# How do you convert units of measurement?

May 30, 2018

You do them dimensionally....

#### Explanation:

….there are still competing systems of measurement around the world. There are the old $\text{Imperial measurements}$, and related to this but not identical are $\text{US measurements}$, and there are the more sensible $\text{metric units}$. And of course we need correct units of conversion to move from one to the other...

$\text{1 US pint"-=473.2*mL-=0.833*"Imperial pints}$...

And so if go to the bar in the States, and order $\text{6 pints of bitter}$...you have got a volume in Christian units of...

${\text{6 US pint"xx473.2*mL*"pint}}^{-} 1 \times {10}^{-} 3 \cdot L \cdot m {L}^{-} 1 = 2.84 \cdot L$

Is this difficult? Perhaps not, but it is PRONE to error and we have ALL made them...but if we cancel the units dimensionally perhaps the error if there is one will become evident...

$6 \cdot {\cancel{\text{US pint"xx473.2*cancel(mL)*cancel"pint}}}^{-} 1 \times {10}^{-} 3 \cdot L \cdot \cancel{m {L}^{-} 1} = 2.84 \cdot L$