October 10, 2000
OCTOBER 10: THE METRIC SYSTEM
NOVA | Units Conversion | PBS
NOVA uses the U.S. customary system of weights and measures, which lists 2.54 as the conversion figure on its chart. The chart is reprinted with permission from The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual (Addison Wesley, 1998), our official stylebook.
NOVA uses the U.S. customary system of weights and measures, which lists 2.54 as the conversion figure on its chart. The chart is reprinted with permission from The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual (Addison Wesley, 1998), our official stylebook.
NIST Metric Information and Conversions: Metric Style Guide (NISTLC 1137)
The National Institute of Standards and Technology's Metric Style Guide's guideline for metric conversions says conversions should follow a rule of reason: do not use more significant digits than justified by the precision of the original data. For example, 36 inches should be converted to 91 centimeters, not 91.44 centimeters (36 inches x 2.54 centimeters per inch = 91.44 centimeters), and 40.1 inches converts to 101.9 centimeters, not 101.854. Table 2 lists many of the more commonly used conversion factors.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology's Metric Style Guide's guideline for metric conversions says conversions should follow a rule of reason: do not use more significant digits than justified by the precision of the original data. For example, 36 inches should be converted to 91 centimeters, not 91.44 centimeters (36 inches x 2.54 centimeters per inch = 91.44 centimeters), and 40.1 inches converts to 101.9 centimeters, not 101.854. Table 2 lists many of the more commonly used conversion factors.
NIST Metric Information and Conversions: Metric Style Guide (NISTLC 1137)
NIST Metric Style Guide lists 2.54 as the EXACT conversion figure for i inch.
NIST Metric Style Guide lists 2.54 as the EXACT conversion figure for i inch.
NIST Metric Information and Conversions: Approximate Conversions to Metric Measures Chart
NIST uses 2.5 as the conversion figure for one inch on their chart for approximate conversions.
NIST uses 2.5 as the conversion figure for one inch on their chart for approximate conversions.