Tom, Thank you for your prompt and correct reply. I apologize for my tardy follow through. Your first correct calculation result was 63/64ths of an inch which is exactly 25.003125 millimeters. The second correct calculation result was 25 millimeters. If you were to draw a line using each measure, I'm certain that you would never be able to tell the difference. Obviously, you had to determine the lowest common denominator using the inch fractions whereas the adding of the millimeters was simple. Your reply indicated that adding millimeters took 25% of the time it took to add fractions of inches. I can tell you that virtually everyone else to whom I have presented this test in person has given up on the fractions and just admitted that they can't do fractions. Construction in the U.S. still uses fractions of inches and I can't help but wonder how much more efficient that industry could be if they used metric measures. Construction is but one example, unfortunately. You and I, as accountants, are lucky that Congress in 1792 did adopt decimal currency rather than continue with pounds-shillings-pence-farthings and their fractional relationships which did not change in the U.K. until 1971. I am not an engineer or an academic. I am just an ordinary retired accountant who fears that my grandchildren are not being taught what they need for the global competition which will be upon us. My children, now all adults and presumably of your generation, failed to learn the International System of units so I freely admit that we failed all of you. Don't do it to another generation! I am of the opinion that fractions are being overtaught in schools because we unduly cling to their daily use. Fractions of inches, 12 inches to a foot, 36 inches to a yard, 3 feet to a yard, 16 ounces to a pound, 16 fluid ounces to a pint, 2 pints to a quart, 4 quarts to a gallon, and the list goes on. To top it off, what on earth is a barrel? For all intents and purposes, I consider a fraction as a step toward computing a decimal The only way many industries function is to pick one of the measures for a specific application and decimalize it. However, by clinging to what I call King George III Colonial units, they give up the full decimal interrelationship between all portions of the International System of units. The International System of units (SI-metric), totally decimal based with logical relationships between elements of distance, capacity, area, energy, weights, power, temperature, etc. is very simple to use when given a chance. When Congress passed the Metric Conversion Act in 1975, I, at age 39, began to teach myself what I would need as a consumer. Then, much to my consternation, the next 25 years have been given over to false starts and much backpedaling. On top of that, at state level, the southern states are even more backward than all other regions of the nation. Prepackaged goods in stores shows grams, kilograms, milliliters and liters in addition to the antiquated measures. When I recently wrote to a major corporation stating that I would channel my business to the company in their field who first changed all their sizing to rational metric sizes, I did receive a reply. However, the reply took the theme that their company obeyed all relevant laws and that I should address my concerns to agencies of the government. I believe that we must convert to the International System of units. I believe that we must do so expeditiously. I believe that it must be done with cooperation between federal and state governments, public and private education, plus individual industries. Commerce includes all of the foregoing. Australia did it that way and they succeeded within a decade. Unfortunately in the U.S., government, industry, and education continue to act as it the rest of the world is going to regress from using SI-metric to using King George III Colonial units. I do not believe there is any chance that this will happen. For one thing, the units from which most of the world's nations changed were their own local antiquated units not the British or so-called American units. Secondly, the U.S. continues to say that it is going to change to SI-metric, but then backs down at the slightest resistance always pleading fear of cost. The auto industry established that changing to metric saved money. Like it or not, globalization is here and the rest of the world does not want products in pounds and ounces or in feet and inches. I do write countless emails to companies and newspapers expressing my pro-metric views so I am trying to influence them. I do this because I have been told by elected officials that it is not the business of government to involve itself in measurement matters. The latter attitude is impractical to the point of nonsense. What does every gasoline pump in Georgia have on it? A valid Georgia Department of Agriculture verification of accuracy stamp must appear on every commercial measuring device. What is a speed limit but government involvement in measurement matters? Does not government have to make laws and lead when needs require action? Two centuries ago our Congress responded to a chaotic situation within states when ports on their coasts competed to make their individual measures more attractive to importers and exporters than the next. Unfortunately, in spite of urging by our earliest Presidents, Congress passed up the chance to get in on the ground floor of the newly developing metric system because of fear of the unknown. You are a candidate for the state legislature and because much law in the area of measures is determined at state level, I feel we must start here. You can do what is necessary to put Georgia in the group of states who accept metric labeling under the Uniform Packaging and Labeling Regulations (UPLR). You can do what is necessary to put our DOT among those who use metric measures in construction. We will not be able to change the rest of the world from SI-metric, so we must adopt SI-metric here for daily use in order to conform. To do otherwise displays an incredibly arrogant attitude. Sincerely, Norman Werling ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Norman Werling" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: 2000October23 15:59 Subject: Re: [Impact of mathmatics education on total education] Here it is. Step one is to add the following: 1/64 1/32 1/16 1/8 1/4 1/2 ------- 63/64 ------- How long did it take you to add them.? _1__minutes and___seconds. Roughly a minute. I had to convert all of the numbers to 64ths and then add them up. I believe (if my addition is correct) the answer is 63/64th Now add the following: 1 2 4 5 6 7 ----- 25 ----- How long did it take you to add them? _____minutes and __15___seconds. Thank you for participating, Norman V. Werling 1240 Hunters Drive Stone Mountain, GA 30083-2545 404-292-9328
