using Montreal, Moncton or Toronto access numbers, I got the local weather,
express in both FFU and SI. (The SI option isn't offered when dialing from
the USA.)
Noting "kph" for wind speed I wrote to AOL. Here's the dialogue:
I originally wrote --
I'm in Montreal right now and clicked on the weather display.�
Thanks for providing it and for showing appropriate units (degrees Celsius,
etc.).� Two suggestions:
No one up here uses Fahrenheit at ALL.� Could you show the Celsius first?
The abbreviation for kilometers per hour (wind speed) is km/h, not kph.�
(That should be first, too.)
The response from AOL:
Dear Carleton,
Hello, I am Leo from America Online (AOL) . As a Customer Care Consultant
from the TechMail Department, it is my pleasure to assist you regarding any
concerns you may have.
We appreciate member feedback because it is the best way for us to know
what we are doing right -- and what we could do better.
Many of the changes made throughout the years have been the result of
suggestions and ideas offered to us by members just like you. So please,
send us more of your suggestions. I have passed your comments to the
appropriate staff members here at America Online. I've also included some
keyword links that you will find most helpful in reporting other
suggestions and ideas to us, as well as if you're experiencing difficulty
with any area of America Online.
To make a suggestion to AOL, please visit Keyword: Suggestions.
Please feel free to write me again at any time.
Leo P.
Customer Care Consultant
TechMail Department
America Online (AOL).
P.S. The abbreviation for Kilometers Per Hour is KPH and not Km/H...this is
used in Engineering Units.
And my response back to him:
Actually, not. Rules for the use of SI (Systeme International, often called
the Metric System) is governed by the Bureau internationale des poids et
mesures, a worldwide governing authority headquarted in France that has all
major nations, including the USA, as signatory. The publication for the use
of SI can be found at www.bipm.fr/pdf/si-brochure.pdf, and page 109 (page 29
of 72 on the pdf document) , entitled "The writing of SI names and symbols",
clearly indicates that the solidus (/) is to be used to express a derived
unit formed from two other units by division, such as m/s (meters per second)
or km/h (kilometers per hour).
This may also be found at the site of the US Metric Association
(http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/correct.htm) where it indicates, among
other things:
"The symbol for a compound unit that is a quotient of two units is indicated
by a solidus or by a negative exponent..
"RIGHT: km/h or km�h-1 (for kilometers per hour)
"WRONG: kmph or kph (do not use p as a symbol for "per".)
"BUT: It is correct to say or write "kilometers per hour". "
I'm not sure what is meant by "engineering units" but in this case it appears
that the international metric authority governs.
Carleton MacDonald
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The struggle continues.
cm
