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Ranting. Metric System.

Posted By: Taper_Mike
Date: Thursday, 5 December 2013, at 10:43 p.m.

In Response To: Ranting. Metric System. (Keene)

Nov. 10, 1999: Metric Math Mistake Muffed Mars Meteorology Mission
http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2010/11/1110mars-climate-observer-report/
"A disaster investigation board reports that NASA’s Mars Climate Orbiter burned up in the Martian atmosphere because engineers failed to convert units from English to metric."

To answer Henrik's question, I think most Americans are clueless regarding the metric system. Readers on this forum, however, are a different matter. Here, there are so many college degrees hanging around (and analytic types in general), I would guess that the majority can hanlde the metric system at one level of another.

Sadly, the USA abandoned its plans to change over to the metric system in the 1970s. At that time, we had freeway signs displaying distances in both miles and kilometers. Today, the signs have all been torn down or replaced, even though they were far from "worn out."

Mike

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