Dear All, Thank you for your comments about the English invention of the metric system in 1668 (See: http://www.metricationmatters.com/docs/Wilkins_translation_2007-07-14.pdf ). I will consider them all as I travel.
Some people have had a problem downloading this document because of its size. If you go to http://www.metricationmatters.com/articles.html you will have a choice of downloading the full document that includes copies of the original documents or choosing a shorter version that (although still biggish) is about one third the size of the original. You might like to comment on this summary: What exactly did John Wilkins invent in 1668? John Wilkins system: * was decimal * was international * had a standard length (of about 997 millimetres) * used measures based on a 'Natural Standard' that could be reproduced in any nation of the world. * was intended to be related to time so that the measures of length, area, volume, mass (he called it weight and based it on rain water), and time could be all interrelated within one system. * was based on a 'Universal Measure' (that became known as the metric system after 'universal measure' was translated into the Italian, 'metro catholico' by Burattini, seven years later, in 1675). * was universal in that it was intended for all human activities. John Wilkins' description of a new measuring system in 1668 had at least these properties that are components of the modern metric system that is more formally known as 'The International System of Units (SI)'. 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'. Subscribe at http://www.metricationmatters.com/newsletter Pat is 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 This email and its attachments are for the sole use of the addressee and may contain information that is confidential and/or legally privileged. This email and its attachments are subject to copyright and should not be partly or wholly reproduced without the consent of the copyright owner. Any unauthorised use of disclosure of this email or its attachments is prohibited. If you receive this email in error, please immediately delete it from your system and notify the sender by return email.
