On 11/09/06 2:30 AM, "Pierre Abbat" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Who, besides Pat Naughtin, has observed that using centimeters slows
> metrication or recommends that centi- not be used? More generally, who
> advocates using only powers of 1000?
I have seen the idea of using 'only powers of 1000' in many places where it is often referred to as the 'Rule of 1000'.
I suspect that this is not so much a rule of 1000 as it is a convenient way to rid a particular area of measurement of fractions -- both vulgar and decimal.
As an example, suppose that you are a soft drink bottler and you decide to buy your ingredients in cubic metres (kilolitres) and litres and to sell them in millilitres. You then write your company policy like this:
The Pleasure Pops drink company will use millilitres, litres and kilolitres for measuring volume or capacity — centilitres, decilitres, decalitres, and hectolitres will not be used.
>From then on, there would be no further need for the use of any fractions. Granted there would be turmoil and discussion when someone suggested a container that was 1250 millilitres. Some would say that this goes against the 'Rule of 1000' in that it has a number larger than 1000. Some would then want to call this 125 centilitres to remove the trailing 0 and to bring it back inside the 'Rule of 100' limit. Others would want to call it 'one and a quarter' litres so that they could show off their knowledge of fractions.
However, if the policy (written above) was formulated and encouraged, there would always be a definite policy advice that would invariably produce the simplest possible practice.
By the way, for those who have not seen it, the article 'centimetres or millimetres — which will you choose' is available as a pdf file at http://www.metricationmatters.com/articles/ and it is near the top. Although it is a long article, you can get the sense of it by only reading the introduction (2 pages) and the conclusion (3 pages).
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin
PO Box 305, Belmont, 3216
Geelong, Australia
Phone 61 3 5241 2008
Pat Naughtin is the editor of the free online monthly newsletter, 'Metrication matters'.
You can subscribe at http://www.metricationmatters.com/newsletter
Pat is also recognised as a Lifetime Certified Advanced Metrication Specialist (LCAMS) with the United States Metric Association. He is also editor of the 'Numbers and measurement' section of the Australian Government Publishing Service 'Style manual – for writers, editors and printers'. He is a Member of the National Speakers Association of Australia and the International Federation for Professional Speakers. See: http://www.metricationmatters.com
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