2001-05-28 Jim, This is a very interesting post. Which brings me to ask this question: Do you test your students at the beginning of each semester (or quarter) in measurements? It would be interesting to collect data to see if students are familiar with any measurement units, SI and/or FFU. It might prove that those who don't know or claim not to know SI also don't know FFU. Then this type of data can be presented to the media when articles appear like such. More or less like saying: "Yes, (some) Americans can't compute in SI, but the same ones can't compute in FFU either. And I have the proof.". One interesting note on journalists, is they control the thoughts of the nation. You are at their mercy. You may have proof otherwise as to her claims, but she has the power to block your proofs from ever seeing print. Her level of knowledge of SI, coupled with that of the publics reminds me of the old saying about the blind leading the blind. BTW, could you post here the article you are responding to. I think some of us would like to read it for ourselves. John Keiner ist hoffnungsloser versklavt als derjenige, der irrt�mlich glaubt frei zu sein. There are none more hopelessly enslaved then those who falsely believe they are free! Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) ----- Original Message ----- From: "James R. Frysinger" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, 2001-05-27 20:09 Subject: [USMA:13076] Journalists cannot compute > Editor, Virginia Pilot > > Dear Editor, > > I have just read Kerry Dougherty's opinion column "Metric doesn't > compute in the lives of most Americans", published May 5. I will have > to fulfill Ms. Dougherty's prophecy and call her a Luddite. Luddites > were people who opposed modernizing changes. > > At one time, columnists used facts to support their pontifications. > The loss of the Mars Climate Orbiter was described by Ms. Dougherty as > a Metric Mistake. In actuality, the entire program was designed, built, > launched, and operated using metric units. It did this quite nicely, as > have many other missions, until Lockheed-Martin fed data to the Jet > Propulsion Lab data in non-metric units. So the error was allowing the > participation of non-metric contractors (Luddites?) without providing > sufficient safeguards. Don't take my opinion for it; read the opinions > of the investigation boards and the inspector General at NASA. > > In my view, those who build careers in journalism are among the weakest > Americans when it comes to mathematical things such as measurements and > calculations. We have journalism majors on our campus but I see very > few of them in my Introduction to Physics classes, although a multitude > of students majoring in languages (including English), fine arts > (music, sculpture, painting), and the social sciences take this general > education core class. > > Over 95 % of the world uses metric units for "everything from supper on > the table to satellites in space". It is the only measurement system > they use in their daily lives and businesses. If a nomad on the > Ethiopian desert can master the metric system, I believe that even Ms. > Dougherty and her children can too. In fact, they have probably bought > 2 L bottles of pop, run or read about 5 km and 10 km races, buy pencil > leads dimensioned in millimeters for their automatic pencils, and > insert 90 mm disks in their computers. (They really are not 3-1/2 inch > disks, you know.) > > regards, > James R. Frysinger > > -- > James R. Frysinger University/College of Charleston > 10 Captiva Row Dept. of Physics and Astronomy > Charleston, SC 29407 66 George Street > 843.225.0805 Charleston, SC 29424 > http://www.cofc.edu/~frysingj [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Cert. Adv. Metrication Specialist 843.953.7644 >
