|
In my engineering classes at school we use both English system units and metric units. Metric units are ALOT easier to work with because the conversion factor is simple a factor of 10.
Here is the unusual part though...
The English system uses pounds for weight, and a pound is actually a force measurement. Remember that there is a difference between weight and mass. Mass is always constant and weight depends on gravity.
As a result, a pound and a kilogram are not actually the same thing. Infact this is the one thing that really annoys me about the english system.
We have sort of a joke going about how the users of the metric system don't go into a store and buy a Newton of potatoes because that would be absurd. (The Newton being the SI unit of force and is 1 kg*m/s^2) A pound is 1 slug*ft/s^2 with a slug being the english system measurement of mass. This is of course in accordance with Newton's Second Law of F = ma.
To compensate for this the EE (English Engineering system) has developed two very odd units, the pound mass (lbm) and the pound force (lbf) I hate both of those units and I hate the EE system. Its a stupid hybrid between the old English System and the metric system. Its stupid and I hate it. Its very annoying to have to convert between its own units and metric units.
Unfortunatley we are forced to learn to use all sets of units because the industry in the US uses the English System units and when engineers do things for industry we need to be able to convert all of these units.
I think of the English System as the measurement system for the "common people" in the US and the metric system for math and science and of course...the rest of the world.
|