On 2008 Jan 18 , at 1:30 AM, Ziser, Jesse wrote:
Actually, my
experience has always been that physics mostly uses metric. I think
in all intro-level physics
classes I had in college, the metric system was introduced at the
beginning and used throughout.
I'm happy to know that Jesse was fortunate to get only metric in his
physics classes. When I started college physics, we still had to learn
to do a lot of things in any one of three systems: the cgs metric
system, the MKS metric system and the British Engineering System. (The
MKS system is the one that evolved into SI.)
As just one example, solving problems involving Newton's 2nd Law of
motion, F=ma and related speeds, distances and tmes, and related
energies), we needed to know that,
1. in cgs force must be in dynes, mass in grams, acceleration in
centimetres per second-squared (and related speeds in cm/s, distances
in cm and times in seconds and related energies in ergs);
2. in MKS force must be in newtons, mass in kilograms, acceleration in
metres per second-squared (and related speeds in m/s, distances in m
and times in seconds and related energies in joules);
3. in Brit.Eng.Sys force must be in pounds (of force, of course), mass
in slugs (not pounds of mass), accelerations in feet per second-
squared (and related speeds in ft/sec and distances in ft. and times
in seconds and related energies in foot-pounds).
We also had to have a passing familiarity with the fact that, there
was also a British Absolute System in which:
4. in Brit.Abs.Sys force must be in poundals, mass in pounds (of
mass), accelerations in feet per second squared, (and related speeds
in ft/sec, distances in ft and times in seconds (and related energies
in ... ??? I don't remember! probably the foot-poundal ... Hell, I'm
not even sure the Brit.Abs.Sys. knew about energy much less had a unit
for it!)
When we got to heat and thermodynamics, much was still done in
calories. Fortunately, when we got to electricity there wasn't much of
anything but metric, although there were a couple variations of that
(using different units as the basic unit for charge, as I recall).
Regards,
Bill Hooper
Fernandina Beach, Florida, USA
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Make It Simple; Make It Metric! .... SI metric!
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