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" MetriCon " Ver. 3.0 c) Copyright 1994 Harold Schwartz ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Harold Schwartz P.O. Box 104482 Jefferson City, MO 65110 Welcome to MetriCon!!! This software (MetriCon) is intended to give some quidance in applying the International System of Units, also referred to as the modernized metric system. It is intended to serve one purpose and that is to enable the user to convert nearly any unit to the standard SI (metric). As a side benefit, MetriCon will also make conversions from metric to English unit and, for that matter, from one english unit to another or from one metric unit to another. This system was devel- oped and is maintained by the General Conference on Weights and Measures (acronym - CGPM, which comes from the French name Conference Generale des Poids et Mesures). The name International System of Units and the accepted abbreviation SI were adopted by the Eleventh CGPM in 1960. This software is intended to aid in the conversion from non-SI to SI units and vice versa. This version of MetriCon is capable of making over 10,000 different conversions. There are two methods of making a conversion to metric, hard and soft. A soft conversion is an exact conversion from one system to another. For instance, a soft conversion for 12 feet would be exactly 3.658 metres. A hard conversion, how- ever, is a more approximate conversion. For instance, a hard conversion for 12 feet could be 3.6 metres. It may seem that the usage of the terms hard and soft are reversed, but that's the way it is. --Why a metric conversion program? Easy... Because the United States IS going to make the con- version from the English system of units to the metric sys- tem. It's inevitable. The conversion is coming. In many places it is already here. The congress has mandated that this country must make the switch to metric. The congress suggested it at first, but now they are getting more insis- Page 2 tent. It won't be easy and it won't be painless. It will take time for a complete conversion. And that is where this program comes in. MetriCon will make the transition much less painful. Keep it handy because you'll probably need it sooner than you think. The following sections will explain more of the details about how MetriCon works and how to run MetriCon on your system. --What is included in the MetriCon package?... The MetriCon package consists of six files: METRICON.EXE INSTALL.EXE SITEREG.FRM README.DOC METREG.FRM README.1ST METRICON.EXE is the executable file which you run to use MetriCon, README.DOC is the documentation file you are reading now. MetriCon is completely selfcontained. The only file required to use MetriCon is METRICON.EXE. The README.DOC file contains the necessary instructions for using MetriCon and explains what the conversion to metric really means to all of us. README.1ST contains instructions on the options for installing MetriCon, and INSTALL.EXE is the installation utility provided to make it easier to get MetriCon up and running on your computer. REGMET.FRM is the registration form and SITEREG.FRM is the site registration form. --Is "MetriCon" ***FREE*** software?... The bad news is, "MetriCon" is NOT ***FREE***. The good news is, "MetriCon" is NOT ***EXPENSIVE***. The development of software is a very time-consuming pro- cess. I have spent many, many hours developing "MetriCon". I am releasing "MetriCon" in the ShareWare market for a very moderate price. As ShareWare software, you are entitled to try "MetriCon" for two weeks to see if you like it. If you decide to keep "MetriCon" you must pay for it. The price is $19.95 U.S + $2.50 shipping and handling. (All payments in US funds only). Included in the price is the latest version Page 3 of "MetriCon". The version that you receive will NOT have the ShareWare screens which you encounter when exiting the ShareWare version. Once you have received the latest ver- sion, you will be entitled to any updates at a reduced rate, typically one-half the 'new' price. Included in this pack- age is a registration form called REGMET.FRM. Print this form and send it with your registration fee to the address indicated on the registration form or shown at the beginning of this documentation. If you wish to obtain a site license for MetriCon, print the SITEREG.FRM file, fill out the form, and send it in, along with your payment. Site registration is available at a reduced rate. --Why Metric?... The decimal system of units was originally developed in the 16th century. Then, in 1790, the French Academy of Sciences worked out a system that would be suitable for the entire world. That system, based on the metre for length and the gram for mass, was adopted in commerce and, eventually, it was also adopted in the scientific community. The standard- ization of weights and measures continued over the years and eventually the system was expanded to include a unit for time (the second) in 1881. The ampere was added in 1935 to include a unit for electrical current. The degree Kelvin as a unit of temperature and the candella as a unit of luminous intensity were added in 1954. In 1960 the system was officially given the the title, International System of Units, which is abbreviated "SI" in all languages. In 1971, the seventh base unit, the mole, was added. The SI system has evolved into a rationalized system of seven base units for which precise definitions, along with symbols and names, have been established. The first questions asked by many people when they hear that the United States is going to metric