IEEE Power Engineering Society

A better understanding of the SI principles can make the conversion process easier and help promote proper use of SI as it increasingly becomes a part of daily life. Although published guidelines explain the conversion methods and proper use of the SI system, the actual change to SI units of measure has been slow and painful. Many IEEE standards have missed the directive deadline because of difficulty in actually applying the conversion guidelines´ principles. One impediment to conversion seems to be a lack of full understanding of the SI system. Another is unfamiliarity with the methods of converting from one system to another while maintaining consistent accuracy. The IEEE conversion directive does not require that manufacturers change their factory equipment or assembly processes, only that referenced standards use SI dimensions to specify the equipment purchased. This paper gives guidelines for metric conversion.