On Thu, 2 Mar 2000, Gregg wrote:
|Of course you're right. NASA did just fine until they started converting
|into metric units! <g> The metric system has been the official system of
|the US for over 100 years. The problem is no one can visualize how much a
|kilometer, gram, or a degree Celsius is. About all we know for sure is how
|much a liter is from the drinks.
And the visualization problem will remain until the conversion to
metric is complete; that is, drop the old English system entirely
(greatly de-emphasize its teaching in school), and convert all
measurement systems (gasoline pumps, grocery goods quantities,
auto/aircraft distance meters, etc.) to metric.
If I remember correctly, the original plan was to have a transition
phase where all measurements would be listed in metric and English
measurement units. By the year 2000 or so, the conversion to metric
should have been completed. However, the reality is that the
transition phase appears to have been extended indefinitely. :-(
|From: "Dylan Sutton" <dsut4392@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
|> Sheesh, you Americans! The flash manufacturers all seem to give their GN
|> in metres, why do you have to go and bring feet into it?
|> Pounds, ounces, stones, gallons, feet, inches, degrees fahrenheit, when
|> will you stop using these antiquated measures?? Unnecessary conversion of
|> units is just asking for trouble, as NASA learnt to their $400M chagrin...
|> Dylan
|> PS you still have nearly 10 months to enter the 20th century...get
|cracking!
|
|
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