************************************************ *CAVEAT EMPTOR: * * * * Long, off-topic and not related to "accurate" vs. "precise". * * Please, hit the delete buttom if you don't want to get bored. * ************************************************
Michael Koblic wrote: > >As long as some want to dismiss the English system as having a silly > >basis, may I propose we consider the hour, minute, and second. These > >are ridiculous units for the same reasons. > > Try replacing a blood pressure measurment (in mmHg) by kilopascals - the > healthcare people will burn you at the stake! > > The attempt to introduce blood gas measurment in SI units has been to my > mind only partially succesful and only in Europe. Here in Canada and US it > is still mmHg. I don't want to sound like a SI chauvinist. Most of the time I was just trying to make fun of all this confusion involving measurement units. Since I was educated under the kingdom of the "metric system", I learned from the start to talk about "litre" and "metre" (The English spelling looks more like the Brazilian spelling). My mother would feed me with "200 cc" of milk. (Although my dogther was fed with "200 ml".) I was happy enough to have my grandparents until I was 24 when I lost the first one. They used both the SI (for most usages) and the "Brazilian customary system" (as far as I know, this has never had an "official" name, as a system). Especially for agrarian measurements: league (6,600 m) alqueire (30,000 m2, 45,000m2 or more, depending on the sate or region), bushel, etc. Interestingly enough, "litre" was also a measure of area. One "alqueire" was equal to 48 litres. As a kid who had learned on the school (as opposed to learning as an apprentice) it took me a while to understand how an unit of volume could be used to measure an area: 48 litres was the quantity of corn kernel (or beans) needed to seed a certain area... I am getting stray from my course: having lived with my grandparents I had an opportunity to learn a lot about the Brazilian (and Portuguese) customary system. Since one of my grandfathers was a toolmaker in a railroad company he also taught me the English system. Since I didn't find it very useful at that time of my life, I didn't take it too seriously. I only learned the most basic. Using fractions were a torture I didn't want to go through. The reason I am sending you this tedious message is just to let you know I love both standard and diversity. I like to see everybody driving on the right side of the road (sorry British and followers). This saves lives. But I also like to see people dressing different cloths, with diferent colors; driving different cars; speaking various languages (I've been told there are around 1500 languages in use today in this planet only!) Vive la difference! - fernando -- Fernando Cabral Padrao iX Sistemas Abertos mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pix.com.br mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Fone: +55 61 321-2433 Fax: +55 61 225-3082 15º 45' 04.9" S 47º 49' 58.6" W 19º 37' 57.0" S 45º 17' 13.6" W
