Units Converter

See Also: Polymath Calculator  Polymath Scientific Constants

 

The POLYMATH unit conversion utility allows you to convert selected units. The unit converters’ window is shown below where you can select the type of unit, set the number and specific unit, specify the desired unit, and the conversion will be found in the "Equal To:" box.  This number can then be copied to other locations.

Sample of the classes of the available unit conversions as well as the listing of the various units available in each class are given below:

Unit

Measures

Length

meter, centimeter, millimeter, nanometer, inch, mile, yard, foot, micron, angstrom

Mass

kilogram, gram, milligram, pound, ton (metric), ton (long), ton (short)

Area

square meter, square feet, square centimeter, square millimeter, square inch

Energy

joule, kilo-joule, erg, cal, hphr, liter atm, kwh, Btu, ft-lb, kg m2/s2

Temperature

Celsius, Fahrenheit, Kelvin, Rankine

Temp. Difference

delta degree Celsius, delta degree Fahrenheit, delta degree Kelvin, delta degree Rankine

Pressure

pascal, kilo-pascal, mm Hg (torr), atm, bar, psi [ lb-f/sq in],in Hg

Force

newton, kg, lb, poundal, dyne, g cm/s2, kg m/s2

Power

watt, kilo-watt, joule/sec, cal/sec, Btu/sec, hp(metric), hp(British), ft lbf/sec

Volume

cu. meter, cu. centimeter, liter, cu. feet, Imperial gal, gal (U.S.), barrel (oil)

UNIT CONVERSION EXAMPLE

Suppose you want to convert 100 BTU’s to kilo-joules. First you have to select the “type of the unit” as “Energy”. Next, you should type in “100” in the upper “Convert” box and select “Btu” in the lower “from” box.  The conversion factor result is in the "Equals To:" box. 

The conversion is carried out immediately after any changes are made.  The result obtained is: 105.5075. Note that this result can be copied by marking the part of the number to be copied and pressing “Cntr” and “C”. The copied number can be inserted in a different window by marking the destination location and pressing “Cntr” and “V”.

OPTIONS

The "File" menu presents some options for this utility.  This is shown below where the "On Top" option has been activated.:

 

 

 

On Top:

When active, this keeps the Units Converter window on top of all the active programs within your Windows desktop.

Calc Digits:

This option brings up a window in which you can select the number of digits for calculated values.
Load Units Database As... Special units databases can be loaded.
Save Existing Units Database As... Special units databases can be saved after modification.
Admin This option (normally dimmed) allows you to customize your own units database - see below

 

 

ADDING CUSTOM UNITS

 

Unlocking/Locking Administrative Options

You can add your own custom units by multiple keypress Cntl+Shift+U to unlock the Administration options (Clicking Cntl+Shift+L will lock/disable the administration rights). These options must be accomplished from the main Polymath Units Conversion window is active.  When active, the "Admin" option is available in the "File" menu.

Setup Units Option - This administrative option is available from the File/Admin/Setup Units/(Modify/Delete) menu or from the main Polymath Unit Conversion window by the shortcut keypress CtrlL+E.  The unit displayed in the main window is the one that can be modified or deleted as shown below where the conversion from  [Unit A] to [N] is divided by C1 and then add C2.

Add Units Option - This administrative option is available from the File/Admin/Setup Units/Add menu or from the main Polymath Unit Conversion window by the shortcut keypress CtrlL+A. The unit displayed in the main window is the one that can be modified or deleted as shown below where the conversion from [Unit A] to [N] is divided by C1 and then add C2.

Setup Units Category Option - This administrative option is available from the File/Admin/Setup Unit Category menu or from the main Polymath Unit Conversion window by the shortcut keypress CtrlL+U.

Load Units Database - This option allows you to load a Units database that has been created.  Note that the default Polymath database has file name  units.mdb and is usually stored in the main Polymath Software directory under Programs on your computer.

Save Existing Units Database As - This option allows you to store a Units database that has been created.  This should normally be stored in the main Polymath Software directory under Programs on your computer.