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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) by quacking duck on Monday February 24 2014, @06:20PM

    by quacking duck (1395) on Monday February 24 2014, @06:20PM (#6019)

    It would be sufficient to just give SI units in brackets beside original units. For example "3-inch [7.62 cm] ...".

    Only if the original source provides it in imperial. I don't even mean the article that the SN story links to, but the original publisher. The most egregious example in my mind was the /. article linking to I think Discovery.com (American site) reporting on a published British (IIRC) study about the newly derived length of a particular dinosaur based on some new information. The Discovery (and /.) article gave a measurement in ridiculously accurate number of feet, which was called out several times in comments, some even going so far as to call the study bunk because how could they possible know it with such accuracy?

    Well, the *actual* study provided measurements in metres. Discovery and /. did a huge disservice by not putting the *original* measurement first, then bracketing in units that their American audience might be more familiar with.