Hmm... Very interesting observation! Let's not forget though the aspect of *accuracy* availability. Where technology, instrumentation, usage... would warrant it may just NOT be correct to present values to that degree of accuracy. In addition to this we could use this... "tactic" to rid our societies of the idiocy of things like 341 ml, 454 g and other clear ifp legacies while improving the odds of getting acceptance of SI by the public.
Interesting to comment also that while "professionals" seem to have less difficulties handling 3 digits (or more), the common guy on the street (or the less educated) would not handle anything above 2 digits very well (and please note that the 250 figure quoted below as an example is a de facto 2-digit figure in their minds!...). Therefore, how can one adequately address (or suggest to address) this seemingly impossible and/or contradictory aspect of our human civilization??? (Food for thought...) Marcus On Thu, 25 Jul 2002 10:31:44 Joseph B. Reid wrote: >My thanks to Pat Naughtin for pointing out an errorin my USMA 21374 in the >numbering of the paragraphs in the South African document on the >centimetre. The paragraph that I numbered 9 was in fact paragraph 8. > >Paragrph 9, which I did not quote, was; > 9. One of the objections raised against the millimetre is that it is >said to be difficult to visualize a dimension such as 250 mm. Yet nobody >has any difficulty in thinking of 250 mL as a quarter of a litre and 250 g >as a quarter of a kilogram. Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that we >automatically relate 250 mL to the litre, the 250 g to the kilogram, yet >when it comes 250 mm, we try to visualize 250 tiny divisions on a ruler >instead of relating it to the metre. > It is suggested that once one cultivates this habit of relating >millimetre dimensions to the SI unit, the metre, much of the "antipathy" >towards the millimetre will disappear. > >Joseph B.Reid >17 Glebe Road West >Toronto M5P 1C8 Tel. 416 486-6071 > > Is your boss reading your email? ....Probably Keep your messages private by using Lycos Mail. Sign up today at http://mail.lycos.com
