The opportunity to educate and use the International System of Units (SI)
is being missed by the media, the public and the US education system.
A cubic metre or a kilolitre (kL or 1000 L which is a little more than a
cubic yard) weighs a metric ton or 2200 pounds. A litre (L) of water
purchased in grocery stores weighs one kilogram (kg) or 2.2 pounds. Add to
this metres per second (m/s) for flow would help people to understand what it
takes to control water being experienced in floods in the US Midwest. It would
be a great practical learning experience. The same knowledge of the SI would
apply on a smaller scale to rainwater runoff at home.
This would be a great learning experience to educate the public on the
control and force of flowing water and attempts to stop breaches and to control
brooks and rivers People understand the effects of flowing water, its forces
and the damage that can be done; however, do they understand why?
Knowing some basic facts about the SI and how to use it can help people of
all ages to appreciate the environment in which they live.
Stan Doore
