I rarely cross-post, but I think that Chris will forgive my doing so here. This is a letter I sent off to the Independent as a comment on an article in today's paper. The article is available online (for the moment at least) at http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=84711 The University of Newcastle has some excellent web pages on this aqueduct project at http://archaeology.ncl.ac.uk/research/projects/project_21/index.htm and it is entirely metric. "Me-too" messages would be counter-productive so I discourage anyone here from sending those, unless well disguised. But I thought that the members of this list might enjoy reading the Independent's non-metric story and then seeing the "real McCoy" at the University of Newcastle's web site. Jim ---------- Forwarded Message ---------- Subject: Independent Archaeologists uncover ancient reporter Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2001 12:24:30 -0400 From: James R. Frysinger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: ... Sunday Letters Editor, Independent Readers Editor, Independent copies to the archaeologists on the project 2001 July 22 Dear Sirs: Might I suggest a follow-up story to your article about the Roman aqueduct found in Turkey? You could let the world know that you have discovered a fossil of a writer and let him write that story posted in today's Independent. Obviously Mr. Keys is unaware that archaeologists are quite metric and have been for some time. Further, he seems oblivious to the principle of speaking the native language of his listeners and readers; when posting an article in an international venue, such as the Internet, one ought to use international units of measurements. When in Rome, do as the Romans do--today! His story of the 450 km aqueduct, with its 25 m to 34 m high bridges would have been much more understandable to the more than 96 % of the world's people who live outside his shire, and therefore think in metric units, had he eschewed those obsolescent units in his article. Further, readers would not have been obliged to guess whether his "gallons" were the now-defunct Imperial gallons or the doddering and decrepit American gallons still tottering around in the shadows. Assuming they were meant to be Imperial gallons would make the delivery capacity an even 130 000 m3 or 130 million liters per day. Lastly, please sit Mr. Keys down with someone who understands precision, or at least relieve him of his calculator. It would challenge modern engineers to lay out a 450 aqueduct with a gradient set to 5 significant figures ("one in 16 666"). I think it would have been more satisfactory to tell intelligent people, such as those who read the Independent, that the gradient had a fall of only 6 cm in every kilometer. I hope that you are not about to tell me that you had the article written that way on purpose because the British people are incapable of understanding metric units. I think more highly of them than that. regards, James R. Frysinger p.s.: Thanks and best regards to the archaeologists at Newcastle for their fine (metric) web site; it is truly educational and enjoyable! -- James R. Frysinger University/College of Charleston 10 Captiva Row Dept. of Physics and Astronomy Charleston, SC 29407 66 George Street 843.225.0805 Charleston, SC 29424 http://www.cofc.edu/~frysingj [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cert. Adv. Metrication Specialist 843.953.7644 ------------------------------------------------------- -- James R. Frysinger University/College of Charleston 10 Captiva Row Dept. of Physics and Astronomy Charleston, SC 29407 66 George Street 843.225.0805 Charleston, SC 29424 http://www.cofc.edu/~frysingj [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cert. Adv. Metrication Specialist 843.953.7644
