What is so interesting to an engineer about 3600? Well, here’s the explanation. When an engineer goes on a trip, especially with the family, he does not want to be listening to what his kids call music, or what his wife calls conversation. Not when a road trip presents so many wonderful opportunities for calculations to be done – What mpg is the car getting? What is our average speed, even considering stops? What is our ETA?

3600 starts them all. The first thing to do is check to see if the speedometer is giving us the proper reading. Assuming you are on an interstate, lock in the cruise control, then measure the seconds between mile markers. And, here is the tricky part, divide that number of seconds into 3600. This yields the mph you are going. Then compare this to the speedometer. You can try this for different speeds – 60, 65, 70, etc. If there are differences, the family can discuss whether this is because the speedometer is actually off, or if the tires may be under-inflated, or other reasons.

So, put away the Disney DVDs, get out a stopwatch and calculator (or use your smart phone), and really enjoy the drive.

Use the number 3600. The engineer in the family will appreciate it.

(For a whole lot of fun, convert it to metric!)