Dear Brent, One can't help but be influenced by the constant dripping of the time people's pressure to change time measurements from the old irrational Babylonian time framework we are currently be-saddled with, and the search for more rational methods.
It seems to me that there are several quite immovable constraints in any discussion about time units. They are: 1 The SI unit of time is the second, and because so many other units are based on its definition, it is too hard to change, and there is no likelihood of its being changed by the CGPM. 2 The day is the more or less uniform interval of time it takes for the Earth to turn on its axis. 3 The year is the more or less uniform interval of time it takes for the Earth to revolve around the Sun. 4 The month is the relatively un-uniform interval of time it takes for the Moon to revolve around the Earth, and it has proven to be fairly difficult to use as a regulator of human time. Other time units (such as the minute, hour, week, and fortnight) are purely arbitrary and these are all currently set as multiples of the SI second. As these are arbitrary, they are the units that could be altered in the interests of a more rational system, but, as I suggested earlier, it is probably not possible to alter the SI second, and the year and month are completely out of our control. If we keep the SI second at its present value and decimalise time units we could get: 1 second = 1 SI second no change 1 day = 86400 SI seconds approximately correct 1 milliday = 86.4 s 1 new minute a bit longer than an old minute 1 centiday = 864 seconds about a quarter of an old hour 1 deciday = 8640 seconds a little under 2 1/2 hours This arrangement would give rise to the following relationships 1 milliday = 86.4 seconds exactly 10 millidays = 1 centiday = 864 s exactly 10 centidays = 1 deciday = 8640 s exactly 10 decidays = 1 day = 86400 s exactly. That should release enough pigeons for the cats, so I'll leave my thoughts on decimal weeks, fortnights, and months until another day. By the way, thanks for that url -- I really enjoyed watching the 'little hand', and I recalled a line from my father, 'I love hard work -- I can sit and watch it all day!' Cheers, Pat Naughtin LCAMS Geelong, Australia Pat Naughtin is the editor of the free online newsletter, 'Metrication matters'. You can subscribe by sending an email containing the words subscribe Metrication matters to [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- on 25/3/04 11:28 AM, Brent AU at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > With all the past silly talk about 'metric time' in this newsgroup, I thought > those who are insterested in the status quo may like to go to this url for a > bit of fun: > > http://www.yugop.com/ver3/stuff/03/fla.html > <http://www.yugop.com/ver3/stuff/03/fla.html> > > PS. Before metric time is ever seriously considered, the USA should be > customary with the metric system, as the rest of the world is, or are doing. >
