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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?]

 
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  • (Score: 1, Troll) by evilviper on Monday February 24 2014, @05:55AM

    by evilviper (1760) on Monday February 24 2014, @05:55AM (#5593) Homepage Journal

    You've completely missed the point...

    Yes, the readers of the US, Burma and Liberia will be so confused. the rest of the world can get by just fine, though

    Really? Everybody else in the world knows the distance AND speed limit on the roads between Los Angeles and Las Vegas? That's quite impressive. I would have put the number closer to zero.

    --
    Hydrogen cyanide is a delicious and necessary part of the human diet.
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  • (Score: 1) by beckett on Monday February 24 2014, @08:10AM

    by beckett (1115) on Monday February 24 2014, @08:10AM (#5670)

    You've completely missed the point... ...Everybody else in the world knows the distance AND speed limit on the roads between Los Angeles and Las Vegas? That's quite impressive.

    since you gave neither the distance nor the speed limit in your original post e.g.:

    "The bus was traveling for 4 hours, headed from Los Angeles to Las Vegas at 96.56 km/h before the crash."

    you're the one that's lost the plot.

    Regarding the distance travelled before the crash, anybody on earth that took basic mathematics could tell you the bus travelled 386.24km in 4 hours headed from LA.

    it's only the metric system for pete's sake; the same laws of arithmetics and physics apply.

    • (Score: 2) by evilviper on Monday February 24 2014, @11:31AM

      by evilviper (1760) on Monday February 24 2014, @11:31AM (#5746) Homepage Journal

      since you gave neither the distance nor the speed limit in your original post

      That's the point... which I keep having to hit you over the head with... it's a US story. Most Americans can give you an approximate number for both without any effort. They will give it, however, in MILES, and will certainly not be able to compare it to any number given in KM.

      it's only the metric system for pete's sake; the same laws of arithmetics and physics apply.

      I did not realize it before, but it seems the metric system causes some people to lose all ability of rational thought.

      --
      Hydrogen cyanide is a delicious and necessary part of the human diet.

      • (Score: 1) by beckett on Monday February 24 2014, @02:57PM

        by beckett (1115) on Monday February 24 2014, @02:57PM (#5837)

        That's the point... which I keep having to hit you over the head with... it's a US story.

        non sequitor. considering that over a third of USA citizens cannot locate "America" on a map of the USA [huffingtonpost.com] I wouldn't be so quick to jump to the conclusion that people in the US would be able to tell you the distance.

        there is nothing exceptional about the USA. you need to give the distance between LA and LV the same way another newspaper would give the distance between Paris and Dakar, even though that rally has been run for over 30 years.

        I did not realize it before, but it seems the metric system causes some people to lose all ability of rational thought.

        and that's the point people from the rest of the world are trying to make