tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5337555368793819627.post5738879887691511833..comments2023-06-07T09:04:36.390-04:00Comments on More Grumbine Science: A short introduction to the metric systemRobert Grumbinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10783453972811796911noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5337555368793819627.post-41707264534956193642010-02-23T20:19:54.748-05:002010-02-23T20:19:54.748-05:00S2:
So you'd appreciate the race I started in ...S2:<br />So you'd appreciate the race I started in my running club -- on New Year's day, we run N rods, or N fathoms, where N is the year. I ran the 2010 rods race this year. <br /><br />Peter:<br />I've discovered that, although numbers people find 1.5 and 2.5 quite easy to remember, non-numbers people find them both much more difficult than 2.<br /><br />Dunc:<br />Thanks for the xkcd link. I've been reading them off and on for some time, and with enjoyment.<br /><br />jg: thanks for the links. Your planetary temperatures illustration is one I might want to borrow a simplified version of at some time.<br /><br />marcus: tons, tonnes, long tons, short tons, ... it's a mess. But be glad you aren't trying to guess which ounce, or grain, or pint/peck/firkin/hogshead/... is being used at the moment :-)Robert Grumbinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10783453972811796911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5337555368793819627.post-19086990043546539672010-02-18T18:24:30.315-05:002010-02-18T18:24:30.315-05:00I was so glad when the UK decided to go metric. I ...I was so glad when the UK decided to go metric. I spent far too much of my childhood trying to learn by rote such things as fathoms, grains, quarters, hundredweights, poles, chains, furlongs, leagues, stones, nautical miles, gills, fluid ounces, perches, roods, and so on.<br />Even our currency was a headache (shillings, florins, crowns and half crowns, farthings, guineas, etc.) <br /><br />We went (sort of) metric in 1971 but, being British, we did it half heatedly - so it is still quite common in builders yards to hear someone asking for "three metres of 2 X 1 (inches)". Newborn babies are still generally announced in pounds and ounces, people still usually quote their height in feet and inches. And of course our road signs and speed limits are still in miles and mph.<br /><br />We haven't really gone metric (outside of science & engineering) - we've just absorbed some new measurements into the system.S2noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5337555368793819627.post-44351409788649758322010-02-16T12:09:52.884-05:002010-02-16T12:09:52.884-05:00The thing that kills me is the use of short "...The thing that kills me is the use of short "tons", given that in Europe they now often spell metric tonnes as "tons" as well. I find myself needing to always double check every time I have to work with a ton or tonne... I've decided that from now on, I should just use Mg instead of tonnes. (and never short or long tons, of course!)<br /><br />-MarcusAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5337555368793819627.post-89432467434796825742010-02-16T11:20:30.637-05:002010-02-16T11:20:30.637-05:00Dunc, that's a great link; I intend to look at...Dunc, that's a great link; I intend to look at it some more.<br /><br />Here's a site I've used to sort out various units I see on pressure that get used in climate studies: http://www.unit-conversion.info/<br />or <a href="http://www.unit-conversion.info/" rel="nofollow">Unit conversions</a><br /><br />About this time last year I was reading Ray Pierrehumbert's online Principles of Planetary Climate and realized what I really needed was a study guide of temperatures (in Kelvin) and pressures most relevant to climate. I started one here and would welcome suggestions as to what to add:<br /><br />http://brightstarswildomar.blogspot.com/2009/02/illustration-based-on-ray.html<br />or <a href="http://brightstarswildomar.blogspot.com/2009/02/illustration-based-on-ray.html" rel="nofollow">Planet temperatures</a><br /><br /><br />thanks<br />JGjghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00588440067862480858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5337555368793819627.post-27636306202145034982010-02-16T09:24:29.552-05:002010-02-16T09:24:29.552-05:00This may also be useful: http://xkcd.com/526/This may also be useful: http://xkcd.com/526/Duncnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5337555368793819627.post-42954802617993842452010-02-16T04:59:13.176-05:002010-02-16T04:59:13.176-05:00Slightly surprised you didn't give 1 in = 2.5c...Slightly surprised you didn't give 1 in = 2.5cm and 1 mile = 1.5 km. Both would be much more accurate and just as easy to remember as the versions given.Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12559721137290332762noreply@blogger.com