|
We
have tried to be accurate with the above table but cannot
be held responsible for in-accuracies.
Go back to first principals and double check your calculations
if the result is 'mission critical'.
Even the brilliant brains at NASA have made a conversion
error or two !
The scientific notation used in
the factors column helps to reduce long numbers to a manageable
width. E+01 means moving the decimal point one space to
the right so 1.00E+01 is shorthand for 10, then 1.33E+00 stays
at 1.33 and 1.33E-01 becomes 0.133. The format tends to be used
when the figure gets longer so E+09 or E-09 cuts out a lot of noughts.
Example:-
Task: How many sq.rods in 10 acres.
From the tables: 1 acre = 160 sq.rods, so
10 acres x 160 = 1600 sq.rods
When you want to reverse the conversion,
divide by the factor viz.
1600 sq.rods/160 = 10 acres
Remember that you cannot create energy only convert it.
Likewise, you will not find a conversion from pounds to metres
- the basic units must remain the same - mass converted to mass,
length converted to length, et al.
You won't usually find a conversion from kilograms to
grams - the prefix 'kilo' means '1,000' so a kilogram is in fact
1,000 grams in the same way as a kilometer is 1,000 metres [or
about 1,000 yards in 'old money']. I have put a few in the table
because visitors have asked for them. More prefixes can be found
on another table.
One handy metric link between units to remember is that
1 Litre [1000cc] of pure water weighs 1 kilogram.
If accuracy is critical beware of old versions of MS Excel
which had problems rounding off numbers.
Metrication is a great help but has also created anomalies;
I have seen pressure gauges changed from a commonly used
psi to kg/cm.sq., bar, pascal, kPa and atmos but will no doubt
move to a popular metric standard in a few decades.
More information on the SI System (Le Système International
d'Unités) base units
and definitions.
|