On 2010/04/03, at 04:02 , <[email protected]>
<[email protected]> wrote:
Please recall that today, April 2, is the closing date for
submitting comments on the Common Core State Standards for
Mathematics and English.
I requested that the essentials of Public Law 100-418, which
declares SI as the preferred system of units of measurement for
United States trade and commerce, be included in the Core State
Standards.
E. A. Mechtly
Dear Gene,
I responded as follows:
##
Dear Editors,
It is interesting that there is only one reference in the 'COMMON CORE
STATE STANDARDS FOR Mathematics' to the measuring unit, millimeters.
It is contained in the line: 'use millimeters per year for seafloor
spreading'.
Apparently the 'COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS FOR Mathematics' does not
recognise the general use of millimeters in the community of the USA
and of millimetres in the rest of the world. In particular the writers
of this curriculum appear not to understand that they are writing and
editing their curriculum documents on an all metric computer (with its
chip design down to nanometres, its circuit design in micrometres, and
its case and screen designed and built exclusively in millimetres – I
suppose it was the designation of their computer as 'the 15 inch
model' that tricked them!).
The curriculum writers also seem unaware that they are simply putting
off the metric system training of people such as these in the list
below until they join the workforce.
Aircraft maintenance engineer (avionics), aircraft maintenance
engineer (mechanical), aircraft maintenance engineer (structures),
automotive electrician, binder and finisher, blacksmith, boat builder
and repairer, bricklayer, broadcast transmitter operator, business
machine mechanic, cabinetmaker, cable jointer, carpenter, carpenter
and joiner, communications linesperson, computing support technician,
dental technician, draftsperson, drainer, electrical engineering
technician, electrical power line tradesperson, electrician (special
class), electronic engineering technician, electronic equipment
tradesperson, electronic instrument tradesperson (special class),
electroplater, engraver, farrier, fibrous plasterer, fitter, flat
glass tradesperson, floor finisher, furniture finisher, furniture
upholsterer, gasfitter, gem cuter and polisher, general communications
tradesperson, general electrician, general electronic instrument
tradesperson, general fabrication engineering tradesperson, general
gardener, general mechanical engineering tradesperson, general
plumber, glass blower, graphic pre-press tradesperson, greenkeeper,
gunsmith, jeweller, joiner, landscape gardener, leather goods maker,
lift mechanic, locksmith, mechanical engineering technician,
mechanical services and air conditioning plumber, medical grade
shoemaker, metal casting tradesperson, metal fabricator (boilermaker),
metal machinist (first class), metal polisher, motor mechanic, optical
mechanic, painter and decorator, panel beater, patternmaker-grader
(clothing), piano maker, piano tuner, precision instrument maker and
repairer, pressure welder, printing machinist, refrigeration and air
conditioning mechanic, roof plumber, roof slater and tiler, saw maker
and repairer, screen printer, sheet metal worker (first class),
shipwright, shoemaker, sign writer, small offset printer, solid
plasterer, stonemason, surveyor, textile, clothing or footwear
mechanic, toolmaker, upholsterers and bedding tradespersons, tree
surgeon, vehicle body maker, vehicle painter, vehicle trimmer, wall
and floor tiler, watch and clock maker and repairer, welder (first
class), wood tradesperson, and wood turner.
In the USA people in these occupations routinely use millimeters and
millimetres each and every day and especially if they deal with
imports or exports to and from the USA or if they are involved in
military operations.
See http://www.metricationmatters.com/docs/centimetresORmillimetres.pdf
On another issue, reference could and perhaps should have been made in
the mathematics curriculum to the part that Benjamin Franklin, Thomas
Jefferson, and George Washington played in the development of the
original metric system (now know as the International System of Units
SI).
See http://www.metricationmatters.com/who-invented-the-metric-system.html
and also see http://metricationmatters.com/docs/USAMetricSystemHistory.pdf
As you know all measurement in the USA has been fully based on the
metric system since 1893. The inches, feet, yards, and miles in daily
use have been defined in terms of the metric system now for over 100
years. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mendenhall_Order
I don't know about the legality in the USA of promoting words such as
inch, foot, and yard as I think that the metric system is preferred in
Federal Law, but I do know a little about how much avoiding the metric
system costs. See http://www.metricationmatters.com/docs/CostOfNonMetrication.pdf
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin
Geelong, Australia
http://www.metricationmatters.com
##
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin
Author of the ebook, Metrication Leaders Guide, that you can obtain
from http://metricationmatters.com/MetricationLeadersGuideInfo.html
PO Box 305 Belmont 3216,
Geelong, Australia
Phone: 61 3 5241 2008
Metric system consultant, writer, and speaker, Pat Naughtin, has
helped thousands of people and hundreds of companies upgrade to the
modern metric system smoothly, quickly, and so economically that they
now save thousands each year when buying, processing, or selling for
their businesses. Pat provides services and resources for many
different trades, crafts, and professions for commercial, industrial
and government metrication leaders in Asia, Europe, and in the USA.
Pat's clients include the Australian Government, Google, NASA, NIST,
and the metric associations of Canada, the UK, and the USA. See http://www.metricationmatters.com
for more metrication information, contact Pat at [email protected]
or to get the free 'Metrication matters' newsletter go to: http://www.metricationmatters.com/newsletter
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