Dear Anna, Jean-Paul, and All,
I have interspersed some remarks.
on 2001/04/25 22.22, Anna Langley at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> 5 to 10 years? Shouldn't that read "5 to 10 minutes", or perhaps seconds?
> What is there to learn?
You need to learn a feel for distance. For example we live in an area where
the housing land has 20 m frontages - so each five houses is 100 m.
> Just how good is a person's actual perception of a mile - or a kilometre
> anyway. Try to imagine one in your head. If you were suddenly in the middle
> of a featureless plain and asked to place two stones a mile or a kilometre
> apart
I know that I walk at very close to 100 m/min. And so do my walking
acquaintances - I am not known as a particularly fast or a particularly slow
walker. If I walk for 10 minutes I know I have walked for about one
kilometre. I reckon that I could consistently place two stones at one
kilometre spacings if I was allowed (say) 10 % tolerance.
> without the use of a watch or a measuring stick, how well do you think
> you'd do? I doubt I'd do any good at this at all for either measure.
Without a watch, I would revert to army and marching band methods. Bands are
trained to march at 120 steps per minute with each step being 750 mm. From
these figures I could reckon on 1333 steps for each kilometre, which would
take about 11 minutes. Although this looks to contradict my earlier thought
(about walking at 100 m/min) it is in fact consistent when you realise that
walking is faster than marching. Marching is designed to be used to cover
long distances over many hours. Walks are usually shorter and therefore
faster. As I spent some years as a drummer with a band I reckon I could
estimate a kilometre well within the 10 % precision you suggest.
> You might do better with perception of speed, say in guessing the speed of a
> passing car, or as a passenger, but I'd think there was a lot of error
> probably 10% or more.
>
> So what I can't quite understand is what is there beyond this that needs to be
> learned? What is it that is so difficult that it is going to take people
> maybe a decade to absorb. I just don't get it! If it is going to take people
> a decade to learn that there's 1000m in a km, then MAFF is culling the wrong
> species ;-)
>
> Anna
>
> On Tue, 24 April 2001, "Jean-Paul CARETTE" wrote:
>>
>> 5 to 10 years to learn km ? I knew there was a big education issue in the
>> UK but I never thought to be that bad ! Com'on, play this tune to your
>> governement. Englishman are better than that ! Make it a challenge, do it in
>> 6-12 months ! Prove the aussies you can beat them ! Geee !
--
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin
CAMS - Certified Advanced Metrication Specialist
- United States Metric Association
ASM - Accredited Speaking Member
- National Speakers Association of Australia
Member, International Federation for Professional Speakers
