![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
attention metric users
Mar. 30th, 2009 01:38 amI've run into a few folks making the usual mistakes in converting "English" units to metric in a writers group. I'm thinking of throwing togeyther somre cheat sheets for them (and ones going the other way for that matter.
What I'm wondering about is a few details about how folks in metric using countries give "casual" measurements.
For example, while most folks in the US tend to give their height as X feet Y inches, I get the impression that in metric they are more apt to round to the nearest 5 cm. Is that right?
Also, what about weight? If you are being non precise would you give your weight as so many kilos? or round it to the nearest 5 kilos?
If trying to get a feel for this because after "over precise" conversions ( ie converting "it's five miles away" to 8.04 km) improper rounding of conversion is the next most common goof.
oh yeah. Just for the hell of it, one of the more useful rules of thumb for converting sizes and distance. Don't consider a meter to be a yard (or vice versa). Instead go with 3 meters is about 10 feet. That's only off by 1.6%. the other is off by almost 8.6%.
What I'm wondering about is a few details about how folks in metric using countries give "casual" measurements.
For example, while most folks in the US tend to give their height as X feet Y inches, I get the impression that in metric they are more apt to round to the nearest 5 cm. Is that right?
Also, what about weight? If you are being non precise would you give your weight as so many kilos? or round it to the nearest 5 kilos?
If trying to get a feel for this because after "over precise" conversions ( ie converting "it's five miles away" to 8.04 km) improper rounding of conversion is the next most common goof.
oh yeah. Just for the hell of it, one of the more useful rules of thumb for converting sizes and distance. Don't consider a meter to be a yard (or vice versa). Instead go with 3 meters is about 10 feet. That's only off by 1.6%. the other is off by almost 8.6%.