are, "Why?", "Do we have to?", or "Says who?". This country is 'going metric', primarily because the U.S. Congress has decided that it is time for us to do so. Nearly all other industrialized coun- tries have already made the commitment to convert or are already converted to the metric system. This puts the U.S. at a disadvantage in the world market. Congress has told larger government agencies, such as the Department of Trans- portation, to be prepared to accept bids only in metric by 1996. This order appears in the Omnibus Trade Act of 1991. Since the Department of Transportation doles out many billions of dollars in federal aid, this has the effect of forcing myriads of other agencies and corporations to make the conversion to metric also. The net effect is cascading, forcing more and more companies to convert as orders move down through the supply chain. Page 4 Will the conversion be easy? That depends upon what busi- ness you are in. An engineer or a chemist, for instance, won't have a very difficult time making the conversion be- cause they have already been trained in the use of metric. For a carpenter or a plumber, the transition will be more difficult. The same goes for any industry faced with con- verting to metric. It will be much easier for an industry that already has a long track record of supplying to foreign markets to make the transition; many have already done so in order to remian competitive in world markets. It will be much more difficult for the lumber industry, for instance, to convert. Lumber products have traditionallly been mar- keted in the United States using the English system, so the conversion in this industry will require a re-education of many people down through the supply chain. How about the real estate industry? Since the United States has been keeping property records, in the form of abstracts, for example, the surveyor's measure has been in English units. Do we attempt to go back and change all of this data over to metric? Some of these questions remain to be answered. It has been said that a complete conversion in any society will take at least one generation, so our adoption of the metric system won't come quickly. However, it WILL come. The MetriCon software will help to ease the transition for anyone faced with mak- ing the change. Most agree that the metric system is far superior to the English system (commonly referred to as the inch-pound sys- tem). One of the most obvious benefits is the absence of fractions in the metric system. This is one of the reasons that most industrialized countries have already converted to metric. The metric system is based on tens; a kilometre is 1000 metres, a metre is 100 centimetres, a centimetre is 10 millimetres. Unlike teaspoons and tons, its volumes and weights can be related to one another. A liter of water weighs a kilogram. The metric temperature scale, Celsius, sets the freezing point of water at 0 degrees and the boil- ing point at 100 degrees. As a final note, there is some misunderstanding as to the proper term to use when referring to making the change to the metric system. The act of making the conversion is called 'metrication', NOT metrification, as is often used. --What are the SI Classes of Units?... SI units are grouped into three general classes: BASE UNITS SUPPLEMENTARY UNITS DERIVED UNITS Page 5 --What are the Base Units?... The Base Units in SI are based on seven well-defined units that, by agreement, are regarded as dimensionally indepen- dent. The Base Units are shown in the following table: ------------------------------------------------------------------ Quantity Unit Symbol ------------------------------------------------------------------ amount of chemical substance mole mol electric current ampere A length metre m luminous intensity candela cd mass kilogram kg thermodynamic temperature kelvin K time second s --What are the Supplementary Units?... The Supplemantary Units class consists of just two units; the radian and the steradian are considered to be dimension- less derived units. This is because the plane angle is usually expressed as a ratio between two lengths and the solid angle is usually expressed as a ratio between an area and the square of length. The radian and the steradian may be used or omitted from expressions for derived units. The Suppelmentary Units are shown in the following table: ------------------------------------------------------------------ Quantity Unit Symbol ------------------------------------------------------------------ plane angle radian rad solid angle steradian sr --What are the Derived Units?... The Derived Units are formed by combining the Base Units, the Suppelmantary Units, and other Derived Units using alge- braic relations to link the quantities. The symbols used for the DERIVED UNITS are obtained by using the standard mathematical operator signs for multiplication, division, and exponents. For example, the SI unit for density is kilogram per cubic metre. Page 6 There are a number of Derived Units that have special names and symbols. These 'special' units have been approved by the CGPM and are shown in the following table: ------------------------------------------------------------------ Quantity Unit Symbol ------------------------------------------------------------------ absorbed dose gray Gy activity (radionuclide) becquerel Bq capacitance (electric) farad F Celsius temperature Celsius °C conductance (electric) siemens S dose equivalent sievert Sv electric potential (EMF) volt V energy/work or amount of heat joule J force newton N frequency hertz Hz illuminance lux lx inductance henry