1 yd = 0.9 m (exact conversion 1 yd = 0.9144 m)Reduce by 10 %, example
200 yd (subtract 10% of 200) --> 180 m
Just try to forget the *Yard, food* etc. AND remember:
11 yards = 10 metre;
A furlong = 200 m;
5 miles = 8 kilometre; and
the distance between wickets on a CRICKET field is 20 metre.
This shall be a reasonable start.
Brij Bhushan Vij <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
20050304H0671(decimal) AM(IS
Aa Nau Bhadra Kritvo Yantu Vishwatah -Rg Veda.
*****The New Calendar Rhyme*****
Thirty days in July, September:
April, June, November, December;
All the rest have thirty-one; accepting February alone:
Which hath but twenty-nine, to be (in) fine;
Till leap year gives the whole week READY:
Is it not time to MODIFY or change to make it perennial, Oh Daddy!And make the calendar work with Leap Week Rule! ***** ***** ***** *****
From: Pat Naughtin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Subject: [USMA:32350] Re: Conversion Date: Fri, 04 Mar 2005 11:39:47 +1100
Dear Phillip,
With respect, I don't think that moving from a mindset based on the inch-ounce family of old measures to a mindset based on conversion factors between old and metric units is the way to go.
I believe that the best way to achieve metrication is by the direct route where you develop a new metric mindset without referring to conversion factors at all.
I have interspersed some ideas below based on your original examples.
on 2005-03-03 23.49, Philip S Hall at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> We all (or most of us here) like to think metric but are having to put up
> with those wretched non-metric units that plague us in everyday life. Well
> I've a few methods that in some cases can make it a little easier to convert
> mentally.
>
> 1 in = 2.5 cm (exact conversion 1 in = 2.54 cm)
> Multiply by 10 and divide by 4, or halve and halve again, example:
> 18 in (x 10) --> 180 (halve it) --> 90 (halve it again) --> 45 cm
>
Measure the width of the nail on your little finger. It is about 10�millimetres wide. Measure the widths of your other three fingers. They are all about 20�millimetres wide. Look at the width of your fist across the knuckles. It is about 100�millimetres wide. Remember these and you can estimate small lengths and distances quite readily using your 'handy' references.
> 1 ft = 0.3 m (exact conversion 1 ft = 0.3048 m) > multiply by 3 and divide by 10, example > > 50 ft (x 3) --> 150 (div by 10) --> 15 m > > 1 yd = 0.9 m (exact conversion 1 yd = 0.9144 m) > Reduce by 10 %, example > > 200 yd (subtract 10% of 200) --> 180 m
Mark out a length of ten metres between your house and your garage, or
between the car park and your office at work. Practice walking this in a set
number of steps until you can readily and reasonably accurately 'step out'
10�metres. By slightly stretching my paces I can step out ten metres in ten
steps.
> 1 mile = 1.6 km (exact conversion 1 mile = 1.609 344 km) > Multiply by 3, halve it and add 10% of the original, example
Most people walk at about 100�metres per minute. If you walk reasonably briskly for ten minutes, you will have walked 1�kilometre. If you walk for 20 minutes you will have walked 2 kilometres.
> 500 mile (x 3) --> 1500 (halve it) --> 750 (add 10% of 500) --> 800 km
Picture a map of the continental USA. At its widest it is 4400 kilometres and its maximum length is 2600 kilometres. Estimate long distances as fractions of this map.
As a side issue, the continental USA averages about 4 megametres wide by 2 megametres North to South, so it has an area of about 8 square megametres (7.827�620�square megametres to be precise).
As another side issue, the continental USA is approximately the same size as
Australia, which is also about 4�Mm by 2�Mm or about 8�square megametres
(7.686�849�square megametres to be precise).
> 1 lb = 0.45 kg (exact conversion 1 lb = 0.453 592 37 kg) > Halve it and reduce by 10%, example > 180 lb (halve it) --> 90 (subtract 10%) --> 81 kg
Hold a litre bottle of Coke or Pepsi until you know the feel of a kilogram.
Do the same with two litres to feel 2 kilograms. My mother in law once won a
'guess the mass of the baby' competition because she remembered the feel of
a 4 kilogram bag of flour as she guessed that the baby was a little less
than this at 3.8 kilograms.
Remember that the average North American male has a mass of about 85�kilograms and the average mass of a female is about 75 kilograms. When you walk into a room full of people scan the room to find the average male and the average female; knowing that they are close to 85�kilograms and 75�kilograms respectively you can then guess at the mass of the others.
Heights can work the same way. Knowing that the average height of a North
American male is about 1.7�metres and a female is 1.6�metres you can quickly
find the average height people at a party and then estimate everyone else's
height by knowing that the width of your fist is 100�millimetres or 0.1
metres. By the way, it is quite difficult to estimate people's height to
much greater precision than about 50�millimetres; so if you are having a
height guessing competition its best to keep your answers to one decimal
place.
> Please note one thing though. If you are converting from what is originally
> only a rough approximate measurement try to reflect that in the result. For
> example, in the US it seems to be commonly assumed that someone of average
> height and weight is 180 lb. The above example shows this converts to 81 kg,
> but since the estimate is unlikely to be accurate to the nearest lb or even
> 2 lb, it would be better to regard the equivalent as 80 kg (nearest 5 kg
> say).
I heartily agree with you on this. Too many people build in false levels of precision when they do conversions. If you avoid doing conversions as I suggest above, you will also sidestep this problem.
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin ASM (NSAA), LCAMS (USMA)* PO Box 305, Belmont, Geelong, Australia Phone 61 3 5241 2008
Pat Naughtin is the editor of the free online monthly newsletter, 'Metrication matters'. You can subscribe by going to http://www.metricationmatters.com and clicking on 'Newsletter'.
* Pat is the editor of the 'Numbers and measurement' chapter of the Australian Government Publishing Service 'Style manual � for writers, editors and printers', he is an Accredited Speaking Member (ASM) with the National Speakers Association of Australia, and a Lifetime Certified Advanced Metrication Specialist (LCAMS) with the United States Metric Association.
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