Here is the reply I received by the author of the article on the new
electron microscope (using angstom units). It is hopeful but somewhat
discouraging that he feels a "gradual transition" is acceptable. I
replied to this and my reply is attached below.
Regards,
Bill Hooper
Mr. Preuss's reply to my earlier message:
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On 2008 Jan 23 , at 12:20 PM, Paul Preuss wrote:
You're not alone in urging me to use picometers not angstroms, and
in future we will move in this direction. Among the working
scientists at NCEM, angstroms are far from obsolete, and for many
years we have written about electron microscope resolution and
measurements on the atomic scale in terms of angstroms and fractions
thereof, a unit of measure most of our readers are accustomed to. (I
suspect that you, like me, are old enough to remember how long it
took to persuade people to change to hertz from cycles per second,
and all the bad jokes that change inspired.)
So we will have to make the transition gradually, but rest assured,
the next time I write about this, picometers will come first.
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My new reply to him:
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On 2008 Jan 23 , at 12:20 PM, Paul Preuss wrote:
... angstroms are far from obsolete, ... (they are) a unit of
measure most of our readers are accustomed to.
...
... So we will have to make the transition gradually, ...
I understand your position completely but I would hope the
transition could be made more rapidly.
The ONLY thing difficult about such a change is the transition
period. Deliberately making the transition period shorter (so that
people can "get used to" the new way) is the best way to make the
whole process easier. So long as the old, familiar units are
tolerated, many people will not learn the "new way" but will
continue to fall back on them just because they are old and
familiar. That leads to a long period when some are using one and
some are using the other. THAT is where the real difficulty lies.
I continue to hope that the above arguments would be heard and
accepted by those who have the ability to make the changes happen.
... but rest assured, the next time I write about this, picometers
will come first.
That is good to hear. Thank you.
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