John: You wrote: >I noticed that the subject says "decimal time," which is not what I'm >talking about. I'm talking about the use of currently defined SI units.
So was I. The title was inherited from the previous messages in the thread and I should have changed it. I wrote: >> I'm not sure what your point is, here. I wasn't arguing for conversion to >> metric units. Using metric units is a given on this list server, with no >> argument in favor being necessary. And you replied: >Excuse me, but I thought that was the whole POINT of this list! Is it not >for promoting the conversion to metric units in the US? And in order to do >so, are not arguments in favor necessary? Or is this list merely a >circle-jerk? My point was that we don't need to convince one another, here, about the merits of SI. The overall purpose of the list is to advance the implementation of SI. You're right when you imply that arguments in favor are necessary. However, we don't need to use them here to convince one another. Developing them in order to convince others is obviously a valid exercise. Concentration on arguments in favor of SI, as it is currently defined (including its pragmatic acceptance of some non-SI [but SI-related] units), is important. You wrote: > I don't remember ever hearing any mention made of >kiloseconds, nor of >hectoseconds, dekaseconds, etc. If people were taught to think in terms of >ks, then there would be no need for km/h. First, there's not much point in using dekaseconds or hectoseconds. The multiple is too small to be of much practical value. Although kiloseconds are ideal for measuring elapsed time, they are (in my opinion) very awkward for stating the time of day. Try replacing "I work from 9 to 5" (or "I work from 9 to 17") with the equivalent in kiloseconds. Would you really want to say "I work from 32.4 ks to 61.2 ks" (or some rounded off values). 32.4 ks from when? 61.2 ks from when? Now if you wanted to say you were on the job for about 29 ks (rounded from 28.8 ks), that would make sense (even if it may not be a good idea), as no starting point reference (e.g., midnight) would be needed. The fact is that we use a combination of days, hours and minutes to count and mark time, not to measure it. We use SI to measure things. I note that you didn't accept the challenge I presented at the end of my message (to provide a plan for the universal implementation of kiloseconds for everyday use, with a cost and time estimate for its completion). Do you really think that its staggeringly immense cost would really be worth it? Do you really think that arguing for conversion to kiloseconds would help us advance the cause of metrication in the U.S., Canada and Britain? Bill Potts, CMS Roseville, CA http://metric1.org [SI Navigator]
