Fwd: cubic gallons

[Baker, John]

        Doubtless your colleague's position was undercut by the fact
that cubic feet per second is not a measure of volume.  Cubic feet is a
measure of volume.  Cubic feet per second is, as you indicate, a measure
of flow rate.

John Baker


-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
Of James Smith
Sent: Monday, September 26, 2005 3:36 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: Fwd: cubic gallons

Cubic feet per second (cfs)and gallons per minute (gpm)are both common
measures of water flow in the USA.

This reply from a collegue, an engineer and former river guide, re. my
query to him on cubic gallons etc.

"I recall once trying to convince a whole class of adult students that
feet per second was velocity of a river while cubic feet per second was
volume of a river.  I was outvoted and therefore was wrong.  The public
and democracy prevails in spite of science.
This is America."

James D. SMITH                 |If history teaches anything
South SLC, UT                  |it is that we will be sued
jsmithjamessmith at yahoo.com     |whether we act quickly and decisively
                               |or slowly and cautiously.