The evening of July 15 NBC news reported that many parents are making medication errors when giving liquid oral medicine to their children because of a mixture of measurement units. There was an interview with a couple, one of whom was a doctor, and the other a technical health care professional. They received a prescription with the dose given in teaspoons, but the oral syringe that came with the medicine was in milliliters, so they had to do a conversion. There are surveys suggesting that many parents get these conversions wrong.
Another problem is that when doses are stated in teaspoons or tablespoons, parents are inclined to use kitchen spoons, which vary widely in volume. The NBC commentators concluded that this is one area where metric ought to be fully adopted.
James
I thought we tried that once... Was sort of like Prohibition.
James
Lots of problems. Like, from the movie "Major League": "Going somewhere, meat?" "About 90 feet!" Just wouldn't have the same ring if willie Mays Hayes had said "About 27,432 millimeters!"
And what about football? 9.144 yards for a first down? Imagine the on-field litigation that would cause.
James
Might as well use the French Revolutionary Calendar if you're going to go all Jacobin with your measurements 😉
Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of meters and liters? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me feet and pounds or give me death!
James
9.144 yards for a first down?
Sounds just right for American football. Official tries to keep track of which player has the ball amidst mayhem. Player gets tackled by 5 opponents, who pile on him. Official waits 2 minutes while the other players get off. Official spots ball. Calls for measurement. Officials bring chain on field, place one end of chain, by eye, at location of previous first down, which was found by an equally chaotic method. Other end is placed near football. If even 10 micrometers of ball protrudes past end of chain, it's a first down.
James
> 9.144 yards for a first down?
>
> Sounds just right for American football. Official tries to keep track of which player has the ball amidst mayhem. Player gets tackled by 5 opponents, who pile on him. Official waits 2 minutes while the other players get off. Official spots ball. Calls for measurement. Officials bring chain on field, place one end of chain, by eye, at location of previous first down, which was found by an equally chaotic method...if even 10 micrometers of ball protrudes past end of chain, it's a first down.
Reminds me of some people complaining about a rebar being off a tenth from the overall position that it "should be" from a section corner 2000' away. Don't forget to set your own, and call the other one as "Found, 0.1' East!"
And "American Football"? Is there any other kind worthy of the name "Football"?
I've survived metric conversion here in Australia.
Links was out before I started surveying and then feet went by the way side.
But obviously we deal with all forms of measurements everyday.
Industry seemed to take it in their stride and adapted quickly.
4' became 1200mm for standard sheet size, but you still had to ask were you getting an imperial or metric sheet, and was your 6mm bolt really a 1/4" bolt for some time?
We still hear feet etc used but mainly from older people.
I still call to my offsider to move a foot or 6".
What seemed an effort at time was soon forgotten and we are all the better for it.
One interesting and often annoying aspect is in planning and by laws regulations to do with areas.
Suddenly 1 hectare became a sacred size for no apparent reason than it was an even number.
James
as a traumatized survivor of metrication, unmetrication and re-footification..... for the love of all that is good in the world....please leave things as they are....
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.:excruciating: :excruciating: :excruciating: :excruciating: :excruciating: :excruciating: :excruciating: :excruciating: :excruciating: :excruciating:
James
When we were making the metric attempt in my State I was awarded a contract to perform a "detailed" boundary and topo survey of a densely occupied city block that was going to be purchased for expansion of our local University. The requirements were that "all" measurements, both horizontally and vertically, be "clearly depicted" in both metric and imperial units. Early on in the job I realized that this was going to create an illegible drawing, so I split it into two sheets, one metric, one imperial. I proudly submitted my final product, only to have it returned as "incomplete." The State was requiring one sheet with all the information in both units thereon. They wanted a 0.5 foot contour interval AND a 0.33 meter contour interval. I protested and told them that it would essentially be illegible. They insisted that I would not be paid if I did not do this, so I did. Talk about a disaster!
About 3 months later the Architect on the project paid me $5,000 to separate the two systems and provide him with two drawings.
I have heard similar stories regarding construction drawings in both systems resulting in very costly solutions.
The day I try to tell one of the local farmers that he has 40 hectares instead of 100 acres is the day I'll no longer have clients.
And as to horror stories, VDOT tried some metric highway contracts and couldn't get any contractors to bid until they went back to good old feet.
James
That should be 9.144 meters not yards, for a first down. Or, we could lengthen the field so that 10 meters make a first down, or 10.936 yards. Either way, punts, passes, and fumbles are subject to 9.8 meters per second squared gravity, or is it 32 feet per second squared? Whatever.
James
While The original Article seems to have gone to the internet graveyard Burma might actually be on its way to the Metric system.
So it's possible that your map will be out dated soon.
Our British Historian Andro Linklater agrees. In "Measuring America" he explains how the adoption of the PLSS cemented the customary system to the country (rods & chains linked to feet).
That darn PLSS cookbook again!
So why is it
That in a profession that typically converts those nasty pesky fraction things to decimal feet (and cuss out architects at the same time), that there seems to be such an extreme fear/ prejudice against a measuring system that might actually be easier?
Many of the products we use and buy (cars, lawn mowers, soda, liquor, many other items I"m sure) rely heavily on metric, there seems to be no escaping it these days.
I've heard in the past that business would find it costly to convert, but many already have... right?
So why is it
John, it's kinda of like inflation. We grow up thinking that a coke costs a quarter, but when it goes to 1.65 each, then the fundamental paradigm shift, runs so deep, that not every fiber of our soul gets updated. Those straggling pieces of our soul are still thinking in feet. For example, we have R/W's in USA typically that are 40', 45' 50' 55' 60' 65' etc.
Shifting that to be 12.192M, 13.716M , 16.764M, 18.288M, 19.912M Messes with a good 'ole american's thought processes.
Nate
So why is it
Yea, I can kinda see that.
I guess I was also aiming at perhaps fewer mistakes being made while attempting to convert 9/32 to decimal instead of simply shifting a decimal point to reflect mm/cm/meters type thing.
Could be a time saver.
Now trust me when I tell you.... when I was in grade school, we were being threatened with changing to metric. Huge outcry, "oh, no, we can't do that" from people and business. I had no desire to change either.
Just basically playing devils advocate for a few minutes....:-P
