Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

Request - Preferably Use SI Units

posted by LaminatorX on Monday February 24 2014, @12:30AM   Printer-friendly
from the How-many-slugs-to-the-stone? dept.

AnonTechie writes:

"I have the following requests to members of this new forum:

1) Please use SI Units wherever possible. Alternative comparative units such as swimming pools, size of Florida, cars, libraries of congress, etc are also welcome ...

2) Please cover tech/science related stories from around the world. Please do not make this a US only website !!

Cheers and best wishes,

AnonTechie"

[ED Note: We as a community welcome submissions from around the world, as befits our international userbase. The Editorial team in particular is looking closely at including voices from outside the U.S. as we continue to grow. As for the units question in particular, stories will certainly arrive with a variety of units depending on the origin of the submission. We encourage, though do not require, submitters to include conversions where appropriate for clarity out of courtesy to your fellow readers. Though we try to use a light touch when making edits to story submissions, Editors may add these from time to time as well, should clarity demand and time permit.

Soylentils, does the current ad-hoc approach meet your needs, or do you favor a more formal approach from your news discussion site?]

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Request - Preferably Use SI Units | Log In/Create an Account | Top | 139 comments | Search Discussion
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

  • (Score: 2, Informative) by c0lo on Monday February 24 2014, @03:43AM

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday February 24 2014, @03:43AM (#5500) Journal

    For example, why describe something as being "1219 millimetres" long, when "4 feet" conveys the actual meaning far better?

    "Convey the actual meaning better" my ass [wikipedia.org]... which has 4 feet indeed... why, everybody can count them ... but I just don't know about feet and distance, height or length.

    My point: people in different cultures would understand "ass=donkey" and the use of meters in a much natural/immediate manner; I might be wrong, but ask the french people, for which "cul" - from the latin culus - is more suggestive for "arse" and "ass" is more suggestive for donkey.
    Your "convey the actual meaning better" is so culture dependent it doesn't make sense when considering all the people in this world).

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +1  
       Informative=1, Total=1
    Extra 'Informative' Modifier   0  
    Total Score:   2  

  • (Score: 1) by jb on Monday February 24 2014, @06:44AM

    by jb (338) on Monday February 24 2014, @06:44AM (#5614)

    "Convey the actual meaning better" my ass... which has 4 feet indeed... why, everybody can count them ... but I just don't know about feet and distance, height or length.

    Not sure if it applies to an ass or not, but to the best of my knowledge the height of a horse is still most commonly measured in hands.

    The mean curvature of an arse on the other hand, would presumably be just as difficult to visualise from the number alone regardless of whether expressed as inverse square decimetres or as inverse square inches...

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 24 2014, @07:01AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 24 2014, @07:01AM (#5627)

      The mean curvature of an arse on the other hand, would presumably be just as difficult to visualise from the number alone

      True. Still, within the topic of "best fitted for the job", appreciating the mentioned curvature by hand might work better than using numbers.