H luminous flux lumen lm magnetic flux weber Wb magnetic flux density tesla T power, radiant flux watt W ressure/stress pascal Pa uant. of electricity (elec. chg.) coulomb C esistance (electric) ohm Ω --What are the SI Units?... AREA The square metre (m²) is the SI Unit of area. When refer- ring to large land masses or bodies of water, it is accept- able to use the hectare (ha) or square kilometre (km²). ENERGY The SI unit of energy is the joule (J). Page 7 MASS The SI Unit of mass is the kilogram (kg). It is acceptable to use this unit or one of its related units formed as a multiple of the unit gram (g) by attaching one of the multi- plier prefixes. Instead of referring to the 'ton', as has been common practice, it is preferred to express these quan- tities of mass as the megagram (Mg). It is also acceptable to use the term metric ton, as long as its use is restricted to commercial references. PLANE ANGLE The SI Unit for plane angle is the radian. It is acceptable to use the degree or its multiples if the radian is not con- venient. The use of the second and minute is not recommend- ed. PRESSURE The SI Unit of pressure or stress is the pascal (Pa). TIME The SI unit of time is the second and should be used if it's at all practical to do so. This is particularly true when used in a technical context. Some judgement is required when this unit is used in referring to times that relate to life style or to the calendar. In these cases it may be advisable to use weeks, days, hours, or minutes rather than second. A good example would be when referring to the speed limit as kilometres per hour. VOLUME The SI Unit of volume is the cubic metre. The cubic metre or one of its multiples formed by the addition of a prefix is preferred (for instance, cubic millimetre). Page 8 The cubic decimetre has been assigned the 'special' name of litre (L) by the CGPM. The litre should be used only for volumetric capacity, the measure of gasses and liquids, and for dry measure. In addition, only the prefixes milli- or micro- are allowed with litre. What are the SI Multiplier Prefixes?... The SI prefixes are used to indicate orders of magnitude. Using the prefixes eliminates leading zeros and non-signifi- cant digits in decimal fractions. Also, prefixes can often be used to eliminate the use of E-notation or 10-notation as is used in mathematical computation. For example, 98000 mA = 98 A or 9.80E+0004 m = 98 km or 9.80 x 10² cm = 98 m The following table lists the accepted SI prefixes to be used to create names and symbols of the decimal multiples of the SI units (except for kilogram). These prefixes (or sym- bols) are to be used by attaching the prefix directly to the front of the unit's name or symbol to form multiples of the units. It should be noted that it is common practice to refer to multiples of the SI units, formed by the use of prefixes, as SI Units. Strictly speaking, they should be referred to as "multiples of SI units". ------------------------------------------------------------------ Multiplication Factor Prefix Symbol ------------------------------------------------------------------ 0.000 000 000 000 000 001 (E-18) atto a 0.000 000 000 000 001 (E-15) femto f 0.000 000 000 001 (E-12) pico p 0.000 000 001 (E-09) nano n 0.000 001 (E-06) micro µ 0.001 (E-03) milli m 0.01 (E-02) centi c 0.1 (E-01) deci d 10 (10) deka da 100 (E+02) hecto h 1 000 (E+03) kilo k 1 000 000 (E+06) mega M 1 000 000 000 (E+09) giga G 1 000 000 000 000 (E+12) tera T 1 000 000 000 000 000 (E+15) peta P 1 000 000 000 000 000 000 (E+18) exa E Page 9 The kilogram (the SI unit of mass) is the only SI unit whose name contains a prefix, and this was done by the CGPM purely for historical reasons. The decimal multiple of the unit of mass is created by attaching the appropriate prefix to the word gram (g). --What are the Rules For Writing in Metric?... A number of rules have been established for writing SI unit names and symbols. 1) Unit symbols should not be followed by a period unless they come at the end of a sentence. 2) Unit symbols should never be be pluralized. 3) The unit symbols are always written in lower case unless the unit name comes from a proper name, in which case the first letter of the symbol should be capitalized, as in Pa for Pascal. The exception is the symbol for litre, L. 4) Always write 123 cm, NOT 123cm. In other words, leave a space between the numerical value and the symbol. An ex- ception is made when writing the symbols for degree Celsius, and degree, minute, and second of plane angle. Write 123°C NOT 123 °C. 5) Do not use a space between a unit symbol and its prefix. In other words, write km NOT k m. 6) Use symbols, not abbreviations, e.g., write °C NOT deg C. 7) When a quantity written as a number and a unit is used as an adjective, use a hyphen between the number and the unit symbol. For instance, write '40-cm length of rope' or 'two-litre pail'. --What kind of system must I have to run MetriCon?... MetriCon requires an IBM PC/XT/AT/Portable or IBM "compat- ible" computer running MS-DOS or PC-DOS with 500K available memory. MetriCon requires an EGA, VGA, or better monitor. The program will also use a math coprocessor if your machine is so equipped, however, a math coprocessor is not required. Page 10 --How do I install MetriCon?... MetriCon can be run from your hard drive or from a floppy diskette. The best choice is to run MetriCon from a hard drive. If you do not have a hard drive, MetriCon may be run from a floppy drive, however, performance will suffer some- what since a floppy drive is slower than a hard drive. In fact, you can make a backup