Problem 79
Write a short report on the metric system and SI units. What are some of the advantages of the metric system? What are some of the disadvantages of changing from a system like British units to the metric system? What are some of the countries that do and do not use the metric system?
Problem 80
Give several examples of how physics applies to chemistry, meteorology, and biology. A Cricket Thermometer All chemical reactions, whether organic or inorganic, proceed at a rate that depends on temperature - the higher the temperature, the higher the rate of reaction. This can be explained in terms of molecules moving with increased energy as the temperature is increased and colliding with other molecules more frequently. In the case of organic reactions, the result is that metabolic processes speed up with increasing temperature. An increased or decreased metabolic rate can manifest itself in a number of ways. For example, a cricket trying to attract a mate chirps at a rate that depends on the overall rate of its metabolism. As a result, the chirping rate of crickets depends directly on temperature. In fact, some people even use a pet cricket as a thermometer. The cricket that is most accurate as a thermometer is the snowy tree cricket (Oecanthus fultoni Walker). Its rate of chirping is described by the following equation: $$ \begin{aligned} N &=\text { number of chirps in } 7.0 \text { seconds } \\ &=T-5.0 \end{aligned} $$ In this expression, \(T\) is the temperature in degrees Celsius.
