Dear Mike, Thanks for the story I appreciated it.
I was taught metric by Mr Potts in Science in 1972. He said we said need it forever. I agree it is much easier to use. I had to design a shaking table toy at the University of Illinois. The workshop at the UIUC will only work in inches. I made everything a neat inch. I think it weighed about 500 kgs when it was finished. But it looked good. Aside needing a forklift to move it. John Nichols >From: "Mike Joy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [USMA:22656] Re: Barley Corns, >Date: Sat, 12 Oct 2002 07:53:58 +0800 >X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000 >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >John Nicholls said: > >| I know my weight in stone, but not metric even though I first started in >| metric in 1972 at school. >| >| And yes it was an advertisement. I was merely pointing out the use of >| metric lengths but the stubborn hold to the unit of pressure. It will >die >| slowly, but using humour will hasten the death. > > >Although us British-born folk were brought up with the ifp system at >school, you might like to know what made me convert. Everyone has their own >reasons I suppose, but here's mine:- > >This is a true story about when I was 9 at school in Bideford, North Devon >back in 1952. We all had the standard wooden rulers with 12 inches duly >marked, but my attention was drawn to the printing down the middle of the >ruler. It was a conversion table and said:- >"10millimetres = 1 centimetre. 10 centimetres = 1 decimetre. 10 decimetres >= 1 metre. 10 metres = 1 decametre. 10 decameters = 1 hectometre. 10 >hectometres = 1 kilometre". And under it: "Made in England". > >I remember thinking "If these measurements are so much easier to use, why >doesn't the teacher use them instead of inches?" The only answer I could >get was "because we all use inches" which didn't seem like a logical answer >to me. > >Ever since then I was fascinated by this easy system that nobody wanted to >use, and the more no-one wanted to know about it the more interested I >became. As I got older it seemed that it wasn't the done thing to use >something made in France - so why were so many people driving Renaults and >drinking French wines? > >As the teacher wasn't going to teach me to use centimetres etc, I was going >to teach myself. And the more that we had to use non-base 10 measurements >(especially the money system using 12s and 20s) the more I became >disenchanted with England's preoccupation with things old, just for the >sake of it. > >Needless to say I measured things in centimetres whenever I could, only >because it was easier than using fractions. Adding, say, 1 1/8" to 3 5/64" >was as difficult as adding "10s 6�d" to "�1 19 11�d" - not my cup of tea >thank you very much. I did not like getting the wrong answer most of the >time! > >I just wanted to let you know how a good British citizen like me got to >become pro-metric and who is not a 'traitor' in any way. Just trying to >make British people see some common sense in what should be a very simple >exercise, i.e. using metres instead of yards. > >So I will always be thankful of the nice English gentleman who had the >foresight to put the metric tables on our school rulers so soon after the >war, and who therefore made it so much easier for me to have the right >attitude >to accept this system. I've never looked back! > >Regards > >Mike Joy John Nichols BE, Ph.D. (Newcastle), MIE (Aust) Assistant Professor Texas A&M University Department of Construction Science Langford AC Rm: A414 MD 3137 College Station, TX 77843-3137 Electronic mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Telephone: 979 845 6541 Facsimile: 979 862 1572 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Magna res est vocis et silentii temperamentum The greatest thing is to know when to speak and when to keep quiet Seneca the Younger (attributed) -----------------------------------------------------------------
