Importance_of_Accurate_Measurements

Making accurate measurements is extremely important for many reasons. Some of these reasons include peoples’ health, trusting in distributors, being able to trust in who you buy from. These are only a few reasons. For instance, peoples’ health can be at stake if accurate measurements are not used. If someone is prescribed a medication and no one bothers to emphasize of the accurate amount needed to be taken, then one could just as easily overdose or not get the sufficient amount in order for it to be effective at all. When trusting distributors, stores will not be so quick to give business if they feel they are being lied to or sold incorrect quantities. And this will not only affect relationships between distributors and shop owners, but it will also affect the relationship between consumers and the stores. After all, no one wants to go shopping knowing they are basically being robbed. There have been several instances like this over the years. There have been gas scandals. There are ways to attempt to protect oneself from this however. Making sure that the pump is all zeroed out before starting to pump is one way to be on the lookout. Also, when filling up at a full service station, ensure that one keeps an eye on the person pumping so they cannot try and tell you a price which is not truly equal to the amount of gas you got. Another thing to look for is the stickers which tell when the gas pumps were last inspected. There are very strict rules when it comes to matters such as this one and for that reason state inspectors test gas pumps annually. Not only that, but the rules and regulations also state that if it is found that pumps’ measurements are off by more than 6 in3, the gas station must shut off the pumps immediately and fix them. If they aren't fixed within a previously specified amount of time, then the station owners will not be able to turn the pumps back on. So those are just a few ways to protect oneself. Gas pumps are not the only place to be cautious. Rolling back odometer readings in order to try and sell cars for more money is also something to keep an eye out for. Not only is it a federal offense to do this, but it can also lead to potential problems with a purchased vehicle when it comes to proper care and maintenance. So test driving cars and checking for loose screws is never a bad thing. Finally, deceptive packaging is always a big one. Only too often do people wonder why the big bag of chips they bought is only about half full when opened. This is another reason why it is important to emphasize on making accurate measurements. So in conclusion to this topic, people health, safety and honesty amongst people is why accuracy is not a subject to be taken lightly. It is important to use a standardized system of measurement for a few reasons. One, everyone will be on the same page. This way, no one can really cheat each other if they are all using the same system of measurement. Two, safety is an issue as well. For instance, if one group were to take measurements of water pollution with one system and another with an alternative system, the end results could still be close but not as accurate as they could be if the same system was used by both groups. And finally, using a standardized system of measurement creates less chance of confusion. You don’t have to worry about translating your findings or measurements into another system. For instance, the majority of the world uses the metric system but in the United States, we do not. While this does not make it impossible to function, it does usually mean that we have to learn more formulas to translate our measurements or others will. Not to say that we never use the metric system, but when it comes to weighing ourselves or seeing how tall we are, we use the standard system. Perhaps in time we will all use the same system, but for now that is not the case. However when it comes to something like time, the whole scenario is different. After all, we cannot control the sun, but we can control how we manage our time. The is a standard centralized time for the whole world that has been developed and is in use. In the United States there are 6 time zones. And sometimes it may seem annoying to try and remember what time it is in other parts of the world but all in all, it is the way it works. At least a system has been set in place in order to keep some order and control in this area. Two industries that especially benefit from having these time zones in place are the airline and shipping industries. After all, time management is very important when it comes to these two businesses. If there was no standardized system in place, people could try and constantly cheat each other. For instance, before the metric system was first proposed, there were countless numbers or measuring systems in place. It all depended on where you were and who you were with. What could be considered 1 kg in one city could be “measured” at 1.5 kg in another. And this usually resulted when people used their own systems. By having a standardized system of measurements in place, it encourages that everyone be on the same page. As stated earlier, the US still has not converted over fully to the metric system however it is used here and there. So as long as we all work together, we can achieve this goal of all using the same system. Quite frankly, no one really stands to lose if we are all using the same system. If anything, we are actually protecting ourselves more this way by basically requiring that everyone be up front with each other. After all, if we all use the same system, it would be pretty tough to cheat each other.   REFERENCES http://museum.nist.gov/exhibits/ex1/index.html http://physics.nist.gov/GenInt/Time/time.html