We were talking about school children not specialists. I agreed that teaching conversion may be a useful process to learn, but it should wait until algebra and it could be used to convert units OTHER THAN Olde English units. (I gave a number of examples in my earlier reply.) Once the process is learned, it can be adapted for use with ANY units, Ye Olde English ones or any other, no matter how archaic. When the specialist encounters the situation, he or she will be able to handle it at that time. It was not necessary for the would-be-specialist to know how to do it with Old English units way back when they were still grade school students.
Bill Hooper ===================================== On Nov 29 , at 9:48 AM, Pierre Abbat wrote: > On Saturday 28 November 2009 14:15:05 Bill Hooper wrote: >> On Nov 28 , at 1:49 PM, Robert H. Bushnell wrote: >>> Conversion from inch-pound units to metric >>> units may be used as examples in algebra. >> >> There is no good reason to teach conversion from inch-lb to metric. > > I disagree. If all new surveys are labeled in meters, surveyors will be > working with old maps and deeds labeled in feet and chains for at least > another hundred years. Not everyone will need to convert, but there are > enough specialties where it is needed that it should be taught.
