Learn About Using the Liter in Chemistry Courses

[Zachary Smith]

Here is one that should baffle nobody here, but did, many years ago at school. The problem starts with a rope around the Earth at the equator. How much more rope would you need to lift the rope off the ground by a foot all the way around the world?

 

[vanhees71]

Well, nowadays the litre (or liter for the Americans ;-)) is defined as just $10^{-3} \,\mathrm{m}^3$ (I guess since the 1960ies), but before it was the volume of 1 kg of water at maximum density at normal pressure (which it takes at a temperature of around $4^{\circ} \mathrm{C}$), and this is a tiny bit more than $10^{-3} \mathrm{m}^3$.

 

[sophiecentaur]

After all it's an American website.

I think PF prides itself on being very International. If it weren't, this conversation wouldn't be happening. And that's a good point. People who read this site are often not familiar with 'English'. Unexpected spellings can add uncertainty where it's not needed.

there is a term for 10⁹,

What is that?

 

[fresh_42]

I think PF prides itself on being very International.

Fine. But that comes to the prize that not all of us are able to speak a perfect British English. Me, e.g.

If it weren't, this conversation wouldn't be happening.

Inadmissible conclusion.

And that's a good point. People who read this site are often not familiar with 'English'. Unexpected spellings can add uncertainty where it's not needed.

That is why I use the spell checker, it reduces my mistakes. To distinguish between American and British spelling is in my opinion a little too sophisticated. Once a scientist said to me in a very staccato way: "Scientific English is broken English." I don't remember where he was from.

What is that?

1 milliard = 10⁹
1 billiard = 10¹⁵
1 trilliard = 10¹⁸
etc.
Wiki says the British have been using this until they went short like the Americans do.

 

[sophiecentaur]

British spelling

The word "litre" is not British. It was invented and used long before the British stopped using the fps system. I am not being propriatorial about this; I am just in favour of as much standardisation as possible in scientific spelling and symbolism. The fact that people have problems with 'foreign' terms shouldn't get in the way of that.
Milliard etc rings a bell. I seem to remember something in our 'lads talk'. I also remember hearing the 'big' million being referred to as a decimal million.
It is interesting that the Imperial unit system is still alive and well in the US. I believe that SI is starting to make inroads, though.

"Scientific English is broken English."

I have heard similar comments. But I'm not offended. In fact I am very attracted by some of the expressions and words used in Americal English - it flows more freely than the pukka (Indian word) version.

 

[fresh_42]

But I'm not offended.

Well, it hasn't been intended as an offense. To be honest I share your feelings what has happened to your language. Mine is loosing its depths nowadays. I learned English at school and it makes me insecure each time the spell checker becomes red when I talk about a colourful neighbourhood. It's then when I realize the differences. Eventually you may have recognised I was quoting John Cleese's "Letter to America" in spirit by talking about Pittsborough. However, meanwhile my conversations in English are almost all with Americans, including those with my nephews. This is one reason the spell checker's 'liter' appears more natural to me. If I read 'litre' I cannot prevent from pronouncing it french which makes it kind of artificial in the middle of an English sentence.

 

[vanhees71]

Well, if you prefer the British spelling, just switch your spell checker (system wide, if possible) to British English. Where's the problem?

Concerning the billion-billiard problem, it's very easy to just say not to use it. If you read old texts it's important to know, what the meaning of these words was at the time and place when the text was written. Just use the SI decimal symbols and/or the scientific notation of numbers.

 

[sophiecentaur]

It isn't "the British spelling"; the way round to put it is that "liter" is the "American Spelling'.
I am quite surprised (wake up, Sophiecentaur!) that the spellchecker is used as the final arbiter for spelling for you guys. Having had to fight, for years, with strange Microsoft ideas about how things should be spelled (irrespective of which dictionary I select), I tend to look elsewhere for the best fit. Actually, a Google search can often give a good page full of hits with different ideas about versions of spelling.

To be honest I share your feelings what has happened to your language. Mine is loosing its depths nowadays.

The way to keep ahead is to do a lot of reading of non-tech books. English language novels by American or English authors are a good source of well thought out sentence construction, vocabulary and spelling. I was always very disappointed with the reactions of my often more technically able colleagues to the idea of that idea. ("Booring". I ask you.)
Hey - we seems to have hijacked this thread well and truly. I don't think I have actually voiced an opinion on the philosophy and practice of standardising units. . . . yet.
Still, it has been interesting and none of us has thrown toys out of their pram about the subject.

 

[Ygggdrasil]

I am quite surprised (wake up, Sophiecentaur!) that the spellchecker is used as the final arbiter for spelling for you guys.

It is not, which is why I cited the style guide for the American Chemical Society.

 

[arydberg]

Sigh, you learn all your life and you die stupid I swear I was taught it was 1/40000000 of the equator length.

Honestly, I feel like in those films where someone learns he doesn't exist and nobody recognizes him. It was always the equator based definition! Have you edited everything in the world just to make me feel like an idiot?

Wikipedia is riddled with errors. Here is some information on the definition of meter

From:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/meter
I get

meter definition

The basic unit of length in the metric system; it was originally planned so that the circumference of the Earth would be measured at about forty million meters. A meter is 39.37 inches. Today, the meter is defined to be the distance light travels in 1 / 299,792,458 seconds.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition

Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Cite This Source
Be very careful about believing anything on Wikipedia. Most of what they say is more what is generally accepted but has little to do with truth.

 

[sophiecentaur]

It is not, which is why I cited the style guide for the American Chemical Society.

I should have called it the routine arbiter and not the final one. The spell checker was certainly mentioned in several of the posts. It's good for spotting typos but little else and gives a false sense of security. That's my problem with it. One stage worse, of course, is predictive text which needs proofreading for even the shortest message.

 

[Borek]

it was originally planned so that the circumference of the Earth would be measured at about forty million meters

While it refers to the definition I remember, it doesn't contradict what wiki says about the subject. "About forty million" is perfectly in line with the meridional definition listed as original.

No, I don't trust wiki, but in this case the claim seems to be reasonably well supported by the references listed.

 

[sophiecentaur]

No, I don't trust wiki,

No one should trust them completely but in matters like this and where the word "approximately" is involved - plus a good justification- it's not going to be horribly wrong, is it?
It's not hard to do some sums to justify it, in any case.