I used to do this every semester I taught statistics. I would measure the students heights in meters, then get their mass in kilograms (using a Borg bathroom scale) and then Excel would take the mass and divide by the heights squared. Since retiring from Chicago City Colleges, I have not been able to do this with a class, but it seems like the type of assignment most math teachers could do and students would at least learn how high they are in meters and learn their mass in kilograms.
Mark ----- Original Message ----- From: Carleton MacDonald <carlet...@comcast.net> Date: Tuesday, June 4, 2013 9:47 pm Subject: [USMA:52875] RE: Re: A Response to the Metric Petition at We The People To: "U.S. Metric Association" <usma@colostate.edu> Cc: "'mechtly, eugene a'" <mech...@illinois.edu> > We had a health fair at work the other day. After measuring height (the device had both in and cm) and weight (display was in lb only), the woman had to consult a chart to find out my BMI. I already knew my mass in kg and my height (1.79 m) so I just took out my iPhone, went to Utilities/Calculator, entered in the kg, divided by 1.79, divided by 1.79 again, and gave her the answer before she got it from the chart. I told her if you measure people properly the calculations are easy. Carleton From: owner-u...@colostate.edu [mailto:owner-u...@colostate.edu] On Behalf Of Henschel Mark > Sent: Tuesday, June 04, 2013 21:16 > To: U.S. Metric Association > Cc: U.S. Metric Association; mechtly, eugene a > Subject: [USMA:52872] RE: Re: A Response to the Metric Petition at We The > People Not to be confused with body mass index, which is mass divided by length squared, or kilograms per square meter. Mark > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "mechtly, eugene a" <mech...@illinois.edu> > Date: Tuesday, June 4, 2013 2:19 pm > Subject: RE: [USMA:52851] Re: A Response to the Metric Petition at We The > People > To: "mw-hensch...@neiu.edu" <mw-hensch...@neiu.edu>, "U.S. Metric > Association" <usma@colostate.edu> > Cc: "mechtly, eugene a" <mech...@illinois.edu> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Mark, > > > > > > > > The body mass of new-born infants typically lies between about 2500 grams > > and 4500 grams. > > > > > > > > This range is, of course, easily expressed as 2.5 kg to 4.5 kg. > > > > > > > > However, If you had the assignment of setting up a digital database for the body masses of new-born infants, under the constraint that there must be as few unessential symbols (e.g. decimal markers) as possible and yet with a required precision of data > > entry to the nearest gram, you would almost be forced to accept four digit > > numbers such as 3456 (grams). > > > > > > > > What is the actual practice in digital databased of modern hospitals? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > From: owner-u...@colostate.edu [owner-u...@colostate.edu] on behalf of Henschel Mark [mw-hensch...@neiu.edu] > > > > Sent: Monday, June 03, 2013 10:52 AM > > > > To: U.S. Metric Association > > > > Cc: U.S. Metric Association; mechtly, eugene a > > > > Subject: [USMA:52851] Re: A Response to the Metric Petition at We The People > > > > > > > > > > > > Have you noticed that the nutrition standards for sodium read "less than 2,400 mg"? > > > > Seems even the government standards writers can't figure out that 2,400 mg > > is the same as 2.4 grams. > > > > > > > > Mark > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > > From: "mechtly, eugene a" <mech...@illinois.edu> > > > > Date: Sunday, June 2, 2013 4:01 pm > > > > Subject: [USMA:52843] A Response to the Metric Petition at We The People > > > > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <usma@colostate.edu> > > > > Cc: "mechtly, eugene a" <mech...@illinois.edu> > > > > > > > > > The Metric Petition: "Make the Metric system the standard in the > > > > > United States ..." > > > > > > > > > > A well documented Response: > > > > > > > > > > 1. The World Standard for units of measurement is the > > > > > "International System of Units (SI)." > > > > > > > > > > 2. The America COMPETES Act, Public Law 110-69 of 2007, > > > > > states that the metric system of measurement shall be defined as > > > > > the International System of Units ..." > > > > > > > > > > 3. The Metric Conversion Act, Public Law 94-168 of 1975, > > > > > designates the "metric system of measurement as the preferred > > > > > system ... for United States trade and commerce." > > > > > > > > > > 4. In harmony with these acts of Congress, new digital > > > > > Medical Records are now entered almost 100% in SI units of > > > > > measurement or in units approved for use with SI units, for > > > > > example, in liters or in milliliters or in deciliters. > > > > > > > > > > 5. Pharmacy products are now sold nearly 100% in SI units, > > > > > whether by prescription or by "over the counter" sale. > > > > > > > > > > 6. Labels on most Consumer Products, including Foods, now > > > > > include declarations of net contents in SI units. > > > > > > > > > > 7. Labels of "Nutritional Facts" on most containers of > > > > > Foods are now nearly 100% in SI units. > > > > > > > > > > 8. The Automobile Manufacturing Industry, now > > > > > international in scope, uses nearly 100% SI units of > > > > > measurement. > > > > > > > > > > 9. STEM education is predominately in SI units of measurement. > > > > > > > > > > SI is already "the standard" for units of measurement in the > > > > > United States! > > > > > > > > > > Most units which lie outside the SI that are > > > > > still used in the United States, are now defined as numerical > > > > > multiples of SI units. Metallic artifacts are no longer > > > > > maintained to define directly these units outside the SI. > > > > > > > > > > For additional documentation see NIST SP 330 and NIST SP 811. > > > > > All the Acts and Documents cited above are downloadable over the > > > > > Internet. > > > > > Eugene Mechtly > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