copy of MetriCon and run it from that diskette. In either case, you have a couple of options for installing MetriCon. The first and best option is to run the provided utility, INSTALL.EXE. INSTALL automates the installation process and guides you through the steps to successfully get MetriCon up and running on your system. To run the installation program, simply make the drive that contains your source diskette the current drive. For instance, if you are installing from the 'A' drive, type A: and press <Enter>. At the 'A' prompt just type <Install>, press <Enter>, and follow the on-screen instructions. MetriCon requires about 525K of hard disk space to install all of its files. If you do not have at least this much free hard disk space, MetriCon will not install. NOTE: Remember to make a backup copy of the MetriCon disk- ette and put the original away in a safe place. Another option is to manually copy METRICON.EXE to a direc- tory on the drive from which you plan to run the program. The following instructions assume that you have a hard drive and that you are running MetriCon from a directory called METRIC. If this is not the case, you must alter the instructions accordingly. For example, COPY A:\METRICON.EXE C:\METRIC\METRICON.EXE will copy METRICON.EXE to the METRIC subdirectory on your 'C' drive. Once you have successfully installed MetriCon, you may start the program by making the directory that you installed to the current directory, typing 'metricon' and pressing <enter>. You have the additional option of adding the location of the METRICON.EXE file to the path statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. This will enable you to start the program from any location on your system. If you are unsure about adding the location to the path statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, consult your DOS manual for directions. Page 11 --Using MetriCon... MetriCon is easy to use. When you first start the program, you are presented with a window titled 'CONVERSION CLASS'. This window is used to enter the general class of conversion that you wish to make. For instance, if you wish to convert centimetres to feet, you would select the 'Length' item. A selection is made by either using the arrow keys to move the highlight bar to the item you wish to select and pressing <enter> or by clicking on the item with the left mouse but- ton. Anytime you are presented with a pick list window, sel- ections are made in the same manner. Once you have selected a conversion class, you will be pre- sented with a pick window titled 'CONVERT FROM' which shows possible conversions for that class. In all of the CONVERT FROM windows there will be at least one item that is shown in yellow text. Each item shown in yellow is a standard SI unit. Any item shown is light blue text is a metric unit but is not a 'Standard SI Unit. This generally means that it is an SI unit that has had a multiplier prefix applied. Select one of the conversions shown. You will then be presented with a window titled 'CONVERSION ENTRY'. You may enter the value for conversion in the space provided. You are allowed a maximum of 15 digits. However, you may enter much larger values by using standard scienti- fic E-notation. For example, you might enter 1.2E+12. This is equivalent to entering a value equal to 1.2 times 10 to the twelfth power or 1.2 times 1 trillion. You are limited to 15 significant figures in this entry window. Once you have entered the number to convert, press <enter>. You are next presented with a window showing the possible units that the entered value may be 'converted to'. Depend- ing upon what unit was selected in the CONVERT FROM window, the the CONVERT TO window will show only the valid units that you may convert to. Select one of the units shown in this window. The final window shown will be the CONVERTED VALUE window. This window shows the value calculated for the units you selected. Below the actual converted value the units that were converted to are displayed. Be aware that there are limitations on the size of the conversion that may be cal- culated. The limits are a maximum of 9E+999 and a minimum of 9E-999 other than for temperature conversions which are limited to a high of 9E+999 and a minimum of the absolute temperature for the temperature system you have chosen to convert to. At any time you may return to the CONVERSION CLASS window if you determine that you have made an error or if you wish to Page 12 change the conversion type. In addition, when in any of the windows discussed, you may get 'context sensitive' help by pressing the F1 key. The entire help system is always available from anywhere in the program. When viewing any help screen, pressing F1 again will give the help index showing all of the help categories. Alternately, at the top of most help screens are two additional help selections shown as <Help Index> <Help on Help> Moving the cursor to these items and pressing <enter> or clicking on them with the left mouse button takes you to additional help. Throughout the help text there are words and phrases high- lighted in red. Moving the cursor to these highlighted areas or clicking on them with the left mouse button will instantly take you to help on associated help screens. --How are results shown in MetriCon?... Conversion results shown in the Converted Value window are shown in standard notation unless the result of the conver- sion is greater than 1,000,000,000 or less than 0.0001. If the converted result falls outside this range, it will be displayed in scientific notation. You have two choices for displaying