Chapter nine– Chapter nine is about directional measurements. It is important for journalists to understand directional measurements because they are present in many news stories. Basic math is involved when it comes to checking the numbers in time, rate and distance – it’s crucial to be good at this because reporters can’t always rely on numbers provided by people in stories. One of the main things to keep in mind when working with time, rate and distance problems is to keep the units of measurement the same. For instance, if the rate is in miles per hour, the time must be in hours and and distance must be in miles. Speed is the measurement of how fast an object is moving, and velocity is a measurement of the direction of the object. Acceleration is another measurement that be a little more complex, dependent on other circumstances such as an object moving uphill, or not accelerating at a steady rate. Momentum can be described as the force necessary to stop an object from moving – every moving object has momentum. It can be calculated by multiplying the object’s mass by its velocity.
Chapter 10– Chapter 10 is all about area measurements. News stories are often filled with measurement statistics, which is why it’s important for journalists to understand how to express them accurately. One way to illustrate measurements is through analogies. This can be effective when trying to portray how large the area or size of something is; for instance, telling someone that a tree is 40 feet tall may be hard for them to visualize. Telling them the tree is as tall as a four-story building will likely give them a much more accurate perception of the actual size of the tree. Another method of conveying measurements is simply to use accurate numbers. For instance, if a new park is being constructed, people will probably want to know the actual dimensions of the park, and not an analogy. Four important measurements to be aware of are perimeter, area, square feet and circumference.
Chapter 11– Chapter 11 is about volume measurements, which come up in many news articles. All kinds of goods are sold based on volume, which can vary based on the market. Liquid measurements come up in recipes and bodies of water. The volume of rectangular solids can be calculated by multiplying the length by the width by the height. Another measurement, the cord, is the unit that applies to selling firewood. There are 128 cubic feet in a cord when the firewood is neatly stacked in a row. Another volume measurement is the ton, which there are three types of. A short ton is equivalent to 2,000 pounds, a long ton is equivalent to 2,240 pounds and a metric ton is equivalent to 2,204.62 pounds.
Chapter 12– Chapter 12 is a detailed chapter about the metric system, which can often be a daunting concept to Americans. However, because it i used all over the world in situations such as international commerce, it is important for journalists to have a decent grasp on the metric system and how it works. The metric system is used frequently in America, actually, in sports, soda, medicine and other products. “The meter is the basic unit for length,” Wickham says. “It is based on a measure that equals one 10-millionth of the distance from the North Pole to the equator along the meridian running near Dunkirk in France and Barcelona in Spain” The metric unit of force is the Newton. The metric system is based on the decimal system which allows users to change from one unit to another by either multiplying or dividing by multiples of 10. The units used in the metric system are meters, grams and liters. There are some style rules that go along with the metric system. When it comes to capitalization, the names of all units should start with a lowercase letter unless it’s at the beginning of a sentence. Also, unit symbols should be written in lowercase letters with the exception of liters and Newtons. Spaces should be used between the number and the symbol to which it refers, and when a hyphen is used, the name of the metric quantity should be written out.
Examples
1. Jane Doe is a reporter covering the annual 100-mile run in her hometown. How long will it take her friend, Jim, to cross the finish line if he is running at an average speed of 7 mph?
Formulas:
Distance= rate x time
Rate = distance/time
Time= distance/rate
100 miles/7 mph= 14.3 hours
2. The driveway outside McEwen is rectangular, and has a length of 50 feet and a width of 20 feet. What is the perimeter?
Formula:
Perimeter= (2 x length) + (2 x width)
(2 x 50) + (2 x 20) = 140 ft.
3. Mary is building a mansion and wants to know the total square footage of her soon-to-be-built house, which has a base of 240 feet and a height of 50 feet. What is the area of her house?
Formula:
Area = .5 base x height
.5 x 240 x 50 = 6,000 square feet
4. Suzie is trying to figure out how many servings of milk are in a half gallon so she can drink it all before it spoils. She knows that each serving is 8 ounces.
1 gallon = 4 quarts = 128 ounces
1/2 gallon = 2 quarts = 64 ounces
64 ounces/8 ounces (one serving) = 8 servings
rachel vargyai 