As said many times, metric is a language. Names of units and prefixes must be memorized. About twenty words for the non-technical person. That learning is the toghest problem with Americans - accepting foreign words. "Why don't they use English, dumbos?!" I found there is little need for the chart, although it must be shown, of course. But prefixes must be not just memorized but do so in the sequence (many memory aids exist for that). People can deduce the menaing from the sequence (particularly if it is only 10^3), while remembering the values is too difficult for most. In all my classes, children or adults, everybody learned by heart to recite loud: pico,nano,micro,milli,0,kilo mega,giga,tera. Even if a student forgets the meaning, s/he will recall it from the memorized sequence knowing that it represents 3, 6, 9, 12 in each direction. Centi and deci most knew before coming to a metrication class, and deka and hekto they will pick up on their own when they see them. Most never will. Stan Jakuba
On Fri, Mar 9, 2012 at 12:06 PM, Paul Trusten <[email protected]> wrote: > ** > This is a problem for U.S. educators to work with when the launching of > American metrication becomes a reality. > > I would like to expand on Jim Frysinger's comment about looking to the > SI brochure and avoiding the perceived "lower status" of some prefixes. > People everywhere should use the SI system of prefixes and unit names WITH > FACILITY---that is, metric education should include a thorough grounding in > SI such that the user can become comfortable using the whole table of > prefixes (as in the attached). In my years as an elementary school pupil, I > was caused to memorize some things to make myself competent in their use, > and, had I grown up in an SI country, this chart would have been one of > them. > In working with the general public, I would say one may not end up using > all of these powers of 10 over a lifetime. but knowledge of them, and > acceptance of the *principle* of using prefixes with units should become > a cornerstone in early metric-system training. It's one of the things that > a teacher should make a game of, and throw down a challenge for students to > learn well. We must not fall into the trap of institutionalizing certain > powers of 10 as we had institutionalized the inch, foot, yard, mile, and > gallon. This is what sets the SI apart from its pre-metric ancestors--its > decimal structure and its logic! > > Thanks, > > Paul R. Trusten > Registered Pharmacist > Vice President and Public Relations Director > U.S. Metric Association, Inc. > www.metric.org > [email protected] > +1(432)528-7724 > > > ----- > > It seems like this list goes through the same discussion every year or > > two about hecto- versus kilo-, especially when used with the pascal. > > > > You will find nothing in the Si Brochure giving the prefixes hecto-, > > deka-, deci-, or centi- any lower status than the "powers of 1000" > prefixes. > > > > Let us not confuse engineering or personal preferences with the actual > SI. > > > > Jim > > > > > > -- > > James R. Frysinger > > 632 Stony Point Mountain Road > > Doyle, TN 38559-3030 > > > > (C) 931.212.0267 > > (H) 931.657.3107 > > (F) 931.657.3108 > > >
