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The Metric System in New Zealand Forestry

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The Metric System in New Zealand Forestry NEW ZEALAND FOREST SERVICE 1972 THE METRIC SYSTEM IN NEW ZEALAND FORESTRY think metric Oxford Decimal Classification 511 New Zealand Forest Service - Information Series No. 63 THE MEI1RIC SYSTEM IN NEW ZEALAND FORESTRY New Zealand Forest Service Wellington, 1972 (ii) CONTENTS Page What is the metric system? 1 What advantages does the metric system have? 1 What is the SI system? 1 What are the advantages of the SI? 2 Why has this system been adopted in N.Z.? 2 Does the change involve a:ny change in the handling of figures? 2 Are there a:ny rules for using metric symbols? 4 Are there a:ny reference publications describing the use of the metric system in N.Z.? 5 What degree of precision is required in converting information? 6 What metric units will be used in forestry practice in N.Z.? 6 Are a:ny changes to measuring equipment involved in this change to metric measurement? 11 How is this changeover to occur? 11 Appendices I Conversion Factors 13 II Metric Sizes for Sawn Timber 17 III Suggested Metric Plot Sizes 19 IV Precision in Conversion 20 (The material for this booklet was compiled by I. Trotman, Senior Forester, New Zealand Forest Service, Wellington) -1- This booklet has been prepared as an introduction to the change from imperial to metric measurement in New Zealand as it affects forestry. WHAT IS THE METRIC SYSTEM? The metric system was introduced in France in the 18th century as a system of weights and measures based on the metre and gram units, smaller and larger units being decimals and multiples of the primary units. The metre, the basic metric unit of length, was originally the distance, at the melting point of ice, between the ends of a platinum bar intended to be one-ten-millionth ( 1o,o6o,ooo) part of the earth's meridian quadrant based on Paris, i.e. that portion of an imaginary circle extending through the North and South Poles and passing through Paris. Later discoveries showed that errors occurred in the calculation for ascertaining the length of the quadrant. Since 1958 the distance between the waves of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the orange-red light ray in the spectrum of the gas krypton 86 has been adopted as the of the international unit of length. A gram is the mass of a cubic centimetre of water at 4° celsius; a litre is the volume of 1 cubic decimetre of water at 4° celsius. HAT ADVANTAGES DOES THE METRIC SYSTEM HAVE? The main advantage is the intrinsic simplicity of the decimal it easy to learn and use. This simplicity is ticularly useful in the application of mechanical and other aids to 'otmting and similar office practice. JIS THE SI SYSTEM? The "Syst~me International (SI) d'Unit~s", or "International of Units", was adopted by the Eleventh General Conference on 1960. It is essentially a standardisation and system's basic units, supplementary u.nits, -2- derived units, and the decimal multiples of these (see tables 1 and 2). Only one multiplying prefix is applied at one time to a given unit. Thus one-thousandth of a millimetre is not referred to as 1 milli millimetre but as 1 micrometre. Similarly, 1 thousand kilowatts is referred to as 1 megawatt, not as 1 kilo kilowatt. Derived and supplementary units together with more details of the international system are described in the Standards Association of New Zealand provisional publication NZS 6501P:1971, "The International System (SI) Units and Their Application". WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF THE SI? 'Whilst retaining the simplicity of the metric system and its decimal relationship the SI has the additional advantages of standard systematic nomenclature, logical arrangement, and regulation by an international convent.ion. WHY HAS THIS SYSTEM BEEN ADOPTED IN N.Z.? Briefly the system should lead to simpler and more efficient handling of weights and measures, to a considerable reduction in the time taken to learn arithmetic, to rationalisation of varieties and sizes of materials and components in industry, to savings in purchases from a broadening metric market rather than a shrinking imperial market, and to benefits in recording information by a common internationally understood system. DOES THE CHANGE INVOLVE ANY CHANGES IN THE HANDLING OF FIGURES? Yes, particularly in regard to the grouping of digits and the expression of decimals. Number grouping: In many countries using the metric system the comma is used as a decimal marker instead of the decimal point. For this reason the comma will no longer be used to separate thousands.