Observation Usual Metric/Imperial-US and Fahrenheit/Celsius/Kelvin Conversion

Converting Metric Units to Imperial and American Units Converting Imperial and American Units to Metric Units

Fahrenheit, Celsius, Kelvin

As the metric system is easier to use for computation it has had the favour of scientists even in the Anglo-saxon world. Our site, due to cultural considerations, is using the usual American units as a base, and it's giving the equivalent in metric system in brackets. Technically, the main current measure units systems are the American, the British or Imperial, and the international system of units (the so-called SI system). Anglo-saxon countries has the foot (ft), the pound (lb), and the second (s) for primary units to express length, weight or force, and time. The SI system is using a version of the metric system which is called MKS, as its primary units are the meter (m), the kilogram (kg), and the second (s). Both the Imperial and American systems, which were officially defined by their own standard measures -yard, pound and gallon; yard, pound, gallon and bushel, respectively- are now defined by the value of these standards translated into SI units: 0.9144 metres, 0.45359237 kilograms for both yard and pound, 4.54609 litres for the Imperial gallon, and 3.785411784 litres for the US gallon (liquid); the bushel is 36.23907016688 litres. The Imperial and American practical units are mainly similar, with exceptions (which are not relevant here). Another version of the metric system is termed CGS, as the units are the centimeter, the gram, and the second. The metric system, generally speaking, was devised during the French Revolution as a way to simplify the old units of measures which were mainly based on the human body and the customs. It was a more rational system based on units divided or multiplied by ten or multiples of ten (1 kilogram is 1,000 grams, a gram is 1,000 milligrams; one kilometer is 100 meters, a meter is 100 centimeters, a centimeter is 10 millimeters)

Converting Metric Units to Imperial and American Units

(note: 1 kilometer is 1,000 meters. 1 meter is 100 centimeters. 1 centimeter is 10 millimeters. 1 kilogram is 1,000 grams)

Converting Imperial and American Units to Metric Units

(note: 1 mile is 1,760 yards; 1 yard is 3 ft; 1 ft is 12 inches. 1 nautical mile is 2,025.4 yards. 1 pound is 16 oz)

Fahrenheit, Celsius, Kelvin

Farhenheit was a German physicist (1686-1736) and Celsius (1701-1744) a Swedish astronomer. Degree Celsius was also known as degree centigrade until 1947 but the term has been officially abandonned since. Water freezes at 0° C and boils at 100° C. It freezes at 32° F and boils at 212° F. To obtain Fahrenheit from degrees Celsius, multiply Celsius figure by 1.8 and add 32 (even in case the temperature is negative); to obtain Celsius from degrees Fahrenheit, subtract 32 from the Fahrenheit figure and multiply by 0.55 (idem to previous)

The degree Kelvin (lord Kelvin 1824-1907, Scottish) is the basis for another temperature scale for temperatures. 0° K is the lowest temperature below which it is impossible to go. It's the "absolute zero", or "0° K". The degree Kelvin is often used in astronomy. 0°K= -459.67 F, or -273.15 C. To obtain a temperature in ° K substract 460 to the temperature in degrees F, or 273 to the temperature in degrees C