Posted on our College's Open Discussion forum a few moments ago....
Jim
---------- Forwarded Message ----------
Subject: Metric Week and Metric Day
Date: Thursday 2003 October 09 11:14
From: "James R. Frysinger" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Gov. Mark Sanford has declared this to be Metric Week in the state of South
Carolina. Friday, 2003-10-10 is Metric Day.
Educators are encouraged to incorporate and emphasize use of the modern
metric system, the International System of units (SI), during this time and
then to continue this throughout the year.
The above is not limited to science courses, especially since the metric
system is a matter of state diplomacy and treaty. It was developed for and
has evolved for the benefit of all measurements, especially those in
commerce. Due to the nature of metrology (the systematic science of
measurements), the units were developed, defined, and realized (i.e.,
represented by useable standards) in the fields of science (mostly physics).
But it is international business and communications that primarily provides
the rationale for the SI. Emphasis on the use of SI units would be
appropriate in English composition classes, language classes, social science
classes, journalism classes, fine arts classes, literature classes, and many
others.
The first coastal survey of the US was done ca. 1805 in meters, using one of
the twelve meter standards that had just been produced. In 1866 the US
declared the metric system legal for use in all matters of business and in
all court cases. In 1875 the US was one of the charter signatories on the
Treaty of the Meter. In 1893 the US abandoned its standards for the yard,
bushel, pound, and gallon and redefined all "American" units in terms of
metric units. The United States has always played a key role in the
development and improvement of the metric systems.
Currently, more than 95 % of the people of the world use only metric units
for all their measurements in daily life: purchase of food, clothes, and
homes; manufacturing; sports; travel; etc. Australia, Japan, and South Korea
are the more notable and significant countries which prohibit the use of
non-metric units in commerce. After 2009-12-31 the European Union will join
that list. The use of non-metric units on marketed items --- whether on
packaging, advertisements, operation instructions and owners manuals, or the
products themselves --- will not be tolerated and may result in embargo of
goods and fines after that date, as already occurs in the countries listed
above.
Americans are more and more metricated everyday. We watched the 2000 Summer
Games which were conducted and reported almost entirely in metric units. An
increasing amount of our industrial output is metric in nature and produced
in terms of metric measurements: 90 mm floppy disks (inaccurately called
"3-1/2 inch floppy disks"), 120 mm CDs, 60 mm pencil leads in 0.5 and 0.7 mm
diameters, wines and spirits, bottled waters and fruit juices, and so forth.
Our nickel has a mass of 5.0000 g and our penny 2.5000 g. Federal buildings
and most new NASA space missions have been designed and built in metric units
for fifeteen years now. The Navy is having an all-metric class of amphibious
ships being built in the United States. More than half of the federally
funded and a significant portion of the state funded road building in the US
is designed and performed in terms of metric units.
Dual labeling on the packaging for most goods has been required in the United
States since 1994. Nearly all US states now allow metric only labeling on the
packaging of goods controlled at the state level; South Carolina was one of
the fourteen states who first implemented this. The federal government is
working on an amendment to the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act to also allow
metric-only labeling on the packaging of goods controlled at the federal
level. The first public forum was held last fall, which I attended.
Industrial and professional association representatives were nearly unanimous
in asking for expedited development and passage of this amendment. The second
public forum on metric-only labeling is coming up again next month and I plan
to attend again.
Have a nice Metric Day tomorrow.
regards,
Jim
Ref:
http://www.cofc.edu/~frysingj/SIguidelines.htm
--
James R. Frysinger
Lifetime Certified Advanced Metrication Specialist
Senior Member, IEEE
http://www.cofc.edu/~frysingj
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Office:
Physics Lab Manager, Lecturer
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
University/College of Charleston
66 George Street
Charleston, SC 29424
843.953.7644 (phone)
843.953.4824 (FAX)
Home:
10 Captiva Row
Charleston, SC 29407
843.225.0805
-------------------------------------------------------
--
James R. Frysinger
Lifetime Certified Advanced Metrication Specialist
Senior Member, IEEE
http://www.cofc.edu/~frysingj
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Office:
Physics Lab Manager, Lecturer
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
University/College of Charleston
66 George Street
Charleston, SC 29424
843.953.7644 (phone)
843.953.4824 (FAX)
Home:
10 Captiva Row
Charleston, SC 29407
843.225.0805
