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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1975-03-06, Page 17• 0 Crossroads e weeMyboassialowir ttistowei Baa*)e'a 'I srg ar a *dvt►ace-• 10011* •sad M $ !erg Conte, *ate is teat by 33' le i the "heMi(I ad of Midwestern • at*rW°. 440 oa 3e4 readers las each of 9,569 banjos.) Published *Very WeOk in The Listowel Banner, The Wingham Advance -Times and The 114 t Forest Confederate by Wenger Bros. Limited. In step. with the world Total metrification, a Canada is slowly creeping along the road to a total metrifi- cation of its weights and measures system. Already, weathermen have started giving weather quota- tions in degrees Celsius in con- junction with their equivalents in Fahrenheit. Beginning on April 1 this year, all temperature quotations will be in degrees Celsius. `-`Then we will gradually give our other quo- tations in metric measures," says Norm Seguss, officer -in - charge of the Weather Station in Mount Forest. If it's confusing how cold (or warm) it is when the weather is said to be so many degrees Cel- sius, it will be even more confus- ing as the process goes on. Still to come are such names as mole, gram, kilogram, litre, milligram, millilitre, candelas, amperes, et cetera, et cetera. Take consolation, though. Systems of weights and mea- sures have been even more con-, fusing. For example, at one time • a child learning the measure- ments of length had to listen to something like this: "The digit is the width of a ' finger; the palm the width of the hand above the thumb; the span is the distance from the endof the thumb to the end of the little finger, with the hand Out- stretched; ut-stretched; the cubit is the dis- tance from the elbow to the finger • tip; the span is equal to three palms, the cubit two spans and • the fathom four cubits ... " And that' Was only #,h &Valid and involved onlyone set otmed surement. If the systems of weights and measures from other lands in the past were recited simultaneously, it would be babel. However, increased travel and trade between peoples from and to different lands has always nec- essitated systems understand- able to all. "The history of measure- ments," writes S. M. Gossage, chairman of the Canada Metric - Commission, "is the history of man'si struggle to understand what his neighbor meant when he • was talking about quantity and then to agree with the neighbor . on a description that would have the same meaning for a third person." That's why Canada is going metric, or rather gradually con- verting its system of weights and measures to the SI metric units. SI means International System and most countries of the world, including jungle republics Cana- da Can feed and arm with as much money as is spent on booze in Toronto in any given year, have been metric for years. - In short, Canada still has to spend time and money .just so that many nations will under- stand what Canadians mean when they talk about weights and measures. Canada's benefits for going metric are, therefore, straight- forward. - Improved export trade with metric countries. -The metric system (SI) has a few easily -defined units. - All multiples and sub -multi- ples are in simple powers of ten. -There is a direct relationship between the units of length, volume and weight. -The multiples and sub -mul- tiples generally accord with Canada•S accepted counting sys- tem. -Most of the other countries of the world are already metric'. So what's the sweat? The sweat is to make every Canadian think, see, feel and talk metric. That is, to change the way of thinking; to have an approximate idea of a metre when they see one; to feel how fast they are moving when the speed limit on the highway is Km 50 (32 m.p.h.) ; to feel how heavy is a kilogram (2.2 pounds) ; to know what to wear when it's zero degrees Cel- sius (freezing) and to know how far Arthur is from Mount Forest (18 Km) ... the list is endless. The system Canada is convert- ing to should not be confused with the old system of metric -such as Centimeter, Gram, Second LONG MEASUE. 1 inch = 2.54 centimeters 1yard = 914401 meter 1 mile =1:609347 kilometers LIQUID MEASURE 1 pint = .473167 liter 1 quart = .946332 liter 1 gallon =3.785329 liters DRY MEASURE 1 pint = .550599 liter 1 quart =1.101197 liters 1 peck =8.80958 liters 1 bushel = .35238 hectoliter SQUARE MEASURE 1 sq. inch =6.4516 sq. centimeters 1 sq. foot =9.29034 sq. decimeters 1 eq. yard= .836131 sq. mcct°. !„00.*, =,,40:469 *tar*- ., 1 sq. mile sq. kito,n tars CUBIC MEASURE 1 cu.-lnch =16.3872 cu. centimeters 1 cu. foot = .028317 cu. meter 1 cu. yard= .76456 cu: meter „ AVOIRDUPOIS MEASURE 1 ounce =28.349527 grams 1 pound = .453592 kilogram. 