Got this from the BWMA:
----- Doorgestuurd bericht van Austin Spreadbury <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -----
Datum:Thu, 30 Aug 2001 13:17:01 +0100
Van:Austin Spreadbury <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Antwoord aan:Austin Spreadbury <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
OnderwerpRE: Questions about measurement standards
Aan:"'Joseph B. Fox'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, mail
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Han Maenen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
I think it's wrong to say that metric measurements are defined in terms
of imperial ones. IMHO it's quite clearly the other way around: when (for
example) the inch was standardized, it was fixed at EXACTLY 25.4mm,
splitting the difference between the former values of the UK and US
definitions. The inch changed, not the metre, so the direction of
dependency is quite clear.
For the record, the metre is in fact now (since 1983) defined as "the
length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of
1/299,792,458 of a second", with the second being defined in terms of
some measurable atomic constant.
Austin.
-----Original Message-----
From: Joseph B. Fox [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: 30 August 2001 12:57
To: mail; Han Maenen
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED];
[EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED];
[EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED];
[EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: Questions about measurement standards
To take the first point last: recipes should be in imperial throughout
(at least in this country). The fact that water pressure of 9 bar was
reccommended demonstrates that the writer had no real knowledge of the
metric system - 9 bar is more than twice the pressure at which water
comes into our homes. Should have stuck with psi!
As for imperial units being defined in metric terms, you could just as
well say that metric units are defined in imperial terms. Of course there
must be one and one only set of conversions - but bear in mind that the metre
is now defined in terms of so many wavelengths of a particualr kind of
light.
But our Dutch correspondent is on firmer ground when it comes to using
metric units to rip off the customer. The fault here lies with the
retalier. (Same principle as "guns don't kill people - people do",
which sentiment I hope our new friend will thoroughly endorse.)
----- Einde doorgestuurd bericht -----
