Construction - Converting Measurements
Construction - Converting Measurements
The ability to convert applies to a wide variety of areas in life. Knowing how to convert measurement properly can be the difference between life and death!
On July 23, 1983 a Boeing 767 took off from Montreal heading toward Edmonton. While cruise at 41,000 feet over Ontario a fuel the aircraft ran out of fuel. Captain Robert Pearson had some critical decisions to make. He found that he did not have enough altitude to glide to any open airports but found an abandoned airforce base in Gimli, Manitoba which he believed he could reach. The runway had been turned into a racetrack and an event was being held there at the time. Captain Pearson managed to glide the 767 onto the runway with no injuries to the 61 passengers or the people on the ground.
How did this happen? The main reason was that the ground crew accidentally used the conversion factor for liters to pounds (1.77 lb/l) instead of liters to kilograms (0.803 kg/l). Instead of 20,000 liters of fuel being put into the tanks, only 5,000 liters was loaded. Although this incident turned out well this simple mistake could have killed many people.
This tutorial will give you the tools to be able to convert measurements accurately.
Directions for This Lesson:
Watch the video below to learn more and then try to answer the Practice Questions.
Required Video:
Practice:
Extend your learning with these practice questions and then complete the worksheet.
Related Worksheets:
Related Lessons:
Additional Resources: