Hi Marcus
The logic is simple. Anything which has already been
brought under the metric system like meter, gram, etc
(with deka, hecto, kilo, etc for multiples and
deci, centi, milli, etc for divisions) shall stay as
it is.
The importance of the meter is not in the
circumference
of the Earth or the Sun, but the multiples and
divisions
that make it simple.
For those units like angles and time, you can consider
metricating it.
For time - already there is a proposal by Swatch, who
have divided a day into 1000 units called beats with
upto 2 decimal places. But implementing it will take
an enormous effort.
But let us first concentrate on metricating USA.
Madan
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--- Begin Message ---
On Mon, 19 Nov 2001 12:41:51
Han Maenen wrote:
>If I understand it correctly, Marcus proposes a 60% reduction of the length
>of the meter to what is at present 40 cm! Then all other units will change
>too...
Actually my post was not meant to be an "official proposal" for change, but rather
like a... "philosophical" question on what one could do to improve on the SI system.
I evidently have no ambition to transform this into something more than that!
>I think that such a vast change in SI to-day is fuel for our ifp friends.
Please note my statement above. Of course I do realize the monumental changes related
to that "proposal" of mine. However, could we "dream" a little and perhaps think of
an "ideal" system, just for the fun of it? :-)
>Don't rock the boat now or it will sink. At first ifp must be defeated.
I evidently totally concur with the above. I just apologize if you took my post as
something more... "serious" than it deserved.
>And the cost involved would be staggering.
Hypothetically, yes, it could. Just don't forget though that the more people make use
of technology the less expensive it can get if, hypothetically, one would come with
even such radical proposals...
But there is nothing to prevent us from dreaming, is there?...
>For the same reason I am also opposed to make speeds in m/s compulsory
>to-day. I totally agree with Jim and John. Make it optional as an addition
>on speedometers.
>...
We wouldn't need to resort to the m/s idea if we had gotten the time component of the
SI system "right" in the first place. Pity that we're now stuck with such ancient
concept. But since fixing that would envolve a monumental change why not go the whole
distance and also fix the other stuff? That's why I volunteered that... "crazy"
proposal. But a one that should be *idealistically* sound *as a system*.
(BTW, I think I may have made some boobos in the calculations of a few things there,
like the value of the new "peso". It was very late and I had a terrible painful day,
sorry, folks...)
Cheers,
Marcus
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