the result of a conversion in scientific nota- tion. With the E-notation option, the result of a conversion is displayed as a power of ten using this form: 1.2345E+0002. With the 10-notation option, results are displayed as a power of ten with the notation taking this form: 1.2345 x 10². Note that the 10-notation option is not compatible with any environment that allows text-mode TSR's to pop up over the MetriCon program, nor is it compatible with Microsoft Win- dows when run in a window. The display of scientific notation is controlled by the Options menu selection. The Options menu is selected by pressing the F2 key while at the CONVERSION CLASS window. Page 13 The option you select in this window will be in effect until it is changed in the Options window. While viewing the Options selection window, help may be obtained on the two options by pressing the help key, F1. --What is the accuracy of MetriCon?... Most of the conversion factors used in MetriCon have seven significant figures. This must be kept in mind when using the results of a conversion. Often, the results are given in the 'Converted Value' window to more significant figures that this. The user must determine what is required in the result and round to only as many significant figures as is mathematically correct. The conversion factors used in Met- riCon were drawn from a number of sources and are the latest that the author could obtain. Keep in mind that, in some cases, there is some disagreement, even among the experts in the various fields, as to the exact factor to be applied for a given conversion. There are over 10,000 possible conver- sions built into MetriCon. When results are shown, MetriCon uses standard notation as long as the converted value is not larger than 1,000,000,000 or smaller than 0.0001. Once the converted value exceeds these limits, the result will be shown in scientific notation. This will be either E-notation or 10-notation, depending upon which was selected in the Options window. Results shown in standard notation are limited to nine pla- ces after the decimal place. All trailing zeros are trun- cated. If a result contains all zeros after the decimal place, then all of the zeros, as well as the decimal marker itself, will be truncated. --Is MetriCon compatible with Microsoft Windows?... Yes. You may run MetriCon while in Microsoft Windows, how- ever it is best to run the program from a DOS session. The reason is that, because of the way MetriCon handles fonts and mathematical symbols, its appearance may be altered when run in Microsoft Windows, especially when run in a window. The mathematical conversion ability of MetriCon is not harmed in any way. --What do I get with the registered version of "MetriCon"?... You will get the latest version of "MetriCon". This version will NOT have the exiting ShareWare screen . You will also be doing the right thing. Page 14 --How do I register "MetriCon"?... The easiest way to register "MetriCon" is to print out the registration form in REGMET.FRM, fill it out and send it, along with the $19.95 registration fee + $2.50 shipping and handling (US FUNDS ONLY), to Harold Schwartz P.O. Box 104482 Jefferson City, MO 65110 Printing the form is easy. Just type COPY REGMET.FRM PRN and press <enter>. Send in the completed form and $19.95 U.S. + $2.50 shipping/handling to the address given above. For those of you wishing to obtain "site" registration for MetriCon, the registration form SITEREG.FRM is included. Thanks and ***ENJOY*** MetriCon. --Acknowledgements... In this documentation, references are made to several products: Borland Pascal and Sidekick are registered trademarks of Borland International. DOS refers to either PC-DOS or MS-DOS. PC-DOS is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. MS-DOS and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Page 15 ***** DISCLAIMER ***** (please read) "MetriCon" is a powerful program. While I have attempted to build in reasonable safeguards, as with any useful computer software, "MetriCon" may contain errors in the program or documentation. The author does not give any warranty, either expressed or implied, to anyone using this program other than for the replacement of defective media. In no event shall the author be liable for any damages, including loss of profits or anticipated profits, lost savings, or other incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use this program. The program comes "as is" and it is the user's responsi- bility to determine whether the program is suitable for his or her computer system and software needs. ***** COPYRIGHT ***** Copyright (c) 1994 by Harold Schwartz. All Rights Reserved. You may copy "MetriCon" for backup purposes, and you may give copies of the unregistered version to other individuals, which they may also use and copy under the terms of this agreement. If you copy the unregistered version of MetriCon for others, you must include all of the files distributed with it. MetriCon may not be sold, licensed, or a fee charged for its use. If a fee is charged in connection with the unregistered version of MetriCon, it must cover the cost of copying or dissemination only. Such charges must be clearly identified as such by the originating party. Under no circumstances may the purchaser be given the impression that he is buying "MetriCon" itself. The author encourages BBS operators to post the unregis- tered version of the MetriCon package on their systems for download by users wishing to evaluate it. No other reproduction or use is authorized without the express prior written consent of the copyright owner.