Re: Do MDs need to know physics?

["William J. Larson" <Bill_Larson@compuserve.com>]

Ok, so I've finished grading my 13 tests and dragged out the =

1966 CRC manual and a 1965 University Physics text, err, =

um, inherited from my grandfather? No, I was a child prodigy &=85
OK, when I was a freshman.  Neither mention the "liter" AT ALL!
After checking current texts, which do.  I conclude that the liter =

was in some sort of purgatory, possibly because it really was =

indeed not quite equal to 1000 cm^3.  =


Bill Larson
Geneva

**********************************************************************

> I had an interesting argument from an MD, a number of years ago, as he
> tried to explain to me that a "cubic centimeter" and a "milliliter"
> were different.

How many years ago was this episode?  At one time a cubic centimeter *was=
* =

different than a milliliter.  For some time in the past the liter was not=

defined in terms of the (cubic) meter.  It was defined as the volume
occupied by 1 kg of pure water (with average terrestrial isotopic
compositions) under 1 atm of pressure and at the temperature at which the=

density of water was experimentally greatest (i.e. 3.98 deg C).  Using th=
is
definition there is a discrepancy (as I recall) in the 5th significant
figure between the size of this liter and a cubic decimeter.   If you hav=
e
access to an old 60's vintage copy of the CRC handbook you can look up
just how many of these old ml were equal to a cm^3.  I do not recall just=

when the liter was redefined as a cubic decimeter (but my guess is that i=
t
was sometime in the early 70's).

David Bowman
dbowman@gtc.georgetown.ky.us