In a message dated 2000-10-13 19:53:36 Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > Scott wrote: > > A lot of the tripe in that website keeps emphasizing that nobody asked them > if we should metricate and how undemocratic it all is. I would love to have > a vote. Virtually all my students can't figure out what the hang-up is and > we should just convert now. > > --------------------- > > Same with my students. I have only one blowhard kid from Texas who resists. > He likes to say, "What's that in real units?" > I teach high school, but the other day I happened to be in a room where > middle schoolers were working distance problems and overheard one say, "Why > aren't we using miles?" His friend replied, "Because kilometers are easier, > stupid!" > And that kind of thinking has an effect later ... Scene: The Vet. When: about a week and a half ago. What: Midnight the cat we adopted recently (former Lorton Prison Cat) is going in for his first checkup. The assistant (woman about 25) puts him onto the cat scale. It's a curved tray about 600 x 300 mm on a platform that has an electronic display and a switch that says LB to the left and KG to the right. The switch is on LB, of course (even though, like with people, they calculate medicine dosage by kg). I ask her to move the switch to KG. She does. Midnight is 4.05. (big cat) Then she said, "Now I want to do it in my units" and moves the switch back to lb. It reads 8.9. "Eight pounds, nine ounces" she says, and writes that down on his chart. I just sort of stand there looking at her and the scale. I wonder if she ever thought it amazing that no cat ever was something plus 10 oz, 11 oz, 12 oz, etc. ... Carleton
