Now take a look at energy, force, and pressure. English units are quoted in obvious units, (psi or psf). Metric pressure is in quoted in Pa, kPa, newtons/sq m, newtons/sq.....)

You mean to tell me that a newton is not a cookie filled with jam?


I recall newtons and many of the other units from taking physics years ago. But If you want me to describe a force exerted in terms of Newtons, or understand such a description, without doing some math I simply cannot. If you tell me foot-pounds, however, I will get the idea.

Great Googlie Mooglie. I'm still getting used to metric and you want me to convert to binary!?!?

I'm old and tired but willing enough to keep working on thinking in metric but there are limits to what I can wrap my ossified brain around and get comfortably and casual with. I learned some of the basics of working with binary but it was like typing with my nose. I can do it but not easily or quickly.

Hi UTAlumnus

Pressure or stress is normally measured in Pascals. 1 Pascal can be expressed as 1 Newton per metre squared. 1 Newton = 1 kilogram metre per second squared.
Therefore 1 Pascal = 1 kilogram per metre second squared.

All the SI dervived units such as resistance (ohms), magnetic flux (webers) etc can be reduced down to expressions of the SI base units of measurement.

length meter = m
mass kilogram = kg
time second = s
electric current ampere = A
thermodynamic temperature = Kelvin K
amount of substance mole = mol
luminous intensity candela = cd

Each SI base unit is a fundemental reference value and is extremely accurate and precise.

This is what makes the SI system so universal in regards to scientific measurements as all calculations are base 10 not base 12, 9, 16, 8 etc or combintations of each as in the imperial system of measurement. 10 squared = 100 and 10 cubed = 1000.

The ratio between psi and psf is 144 (12 times 12 i.e 12 squared) whereas the ratio between Pa and kPa is 1000 (the k indicates 1000 and M would indicates 1 million i.e MPa = 1 Million Pa)

My point exactly. The authors of text books & professors swap them around by course. One uses kPa where the next may use Newtons/sq. meter.

I'm gettin' a headache again...

3.79 liters of milk
1 gallon of milk
Jug of milk.

"...Jug of milk..."

Big jug and little jug, that is all we need...

With all the empirically derived functions, ratios don't bother me. Its when they use four different names for the same quality.

I learned metric in school too, while overseas. But I have mixed feelings about metric. 12 inches to a foot is easily divided by 3, 4 and 6. 1 pint of water=1 pound, so 1 gallon=8pounds. I find it to be a much more "ergonomic" measurement system. For building things, I really like Imperial measurements.

But through chemistry and engineering classes I've also learned to appreciate metric measurements. Except for things like stress and pressure, I don't really think either system is more or less confusing.