Yes, excellent. They are sometimes called "conventional," which has the same problem as "customary." I have called them "obsolete" and "old-fashioned" very off-handedly, without caviling, and none of my wombatty readers demurs.
> From: "James R. Frysinger" <[email protected]> > Reply-To: <[email protected]> > Date: Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:21:06 -0500 > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> > Subject: [USMA:45934] Re: teaching customary units > > > Your point is well taken about using the term "customary", Robert. > However, the NIST Metric Program Office and others use the term "U.S. > Customary measures" to mean many of the non-metric ones used in this > country. > > Jim > > Robert H. Bushnell wrote: >> Robert H. Bushnell, PhD. P.E. >> 502 Ord Drive >> 303-554-0827 Boulder, Colorado 80303-4732 >> [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> >> Meteorologist and Consulting Engineer >> in Solar Energy >> Specialist in SI metric units >> >> 2009 October 5 >> National Council of Teachers of Mathematics >> >> Here it is metric week and I see for the first time the >> NCTM position on measurement units: "provide students with >> rich experiences in ... both metric and customary systems of >> measurement". >> >> Bad news. Teaching both causes smart students to see how bad >> it is and give up on science and engineering. They go to the >> humanities where the nonsense of two sets of units does not >> show up. This leaves the USA way behind the rest of the world. >> >> By the way, NCTM (and everybody else) should stop using the >> term "customary". In the USA, metric will become "customary" >> so for now the term "customary" is not meaningful. I use the >> term "inch-pound". NCTM should too. >> >> >> NCTM should set the following policy: >> >> Schools shall not teach inch-pound units of measure. >> Examples of units not to be taught are: >> inch, foot, yard. mile, >> pound, ounce, >> degree Fahrenheit, >> calorie, Btu. >> >> "Not taught" means students shall not be tested about >> inch-pound units and means that such units shall not be >> presented as part of class room subject matter. >> Teachers may respond to student's questions about inch-pound >> units. Inch-pound units may be presented as part of history >> but such use shall not be to find numerical values. Conversion >> from inch-pound units to metric units may be used as examples >> in algebra. >> ------------------------- >> >> Robert H. Bushnell >> > > -- > James R. Frysinger > 632 Stony Point Mountain Road > Doyle, TN 38559-3030 > > (C) 931.212.0267 > (H) 931.657.3107 > (F) 931.657.3108 >
