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Lunchbox, The Exciting World of Metrics

National Museum of American History

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Object Details

King-Seeley Thermos Company
Description
The objects children take to school can communicate messages. In the 1970s, the U.S. government encouraged more general use of the metric units of weight and measure, units that had been adopted in almost all other nations. To teach children about metric units, some parents purchased this lunch box.
The lid of this metal box illustrates four things commonly measured with metric units (the output of power generators, the size of car and motorcycle engines, Olympic distances, and prescription drugs). The back shows decimal units of length, weight, volume, and temperature. One side shows the U.S. decimal currency, while the other shows natural phenomena associated with decimal units (the century plant, the centipede, and the millipede). The top has a scale of inches with their equivalent lengths in centimeters. The bottom illustrates decimal units of time.
The lunch box contains a blue thermos with a white rim and red cap. It holds eight ounces of liquid.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of George A. Norton III
ca 1976
ID Number
1992.0404.01
accession number
1992.0404
catalog number
1992.0404.01
Object Name
lunchbox
Physical Description
metal (box and lid material)
plastic (handle material)
Measurements
overall: 7 1/4 in x 8 5/8 in x 4 in; 18.415 cm x 21.9075 cm x 10.16 cm
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Mathematics
Metric System
Science & Mathematics
Measuring & Mapping
National Museum of American History
subject
Olympics
Eating
Education
Mathematics
Record ID
nmah_376204
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a1-a29b-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Related Content

  • Metric System Demonstration Apparatus:Untitled

    American History Museum
'The Exciting World of Metrics' Lunchbox
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