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Well, it all depends on where you live. In some regions it is important, for everyday life, to be able to make some conversions. For example, I learned and use the metric system, but my parents' generation learned and use the US system. If I send my mom a recipe and tell her to put the chicken in the oven for 30 minutes at 200 degrees, she will miss the recipe completely and she might also get sick as her chicken will not be cooked.
This example is based on a true story, but my mom did not get sick.
France
The mixed up girl who knows that 82 F is a good temperature for the swimming pool, that 24 C makes a nice summer day, but does not know what temperature is nice for a swimming pool in C and what the nicest temparature is in F for a summer day.
>(who has no idea what the metric equivalents for more obscure English
>units such as a rod or an ell might be)
It really isn't important to know the American/metric equivalents. It is
more imporant to understand the concepts.
When I look at something, I make a judgement call: "This is about an inch
long __________ "
So, when I look at the same thing with "metric thoughts", I make a similar
judgement call: "This is about 3 centimeters long: _____________ "
As to the more obscure units -- if you can't think them in American, why
worry about what the metric equivalent is? Unit conversion isn't about
conversion as much as it is about learning to make good judgement calls.
Diane Evans
Recovering math professor, who tried to teach these concepts to college
students for many years.
