Dear Kilopascal. Some form of the word conversion is found five times
at the front page of metric.org including right in the first
paragraph: "The US Metric Association (USMA), Inc., is a national
non-profit organization that was founded in 1916. It advocates
completing the US conversion to the International System of Units,
known by the abbreviation SI . . . " and your argument makes good
sense to me, so perhaps someone should suggest to someone at USMA to
consider changing that wording. Secondly, I assure you that those two
Lindas are two different people; one is Linda Dawson and the other is
Linda Anderman.
David Pearl MetricPioneer.com 503-428-4917
----- Message from kilopas...@cox.net ---------
Date: Tue, 24 Dec 2013 19:30:07 -0500
From: Kilopascal <kilopas...@cox.net>
Subject: [USMA:53453] Re: Questions -- if you would be so kind to answer
To: cont...@metricpioneer.com, "U.S. Metric Association"
<usma@colostate.edu>
David,
1.) You make a very good point to tell her the US is already
partially metric. In this case, we need to place emphasis on what
industries are metric (both domestic and foreign transplants) to
show and dispel the nonsensical notion that the nation is not metric
at all. She and possibly the vast majority of the country believes
the US is zero percent metric.
2.) We must never, never, never use the word ?conversion? or the
phrase ?convert to? when we mean metrication. We don?t convert, we
metricate. Conversion is translating one number into another and
this is the habit we want to break. We don?t want to relate metric
units to old units. We want to start fresh with the new units and
we want to encourage measuring in metric. Not measuring in one unit
and converting it to another. Nobody learns the new system by
conversion. They will always cling to the old system if conversion
is involved. To metricate means to cross the bridge and never look
back. Lot?s wife looked back, and look what happened to her! She
turned into a pillar of salt. When we look back, we turn into
Luddites. Metrication is looking forward and that is the route to
success.
3.) How sad, very sad, that a person who wrote a book and is
possibly a teacher doesn?t know that a mass and volume are not the
same and that a litre, which is already a unit of volume, would not
be a ?cubic litre?. Talk about the blind leading the blind. Maybe
she meant cubic metre.
I hope this isn?t the same Linda that is responsible for this webpage:
http://milebehind.wordpress.com/2013/12/23/could-the-metric-system-help-our-student-assessments-and-education/
I hope not, because I thought this Linda knew better.
[USMA:53453] Re: Questions -- if you would be so kind to answer
contact Tue, 24 Dec 2013 09:10:10 -0800
USMA. I received three questions from Linda Dawson who wrote a book:
Dradnats and the Metric Measurement Kids (Paperback ISBN
978-1492146261). I attempt to answer these questions and encourage
you to address these questions as well because my answers may not be
the best answers. Be sure to include l-daw...@att.net when you reply.
Hi Linda. I take a shot at addressing your questions:Question 1.
When do you think the U.S. will go metric? 5 years? 10 years?
Answer 1. The United States began efforts at metrication in 1866
with the Metric Act, so we have been riding around on training
wheels for about a century and a half. The United States is already
using SI to some degree (see http://metricpioneer.com/fact-sheet for
more detail) so The US Metric Association advocates completing
United States conversion to the International System of Units, known
by the abbreviation SI and also called the modern metric system. The
process of changing measurement units to the metric system is called
metric transition or metrication. If Hawaii HB36 (see
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=36
for more detail) is successful, then a state-by-state approach could
be a catalyst for a national trend that could start as early as 2018.
Question 2. Do you see it as a gradual transition? How did other
countries, such as Britain, make the change and how many years did
it take?
Answer 2. There are three common ways that nations convert from
traditional measurement systems to the SI. The first is the quick,
or Big-Bang route which was used by India in the 1960s and several
other nations including Australia and New Zealand since then. The
second way is to phase in units over time and progressively outlaw
traditional units. This method, favored by some industrial nations,
is slower and generally less complete. The third way is to redefine
traditional units in metric terms. This has been used successfully
(in China for example) where traditional units were ill-defined and
had regional variations. (See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication for more detail.)
Metrication in the United Kingdom remains partial. Most of British
industry, government and commerce use metric units, but imperial
units are officially used to specify journey distances, vehicle
speeds and the sizes of returnable milk containers, beer and cider
glasses. Imperial units are also often used informally to describe
body measurements and vehicle fuel economy. At school in Britain,
the use of metric units is the norm, though pupils are taught rough
metric equivalents of those imperial units still in daily use. (See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_the_United_Kingdom for
more detail.)
Question 3. Talking on the level of 9 and 10 years old, can you give
me some interchangeable equations that kids could remember -- as I
know that the meter, liter, and gram are interrelated. I'm looking
for things such as: 1 kg =? cubic liters? If you could give me about
ten, that would be fantastic!
Answer 3. There is no such thing as a cubic liter, but rather, a
liter is a cubic decimeter. Mass and Volume are not equivalent
things, for example, a liter of air has less mass than a liter of
water so they have different weights. I already offered to mail you
a free SI Ruler that lists those interrelationships but you
responded saying that you don't want it. See
http://metricpioneer.com/shop/ruler/ for more detail. One liter of
water fills one cubic decimeter and weighs one kilogram. So, one
thousand liters of water fill one cubic meter and weigh one ton. Be
cautious though; this equation works for water, but not for matter
of different densities. Have a look at that ruler again and peruse
it in its entirety.
David Pearl MetricPioneer.com 503-428-4917
----- Message from l-daw...@att.net ---------
Date: Mon, 23 Dec 2013 19:36:50 +0000
From: Metric Pioneer <l-daw...@att.net>
Subject: Questions -- if you would be so kind to answer
To: cont...@metricpioneer.com
From: Linda Dawson <l-daw...@att.net>
Subject: Questions -- if you would be so kind to answer
Message Body:
Hi, David,
My children's book should be coming to you shortly. I know you know
a lot more about metrics than I do. I was wondering if you could
enlighten me. 1. I know this is a guesstimate, but when do you think
the U.S. will go metric? 5 years? 10 years? ? 2. Do you see it as a
gradual transition? How did other countries, such as Britain, make
the change and how many years did it take? 3. Talking on the level
of 9 and 10 years old, can you give me some interchangeable
equations that kids could remember -- as I know that the meter,
liter, and gram are interrelated. I'm looking for things such as: 1
kg =? cubic liters? If you could give me about ten, that would be
fantastic! I know this is the holiday season, so you can answer this
very long e-mail at your convenience or answer part of it and finish
later. Most grateful, Linda l-daw...@att.net
--
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----- End message from kilopas...@cox.net -----
