It wasn't long ago that NASA was still using units like "slugs" in their technical publications.
The metric system doesn't really impress me any more that does the Imperial system. Whatever you're used to working with, works just fine. I don't see advantage in one system of measurement over another, but there are number systems which have obvious benefits. The binary number system for Boolean algebra seems the only good fit for instance. Anyone know how big a 10-penny nail is? _______________________________________________________________________________ Ralph McDiarmid | Schneider Electric | Solar Business | CANADA | Regulatory Compliance Engineering From: John Woodgate <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Date: 08/09/2012 01:19 PM Subject: Re: [PSES] MIL STD 461E NECESSARY BANDWIDTH In message <[email protected]>, dated Thu, 9 Aug 2012, Ed Price <[email protected]> writes: >(BTW, can you imagine a world in which 7 fingers or toes per hand or >foot gave rise to a base 14 numerical system?) Not needed: human ingenuity is boundless. Counting in different bases was endemic in the good old pre-metric days, regardless of fingers. 16 ounces = 1 lb (pound), 14 lb = 1 stone, 28 lb = 1 quarter, 4 quarters 1 hundredweight. In fact, I don't think base 10 appears anywhere is Imperial measure, not even in obscure units like fardels and nootes. In France and Germany, the livre and Pfund (of 500 gm) are still quietly used. -- OOO - Own Opinions Only. Try www.jmwa.demon.co.uk and www.isce.org.uk Instead of saying that the government is doing too little, too late or too much, too early, say they've got is exactly right, thus throwing them into total confusion. John Woodgate, J M Woodgate and Associates, Rayleigh, Essex UK - ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to <[email protected]> All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieee-pses.org/emc-pstc.html Attachments are not permitted but the IEEE PSES Online Communities site at http://product-compliance.oc.ieee.org/ can be used for graphics (in well-used formats), large files, etc. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/request/user-guide.html List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas <[email protected]> Mike Cantwell <[email protected]> For policy questions, send mail to: Jim Bacher: <[email protected]> David Heald: <[email protected]> ______________________________________________________________________ This email has been scanned by the Symantec Email Security.cloud service. ______________________________________________________________________ - ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to <[email protected]> All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieee-pses.org/emc-pstc.html Attachments are not permitted but the IEEE PSES Online Communities site at http://product-compliance.oc.ieee.org/ can be used for graphics (in well-used formats), large files, etc. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/request/user-guide.html List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas <[email protected]> Mike Cantwell <[email protected]> For policy questions, send mail to: Jim Bacher: <[email protected]> David Heald: <[email protected]>
