The most famous equation in physics is probably e=mc^2.
If energy is expressed in joules, mass in kilograms and speed in m/s, the equation is correct. If energy is expressed in BTU, what units of mass and velocity should I use? _____ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of H. Maenen Sent: 12 May 2007 08:19 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:38655] Re:RE: Claim from an Australian I only know that the BTU/h was never used here, in mainland Europe, before. I regard its emergence in metric countries as scandalous, soundly unneccesary and retrograde. I think that it will bleed away at some point in the future like the SAE-horsepower did in its day, the non-metric computer paper sizes did recently when we reverted to A4. The BTU should never have reared its ugly head here in the first place. We used the kcal/h where the British and the Americans used the BTU/h. We never learned anything about the BTU at school either. It is an invader in mainland Europe as a number of air conditioning manufacturers are 'marketing' its use in metric countries. It is the same like US cosmetics manufacturers like Donna Karan and Estee Lauder pushing the once liquide (US fl.oz) on French speaking countries. And if the EU-directive was not up for cancelling, the BTU and the once liquide would have disappeared from metric EU nations once and for all in 2010. The directive went further than simply bannning ifp for trade, it wanted to ban ifp once and for all in the EU, and Britain could ask for opt outs of course. If ever I want to buy an air conditioner I will buy it from the German manufacturer Bosch or any other manufacturer which rates them in kilowatt first and uses the BTU/h as a supplemental unit. Bosch has to as it sells its air conditioners to the USA as well. When high accuracy is not needed, converting from BTU/h to kW is very simple: the kilojoule and the BTU are almost equal, so dividing the BTU/h by 3600 gives kilowatt. We do have soft converted industry standards indeed, for instance for plumbing, but certainly the majority of our industrial measurements are now hard metric. > Datum: 10/05/07 11:45 > Van: "Stephen Humphreys" > Aan: "U.S. Metric Association" > CC: > Onderwerp : [USMA:38639] RE: Claim from an Australian > > What is it with air conditioners!! :-) > > There's pretty much a global use of BTU/hr as a "gauge to sell" approach. > It's not an anti-metric conspiracy of like minded individuals plotting to > force imperial down our throats! > It's a bit like bhp and inches for TV sizes. The unit itself is not > particularly important - it just makes buying them an easier decision making > process. Yes, I realise that a metric unit could have been used but in > these cases the industry "settled" on imperial ones. And BTU/hr would have > remained uneffected by the ruling anyway as you don't by units of coolness > in £ per btu/hr. > > In regards to soft conversions there are examples of that even in mainland > europe. > > > >From: "Han Maenen" > >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >To: "U.S. Metric Association" > >Subject: [USMA:38629] Claim from an Australian > >Date: Wed, 9 May 2007 20:02:48 +0200 > > > >First: I expected this cancellation of the directive to happen, with the > >planned free-trade agreement with the USA. Too bad and too good for the air > >conditioning industry which is attempting to force the BTU/h down our > >throats. > >I read the item in The Scotsman and one of the reactions there is from an > >Australian. He claims that literally all industrial measurements in > >Australia are in fact converted Imperial measurements, in other word, they > >are all soft metric. I find it impossible to believe. Here it is with the > >spelling errors left as they are. > >Paul O, Australia > > > >#1: No, you don't want to go back to Pounds/shillings/ pence, that really > >is the 'horses arse' of monetary caluclating. > >BUT: > >All Australian industrial measurements are in mm but they are just metric > >conversions of imperial inches. I have worked in the metal/manufacturing > >and printing industries and our standard coil widths for sheet metal or > >paper is 915mm, which is exactly 36 inches. All our timber, electronic, > >cabling, masonary, motor vehicles, industrial machinery and building > >dimensions are just metric equivilants of imperial inches. We're not really > >a 'metric society', we're just a metric approximation of imperial inches. I > >was always quite happy to work in 'inches' and decimal fractions of the > >inch. I never found any difficulty adding decimal inches(42.5 + 7.5 = 50) > >or decimal miles (5.2+4.3=9.5), the old monetry system was the real pain in > >the arse!
