Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 26, 1995 TAG: 9505260021
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-19 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RICHARD W. RUSK
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Yet some people in this country fear changing because they think they will need to convert everything. Nothing can be further from the truth. All they need to do is spend a very few dollars to buy a metric ruler, kitchen measuring cup, etc. for new recipes. You still can use your old measuring cup to make Grandma's apple pie. A federal gestapo will not confiscate all your household measuring devices, I assure you.
Another bugaboo is that people fear merchants selling in metric quantities will cheat them. How often do we check the weight of the T-bone steak, the volume of the quart of milk, or the volume of gasoline that we purchase?
Can we save our culture as conversion proceeds? We still will be able to sing around the piano about "a bushel and a peck" and "Miss 5-foot-2 with eyes of blue." Our culture is not a static but a dynamic phenomenon. Think of the vast opportunities that songwriters will have to compose new music using metric units.
Our national economy is tied to the global economy, and foot-dragging only costs money. Many products we buy that are manufactured in the good old U.S.A. are made by companies that sell overseas. It would be quite expensive for them to design a single item using two different sets of units. Many companies already have switched to the metric system. They all say the conversion was easier and cheaper than anticipated. These conversions are onetime investments that will reap dividends far into the future.
Our educational system could serve its students better if it could concentrate on the metric system only. As we prepare our students for the 21st century, they must be not only computer literate, but also able to comprehend all branches of science and technology and the interrelationships among all the parts. There is no better way to teach these relationships than to use a single, well-coordinated system of units throughout all the parts.
These approximate metric equivalents will help the laity bridge the gap from the inch/pound to the metric system:
1. 1 centimeter (cm) is about the width of the index thumbnail.
2. 1 meter (m) is about 1 yard plus the length of the index finger.
3. 1 kilometer (km) is a little longer than a half-mile.
4. 1 gram (g) weighs about the same as one paper clip.
5. 1 kilogram (kg) weighs about the same as a 2-pound can of coffee (including can).
6. 1 liter (L) approximately occupies the volume of 1 quart plus one-fourth cup.
7. 1 milliliter (mL) equals one-fifth teaspoon (5 mL\ 1 tsp.).
Richard W. Rusk is an associate professor of physics at Virginia Tech.
by CNB