1 short ton= .90718486 metric ton 1 long ton = 1.01604704 metric tons (CGS) System, which developed many new and unrelated units over the years. That one hadits origin in the French Revolution. It was de- signed by a few scientists when most French people were physi- cally, ideologically ant morally butchering each other in the streets of Paris. Like the other revolutionaries in France at the time, these scientists hoped that the new sys- tem would ntt only be coherent but that it would also be everlast- ing. All the old measures were scrapped and a new one, derived from nature, was designed. The standard unit of length chosen was the metre. The metre was defined as "one ten millionth part of a meridian of longitude between the Pole and the Equa- tor." The unit of weight chosen was defined as the weight of water at specified temperatures and pres- sure in one cubic centimetre. (There are 100 centimeters in one metre and one metre is a yard plus 31/2 inches). This volume of water also formed the basis for measures of capacity (litre). Needless, to say, everyone was confused. But revolutions result in confusion, devastating if they are overnight affairs, adjustable Some everyday metric units Quantity Unit length millimetre (one thousandth of a metre) centimetre (one hundredth of.a metre) metre kilometre (one thousand metres) aha volume and capacity mass (or weight) time square centimetre square metre hectare (ten thousand square metres) cubic centimetre cubic metre millilitre (one thousandth of a Titre) centilitre (one hundredth of a litre) litre gram (one thousandth of a kilogram) ' kilogram tonne (one thousand kilograms) second minute hour speed metres per second kilometres per hour knots (international nautical miles per hour) Symbol mm cm m km cm2 . m2 ha MILLIMETRE AND INCH EOUIVALINT$ (1 mm -'00393701 in.) radual process mm • In. • mm in. mm in. mm In. mm i _ •;. 1 2 .. 3 4 $ 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 '13 14 15 16 17 • 18 19 20 0.0394 0-0787 01181 01575 8.1969 0.2362 02756 0.3150 0-3543 . 03937 0.43 1 0.4724 0.51,18 0.5512 0.5986 0.6299 0-6693 b-7087 0.7480 0.7874 21 22 23 24 25 26 17 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 0.827 0.866 0.906 0.945 0.984 1.024 1.063 1.102 1.142 1.101 1 :220 1.260 1.299 1.339 1.370 1.417 1.457 1.496 1.535 1.575 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 St 52 53 S4 55 56 57 58 S9 ' 60 1.614 1.654 1.693 1.732 1-772 1.811 1.850 1.890 11.929 1969 2.000 2.047 2-087 2-126 2.165 2.205 2-244 2.283 2.323 2.362 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 682.07 69 0 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 2.402 2.441 2480 2.520 2.559 2.590 2i30 2.717 3.756 2.795 2.835 2874 2-913 • 2-953 2.992 3.031 3-071 3.110 3.150 81109 82 03^ 84 85 86 87 88 a 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 . 97 98 • 99 111 •3.2211 3'260 3'307' • , 3.11411.., ' •301►;''. 420 , 3'460' 3.50 )-543~ 3• 3' 362.2 3.661 ' 3701 3.74 3.780 3.819 3.050 3.890 3.937 to it they are gradual. Canada has chosen the gradual. form • of revolutionizing her citizens' thinking as far as weights and 'measures are con- cerned. The conversion process is ex- pected to be complete by 1980. H. G. Wells won't be disappointed in o his grave. The system designed by the French revolutionary scientists was coherent in that all measures were related to each other. In addition, larger and smaller units in each series of measure were (and still are) related to powers of ten, like the dollar. (There are 100 cents in a dollar, 10 ten -cents in a dollar and 10 one - cents in a dime, which is' ten cents. That's the idea). But that system didn't stand up to the mischance of the times. The metre didn't stand up to closer investigation. The world is not round, like the• -French scien- tists had figured. It's oval, like an egg -almost. Nonetheless, the system has remained coherent. Today the metre is defined in a more scien- tific way (in the laboratory) as "wavelengths in vacuum, of radiation corresponding to the transition between two levels of krypton 86 atom". The relationship between the metre and the gram (the unit of mass) and the litre, the unit of capacity, wasn't quite accurate either. - While the divergence was minute, it was enough to upset scientists, who crave for accu- racy with more, if not as much passion, as winos crave for the bottle. Today the kilogram (1000 grams) is a prototype of platinum mass kept at the headquarters of the,. International Bureau of Weights and Measures in France. (Platinum is a white heavy ductile maleable metallic ele- ment unaffected by simple acids' and -meltable only at very high temperatures) . Thus, when Canada goes metric by 1980, she will have adopted one of -the most closely - watched.. systems of weights and measures. The decision to make Canada metric was made in June, 1971, when the Metric Commission was established following a White Paper on Metric Conversion in Canada. "In order to fulfil its re- sponsibility of developing a good plan for conversion," writes Mr. Gossage, "the Commission has asked each economic sector to assume the responsibility of developing its own tentative pro- gram for changeover, suitable to its requirements." The Meteorological Depart- ment has decided that the first step will be to quote only tem- perature in metric system (SI). The Commission will then take these plans and with "further co- operation with the sectors con- cerned, develop an overall plan for tie whole Canadian economy which will cause the least diffi- culty and dislocation to the dif- ferent sectors." The Commission then reports to the Minister of Industry, Trade and Commerce, and advises the minister "on the need for legisla- tion or any other action that may be required to facilitate conver- sion to metric system." Translated, this bureaucratic verbiage simply means that decisions will be made by the powers that be and those who run