WORDS FIRST: Mastering Unit Conversion

By Richard Ignace

Unit conversions refer to the sometimes annoying, occasionally tricky, but ultimately necessary process of attaching proper words with proper numbers to get right solutions in science and engineering tasks. For students taking courses in science, getting these right translates to points and grades. This short "how to" manual leads readers through the process of doing unit conversions correctly.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Richard Ignace
• Release date: Dec 30, 2009
• ISBN: 9781452330310

Richard Ignace

Born in Fort Wayne, IN, I have been married since 1988. My wife and I have six wonderful children. We have lived in Indiana (of course), Wisconsin, Scotland, and Iowa, and we currently reside in Tennessee. I am a professor of astrophysics, teaching students and doing research. Stars have been the main focus of my studies, but I am interested in most areas of astrophysics, including microlensing and exoplanets. Thank you for checking out my book!

Book preview

Words First: Mastering Unit Conversion

Unit conversions refer to the sometimes annoying, occasionally tricky, but ultimately necessary process of attaching proper words with proper numbers to get right solutions in science and engineering tasks. For students taking courses in science, getting these right translates to points and grades. This short how to manual leads readers through the process of doing unit conversions correctly.

CHAPTERS:

Preface

About the Author

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Worked Examples

Exercises

Solutions

Concluding Remarks

Appendix

IMPORTANT NOTE: Equation fonts are not good in pdf, but are good in html and javascript. Also, superscripts (like powers, such as squares or cubes) do not appear correctly. For example, meters squared would be m^2, but appears as m2 when not in equation mode. As a result, scientific notation and powers of units that appear in text, in contrast to in equations, do not appear correct, but these are easy to recognize, and the meaning is clear.

Words First: Mastering Unit Conversion

Richard Ignace

Smashwords Edition

Copyrighted 2009 Richard Ignace

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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PREFACE

Nothing is more frustrating than properly tackling a problem only to get the units wrong. Units are words that specify value, because in truth, numbers are never enough.

Units are intrinsically important. In 1999 NASA launched the Climate Orbiter, a probe designed to study Mars. After about 10 months in transit from the Earth