Teaching SI in science and technology courses and classes is not a waste of time since S&T is already mostly metric. Montgomery County (MC) is the bio-tech corridor of the nation since it is near the US National Institutes of Health.
The SI was put into the science program for MC schools this fall and now it is beginning to put it into the curriculum. Things don't get done instantaneously so it will take time. It has taken a year to get to this point in the school system, but it's a start. If you don't start you'll never get finished. We have a very bright and forward thinking Superintendent (Jerry Weast) who made it possible for the 138 000 student system. He told me personally a couple of weeks ago that he is committed to the SI. The MC school system is now beginning to use the SI standards and the SI writing style and it will include the ISO standard date time format. For the time being, teachers are left to the teaching method most suited to the class since each is different in terms of course content and grade level. The focus is on science and technology rather than on consumer items you see in stores. A basic teaching tool is the relationship diagram of the SI and its derivatives which you can get from the USMA. The diagram brings it all together visually. I distributed the diagram back in the 1970s when there was a national push for metric. Science and technology is mostly metric now so students will be better prepared for good jobs in those fields. Stan Doore ----- Original Message ----- From: "kilopascal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, December 30, 2002 9:41 AM Subject: [USMA:24276] Re: If War Comes > 2002-12-30 > > You say the Montgomery County School System in Maryland is committed to the > SI. Can you explain how they teach SI? Do you know for sure how they teach > it? For example, do they teach SI as a primary system with actual hands on > experience using SI measuring devices? Or, do they teach SI as a subset to > FFU? In other words, is their method to teach FFU and when SI is > introduced, all that is taught is how to convert SI to FFU? > > Whatever the method, teaching SI to the students is like teaching Esperanto > to American students. Five minutes after you learn it, you forget it as you > have no practical means to use it. This is why it is important to at least > metricate those parts of the economy that would reinforce the teaching, such > as grocery store scales, media weather forecasts, gasoline sales, and road > signs. > > Without some form of metrication taking place in the real world, the > educational aspect of it is a waste of time and money. > > John > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "G. Stanley Doore" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Monday, 2002-12-30 09:21 > Subject: [USMA:24275] Re: If War Comes > > > > Not much has changed. > > > > US Marine infantry types still use yards whereas Marine artillery and > other > > weapon systems are metric. It's still a mixture. > > > > We must have the SI taught in schools rather than any old metric system so > > kids know and understand the relationship of units in the single common > > language of measurement worldwide. It's necessary if they want to get > good > > science and technology jobs. The Montgomery County School System here in > > Maryland is committed to the SI. > > > > Stan Doore > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Howard Ressel" Sent: Monday, December 30, 2002 8:47 AM > > Subject: [USMA:24274] If War Comes > > > > > > No, its not the Iraq version, this has to do with a book I found at a used > > book fair written in 1938 by R. Ernest Dupuy and George Fielding Eliot. It > > discusses the military situation in 1937, very spooky reading about how > they > > thought the US should stay out of the war and that we would never be able > to > > recover the Philippines if we lost them. > > > > What is interesting (at least for this list) is that the book mixes metric > > and English units throughout. One table of rifles for different countries > is > > a real hodgepodge. The country and type of rifle is listed along with it > > effective and maximum range. Effective ranges are listed in yards for all > > countries while maximum ranges are listed in meters for France, German, > > Italy, Japan, Czechoslovakia and Spain, listed in Yards for Great Britain > > and the US and listed in paces for Russia. Most distance in the book are > in > > yards and miles but almost all munition caliber are listed in mm. The main > > exception is battle ship guns all listed in inches. > > > > > > Howard Ressel > > Project Design Engineer, Region 4 > > (585) 272-3372 > > > > > >