the economy as to which units of the seven will be used in weights cm3 (or c.c. or cc) m3 ml cl I (or litre) g kg t (or tonne) 9 min h m/s km/h kin and measures of the commodities the society makes and needs; For example: will building material (lumber, let's say) come in 10 centimeters (em) or 100 cm? Will milk be sold in ,hall litre, quarter litre or one and a half litre- containers? And will doing so be economical? These are the questions -that committees, with membership drawiffrom many sectors of the economy and national associa- tions, have been formed to tackle. Some commodities need legis- lation as to the quantities in which they can be packaged. A good example is the dairy pro- duct. Others don't. Here the deci- sions will most likely depend on tie economic factors (cost and profit) and such other inter- twined factors like practicalities of handling. Ultimately, these 'decisionf need cause no More havoc , than decisions to build small or large cars or to package sugar in five- pound bags have caused in the past.. . To begin' with, the metric system has been around for a long time; that prescription from the doctor has always been in grams or milligrams. The airlines have always quoted their departure and arrival times.in, you bet, metric .. 1800 hours, meaning 6 p.m. Motorcycle and imported for- eign -made car engine capacities have been given in metric for quite a while 225cc, 1600 (cc omitted but that's what it means) . - Coke has gone metric. The quantity is quoted in both ounces and millilitres. Not only that, last year bottles marked only in milli- litres (ml) were introduced in London, Ontario, and hardly any- one noticed. The size and shape of the bot- tles didn't change. Being inter- national, the Coca Cola company has had to be metric. They just changed the molds for the bottles . for the inside, that is. Toothpaste tubes (not all of them) have been metric for quite awhile;' so much ml of paste in the tube. There will be no need to throw away all the pots and pans from the kitchen. There are many pots and pans into which a litre of milk will fit. There will not even be an im- mediate need to tear down -the gas pumps and replace them with metric ones. They can be mechanically adjusted to pour the gas in litres. There's one thing, though. Some day everything will be metric. It's the sound of the future and Canadians might as well learn how to adjust to it, and fast. The best way • to do so is to ob- tain rulers, scales and measuring jugs calibrated in the metric sys- tem. It would also help to note the comparatti'Ve weights on certair'f pre-packaged commodities. Some packages have both measures marked on them. When the conversion is com- plete, the consumer won't have to worry whether a size 12 or 16 dress will fit if it's ready-made. But those women who like mak- ing their own dresses will have to know how many metres they need for a dress because the cloth will be metric and the metre is a very likely measure. It is now the internationally used measure of cloth. Whether they decide to use centimetres or metres for ready- to-wear clothes should not worry the consumer. But that's if they don't change the sizes. If they do, there will be some, confusion. That's what makes learning what the system means vital. Federal assistance for metric conversion in Canada generally will be limited to planning, co-or- dinating and publicizing the sys- tem through the Commission and co-ordinating the preparation through the Standards Council- of Canada. The cost of conversion will, be the responsibility of those who in- cur them. For example: garage owners will have to buy a whole Set of tools and manufacturers will bear the cost of converting their machinery. The cost will he enormous, financially. And psychologically, too. Adjustment will be needed. People will have to learn an entirely new mode of thinking in a relativelyshort time. Is it worth it? There is some value in joining the world to create a language that is universallx understood but does not erode the nationalistic identity or cultural pride, By conver-tinglo the SI system, Canada will have done so. More important, Mr. Gossage, notes, ... this will be a notable contri- bution to the easing of communi- cations in a world whose time di- mensions shrink almost daily." In addition, Canada as a trading nation must use the mea- surements of her customers, if they are going to stay her , cus- tomers. - Old habits die hard, the saying goes. But whether the shoe is measured in centimetres or inches, it will pinch where it will. And the wearer will definitely know . m which centimetre the shoe pinched. ---Crossroads--March 6, 197• DOUBLE -During the period of converting the system of weights and measures in Canada, most pre-packaged and canned goods will bear both avoirdupois and metric units. This should help consumers adjust their thinking to metric by' using an already known weight. STARTED -Temperatures will be quoted in degrees Cel- sius beginning April 1. However, work continues on figuring the rest of the measurements and preparing their eventual conversion to metric. Wind speed, for example, will be given In knots. Norm Seguss, officer -in -charge, Moun Forest Weather Station, contemplates the change that win speed arid pressure measuring equipment will have to un dergo.