Metrication

[ovc88guelph]

> 
> But my kids have been much more thoroughly indoctrinated, and have 
> no real notion of feet and inches, or pounds and ounces.  > 
> David

Yes, I've noticed the same thing with students who work for me, but 
even then the conversion isn't complete. For instance, when asked to 
tear a piece of tape to 6 inches in length, they stare blankly. If 
asked how tall they are, the answer is in feet and inches! I'm a sad 
mix of SI and imperial as well. I remember drug doses in mg/kg, but 
patients weights in lbs. This has given me the odd, and mostly 
useless skill of being able to divide any number by 2.2 in my head. 
The change to the metric system in Canada has left one interesting 
mark upon us. Ask an American "how far is it from your house to the 
nearest major city?" The answer will be in miles. Ask a Canadian, 
and the answer will not be in miles nor will it be in kms. The 
answer will be in hours, ie how long it takes to drive there!

MMck.