--- Bill Hooper <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> On 2008 Mar 18 , at 9:15 AM, Stan Jakuba wrote:
>
> > Bill I understand what you mean (about the use of the prefix
> > "centi-" for lengths). However, on the scale of the task to accept
> > SI in the world (not just the US) this is such a minor issue that,
> > on top of it, would consume effort disproportionate to the gain. It
> > would raise hurricane-proportion resistance.
> >
>
> Actually, Stan, I agree. (See also another email I just sent off
> replying to Jesse Ziser concerns about the same topic.)
>
> I think my stand is somewhat ambiguous if not outright contradictory.
> My thinking is probably on a middle course that would have me saying:
>
> "Let's not use centi- for centimetres when it can easily be
> avoided, and certainly not in cases like "centi-Amps" where it is
> seldom heard of and never necessary.
>
> "But furthermore, I have agree that this effort should be kept
> within the metric-familiar and/or technical fields (for now) since the
> centimetre is so widely recognized in the world, including among
> people who don't often use metric."
>
> So I agree that I would not try to argue with non-metric supporters
> about this issue. None-the-less, I find it possible to state that my
> height is 1810 mm or 1.81 m. I can show by example that the centimetre
> is not necessary here. But I am forced to agree that a litre can be
> most easily described as 1000 cm^3, although it can just as well can
> be described as one one-thousandth of a cubic metre. But, it
> certainly would be extremely awkward to have to describe
> it as 1 000 000 mm^3.
I don't think eliminating the centimeter in most non-technical cases is much to
ask, and saying
I'm 1770 mm tall doesn't bother me. If it makes life easier for some people
(which it apparently
does) to keep things in thousands for 1-dimensional measures, I don't really
think that would be
much of an inconvenience for me.
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