The Metric System Made Simple

164 Pages·10.124 MB·English

by  Albert F. Kempf, Thomas J. Richards

The .J
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Metric ,
Albert F. Kempf
%stem
and
Thomas J. 77
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Made
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THE
METRIC SYSTEM
MADE
SIMPLE
Digitized by the Internet Archive
2010
in
http://www.archive.org/details/metricsystemmadeOOkemp
THE
METRIC SYSTEM
MADE
SIMPLE
ALBERT KEMPF
By
F.
THOMAS RICHARDS
and
J.
MADE SIMPLE BOOKS
DOUBLEDAY & COMPANY, INC.
GARDEN NEW YORK
CITY,
Materialinthisbookhasbeentakenfrom
UsingtheMetricSystemandExploringtheMetricSystem
ByAlbertF.KempfandThomasJ.Richards
PublishedbyLaidlawBrothers
©
Copyright 1973
LaidlawBrothers • Publishers
ADivisionofDoubleday&Company,Inc.
RiverForest,Illinois
PaloAlto,California Dallas,Texas Atlanta,Georgia Toronto,Canada
All rights reserved. No partofthis publication maybe reproduced ortransmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, re-
cording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writingfromthepublisher.
ISBN: 0-385-11032-4
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber75-36631
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Kempf,AlbertF.
Themetricsystemmadesimple.
(Madesimplebooks)
"Material. . .takenfrom[theauthors']Usingthe
metricsystemandExploringthemetricsy—stem."
1.Metricsystem. 2.Weightsandmeasures United
States. I.Richards,ThomasJ.,jointauthor. II.Title.
QC92.U54K45 530'.8
11
Contents
INTRODUCTION vii
LENGTH
1
Meter 1
Decimeter 3
CentimeterandMillimeter 5
DekameterandHectometer 7
Kilometer 9
PrefixesandtheDecimalSystem 1
Estimating 14
AddingMetricMeasures 17
SubtractingMetricMeasures 20
ProblemsAboutLength 22
MoreProblemsAboutLength 24
Conversions 28
CheckYourProgress 32
PERIMETER AND AREA 35
Perimeter 35
Area 39
SquareUnits 39
AreaofaRectangle 43
AreaofOtherGeometricalShapes 45
LandArea 48
ComparingPerimeterandArea 5
Conversions 52
CheckYourProgress 53
VOLUME AND CAPACITY 55
Volume 55
CubicUnits 55
FindingVolume 57
LargerUnitsofVolume 60
VolumeandArea 62
Capacity 64
CapacityandVolume 68
ProblemsAboutVolumeandCapacity 69
Conversions 73
CheckYourProgress 75
vi Contents
MASS AND WEIGHT - 11
Definitions 77
Grams,Kilograms,andMetricTons 82
Problems 87
DensityandSpecificGravity 93
Conversions 96
CheckYourProgress 97
OTHER UNITS 99
PrefixesforMetricUnits 99
Temperature 101
CelsiusScale 101
KelvinScale 103
Radian 105
Ampere,Candela,andLumen 106
CheckYourProgress 108
GLOSSARY
111
SOME UNITS AND THEIR SYMBOLS 115
UNITS OF MEASUREMENT-
CONVERSION FACTORS
117
UnitsofLength 117
UnitsofMass 118
UnitsofCapacity,orVolume,LiquidMeasure 120
UnitsofCapacity,orVolume,DryMeasure 122
UnitsofArea 124
SPECIAL TABLES 125
EquivalentsofDecimalandBinaryFractions
ofanInchinMillimeters 125
InternationalNauticalMilesandKilometers 126
SELECTED TABLES OF EQUIVALENTS 129
Length 130
Mass 132
Capacity,orVolume 134
Area 137
ANSWERS
139
Introduction
Inches, yards, miles, pounds, tons, pints, than the present English system of meas-
gallons. All these terms are familiar urement."
American units of measurement whose Fortunately, in our monetary system,
meanings and equivalencies were aU units of measurement are multiples of
drummed into most of us during our ele- 100 or fractions thereof. Calculations re-
mentary school years. In order to solve quire only the addition of zeros or mov-
problems involving computations of ing the decimal point to the left or right,
length, area, volimie, capacity, mass, and eliminating complicated fractions and
weight, we memorized that there are 12 making financial problem-solving easier
inches in a foot, 3 feet to a yard, 16 toteachandlearn.
ounces to a pound, 4 quarts to a gallon, Why aren't aU our length, capacity,
andsoforth. andweightmeasurementsbasedon a dec-
These varied conversion rates make it imal system? Actually, over 90 per cent
time-consuming, ifnot diflScult, to master of the world's people already use such a
such a system. If a rod equals 5Vi yards system, called the metric system. Based
andif 40rods equal a furlong, how many on the meter, a unit of measurement uni-
yards aretherein 3 furlongs, 2 rods?Ob- versally defined as "the wavelength of
viously, the solution requires several con- orange-red Ught emitted by a krypton-86
versions and could hardly be called "sim- atom," the metric system will soon be-
ple." come the official system of measurement
Most American measurements have intheUnitedStates,thelastindustrialized
been based on the EngUsh customary nationtomakethechangeover.
unit system since the late 1700s, when And it's about time we learned to use
congressional action on standardization this method. Yes, itwill taketimeto "un-
was taken, although farsighted leaders learn"ourpresentorganizationofweights
hke Thomas Jefferson opposed the deci- andmeasures, but gettingthehangofthe
sion.Ouryardmeasurement,forexample, metric methodwillbesimple enough. For
was originally the distance from the end example: If 1,000 nuUimeters equal 100
of Henry II's n—ose to the tip of his out- centimeters, and 100 centimeters equal
stretched hand not exactly a universal one meter, we see that the ease of unit
measurement. conversion made possible by decimaliza-
Today, even the National Council of tion eliminates time-consuming searches
Teachers of Mathematics has declared for common denominators. In today's su-
our traditional measurement system un- personic world, "It's always been that
wieldly. Found in its 20th Yearbook was way" is no longer an acceptable excuse
this observation: "From thepoint ofview forourfailuretomasternewandmoreef-
of teaching and learning, it would not be ficientmethodsofcalculation.
easy to design a more difficult system This book is designed to help Ameri-
vm
Introduction
cans make the measurement transition all our measurements. There will stUl be
effective—ly through the leam-by-doing 60 minutes to an hour and 24 hours to a
method a time-honored teaching de- day. But all present appUcations of the
vice. Definitions along with exercises in- metric system will be retained, and the
volving length, area, volume, and mass jargon once used here exclusively by
calculations are presented, complete with scientists, pharmacists, medical and tech-
answers forself-checking. The metric sys- nical workers, and the photographic in-
temismadesimple! dustry willbecome abasic toolfor every-
Metric standardization will not affect one.