it¹s because we agree on the most basic things.
From: simon_m...@live.com
Reply-To: simon_m...@live.com
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:46:53 -0400
To: U.S. Metric Association usma@colostate.edu
Subject: [USMA:45625] Re: Maths (or should that be math?)
Amen!
I beginning
Re: [USMA:45625] Re: Maths (or should that be math?)I for one am new to this
forum and have no idea what basic things we agree upon. Can someone compose
a list? This may help in bringing up old topics over and over again.
Simon
From: Patrick Moore
Sent: Friday, 2009-08-14 15:36
To: U.S.
I'm wondering what kind of economic damage has been/is being done to the
country's industries when some businesses operate only in metric and others try
to resist it as much as possible. For example, if I design a product in
metric and send it to you to make for me and you tell me you can't
The quickest way to find out is to visit
http://www.ukma.org.uk/books/avbm/summary.aspx and see the UKMA's
publication A Very British Mess. The executive summary is on-line, the
full publication is available at a reasonable cost.
_
From: owner-u...@colostate.edu
On 15/08/2009, at 2:20 AM, Aaron Harper wrote:
The question of whether decimals or fractions are better has nothing
to do with the purpose of this forum: Metrication.
Dear Aaron,
What you say is true but the issue of the form of fractions, whether
as common or vulgar fractions and as
On 15/08/2009, at 5:50 AM, simon_m...@live.com simon_m...@live.com
wrote:
I don't think we need 10 years to make the change as in the past.
Five years is plenty of time. Changes in such areas as gasoline
pump, weather reporting, retail scales can all be changed easily due
to their
Dear Simon,
To the best of my knowledge there is no detailed answers to your
questions as no definitive study on the benefits of metrication has
been done anywhere in the world. I have made an estimate that has not
been challenged that it currently costs the USA more than a trillion
Dear Stephen,
I don't disagree with what you say, but I would like to elaborate on a
few points. I will intersperse some remarks.
On 15/08/2009, at 6:16 AM, Stephen Davis wrote:
Wellfor example in the UK, the vast majority of retail sales
are done in metric units, grams, litres, etc,
Welcome back John/kilopascal/Eunic/Jeremiah! I see you can't stay
away for long. :)
At 10:46 2009-08-14, simon_m...@live.com wrote:
Amen!
I beginning to wonder what kind of forum this is. When a topic
involving the metric system is brought up the responses are almost
zero. Talk
Dear John Steele,
The good news is that a lot of retail products seem poised for metric-only
labeling. I've noticed that many beauty products use rational metric sizes, and
some even list the metric amount first with US Customary listed in parentheses
(and sporting some oddball amount).
I hope that will be the case, but the proposed amendment to the FPLA has had
little change or progress since 2002 and been in complete statis since 2007 or
so due to FMI.
I am not very optimistic it will ever be presented to Congress for a vote. And
even if the last two States agree to the
Regardless of when it's brought to a vote, I'm sure it will somehow be tied in
to death panels or some other silly nonsense. :(
-Original Message-
From: John M. Steele jmsteele9...@sbcglobal.net
Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 17:42
To: U.S. Metric Association usma@colostate.edu
On Friday 14 August 2009 20:42:49 John M. Steele wrote:
I hope that will be the case, but the proposed amendment to the FPLA has
had little change or progress since 2002 and been in complete statis since
2007 or so due to FMI.
Who can we talk to to counter the FMI opposition? Who is holding
On Friday 14 August 2009 16:21:18 Pierre Abbat wrote:
Schools should teach metric
first, and delay old units until the children have shown that they can
multiply three-to-eight-digit numbers correctly by hand
I wrote that while trying to hurry up for an errand. A better explanation:
Students
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