* * The comma will still be used in money transactions to avoid the possibility of forgery. -3- TABLE 1: SI BASIC A.ND SUPPLEMENTARY UNITS* Name of unit Unit symbol metre (length) m kilogram (mass) kg second !time) s Basic ampere electric current) A kelvin thermodynamic temperature) K candela (luminous intensity) cd mole (amount of substance) mol Supple- ( radian (plane angle) rad mentary ( steradian (solid angle) sr * Other units related to base units and in use are: mass, tonne (103 kg) time, minute (min) hour (h) day (d) temperature, degree celsius (0 c) TABLE 2: SI PREFIXES DENOTING DECIMAL MULTIPLES A.ND SUBMULTIPLES Prefix Symbol Multiplication factor tera* T 1012 = 1 OOO OOO OOO OOO giga* G 109 = 1 OOO OOO OOO mega* M 106 = 1 OOO OOO kilo* k 103 = 1 OOO 2 hecto h 10 = 100 deca da 101 = 10 1 1 1 deci d 10- = 0.1 2 centi c 10- = 0.01 milli* m 10-3 = 0.001 6 micro* µ 10- = o.ooo 001 nano* n 10-9 = 0.000 OOO 001 pico* p 10-12 = 0.000 OOO OOO 001 femto* f 10-15 = 0.000 OOO OOO OOO 001 at to* a 10-18 = 0.000 OOO OOO OOO OOO 001 * Multiples and subrnultiples recommended for common use. -4- To facilitate reading, however, numbers of more than four digits will be set out with one space between groups of three numbers: Correct Incorrect 1000 or 1 OOO 1,000 10 OOO 10,000 or 10000 100 OOO 100,000 or 100000 Decimal notation: The point will. be retained as the decimal marker, and the following guides should be used: (a) The decimal point is represented by the fullstop sign, e.g. 3. 3. (b) A decimal point opposite the middle of the figures, e.g. 5·5 is acceptable but not preferred. (c) When the value is less than one (unity), the decimal point should be preceded by zero. Correct Incorrect 0.1 • 1 0.01 .01 0.001 .001 (d) The number of decimal places used conveys the degree of accuracy. (e) It may be convenient to place the decimal point after the first digit and bring the number to its correct value by multiplying by 10n. Examples are: 8.752 x 103 instead of 8752 2.151 682 814 x 104 instead of 21 516.828 14. ARE THERE ANY RULES FOR USING METRIC SYMBOLS? There are several simple rules which should ensure uniformity in using the system's symbols: (a) Capitals should generally not be used for any SI units written out in full. For a few symbols derived from peoples' names capitals are used, e.g. N for newton, Hz for hertz. (b) Capitals are not used for the prefixes other than for the large quantities tera (T~ giga (G),and mega (M). An error in using M and m, respectively mega and milli, could be disastrous. -5- (c) If more than one unit is referred to it is written in the plural, e.g. 2 litres, 7 grams; but note that the symbols are always the same for singular and plural, e.g. 1.72 g is the correct way of expressing 1.72 grams. (d) Periods (fullstops) are not used after symbols except as customary at the end of a sentence. (e) A space should be left between numbers and symbols, e.g. 15 kg not 15kg. (f) No space is left between the prefix and symbol, e.g. cm not c m. (g) When "per" is used, as in kilometres per hour, it should in abbreviated forms be shown by a solidus (/) not "p", e.g. km/h not kmph. 2 (h) Care should be taken when using powers, e.g. m or m3 to show square and cubic measure, as when a symbol is prefixed it is 2 the whole unit which is squared or cubed. For example, 1 cm 2 2 means (0.01 m) , i.e. 1 square centimetre, and not (0.01)(m ), which is square metre or 100 square centimetres. 160 (i) The symbol for litre is 1, but as this can easily be confused with the figure 1 it is best to write litre out in full. ARE THERE ANY REFERENCE PUBLICATIONS DESCRIBING THE USE OF THE METRIC SYSTEM IN N.Z.? The Standards Association of New Zealand is coordinating information from various sectors of the country into three publications. The first of these, NZS 6501P, "The International System (SI) Units and Their Application", has been published and sets out as standards the units adopted in New Zealand for most purposes. It also covers many aspects of handling the system, some of which have been summarised here. For the first few years of the changeover there will be a need for conversion factors and conversion tables to convert quantities. The Standards A$SOciation is preparing a booklet of factors and tables which can be used to convert most of the generally used units from imperial to metric. This publication will be given a standards number, NZS 6502, and the conversion factors included are likely to be used for settling any disputes.
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