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Calories, calories, & joules (was Re: Our 'humiliating' mistakes)



On Sun, 14 Sep 1997, Jim Green wrote:

why would one use the unit "calorie" in a physics class.

Perhaps one wants quickly and approximately to specify the amount of heat
that must be "done" to raise the temperature of a gram of water by a
kelvin?

Seriously, I don't see any good reason why we should deny ourselves the
use of units--especially those that are based on meaningful and convenient
standards like the calorie--just because they are not members of the SI
system. If we are doing it simply to protect students from the need to
perform complicated unit conversions, I think we are doing them a grave
disservice.

John
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A. John Mallinckrodt http://www.intranet.csupomona.edu/~ajm
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