On 2009/03/24, at 7:37 PM, Bill Potts wrote:
Grammatically, yes. Numerically, I don't know.
Seriously, though, if someone has provided the diameter in either
light years or parsecs, a conversion is simple arithmetic.
You realize, of course, that you may be dealing with a hypersphere,
in which case, wherever you are, you're always at the center (or
hypercenter). If that's so, I'm not sure where the hypersurface of
the hypersphere is. As a diameter is twice the distance from the
center to the surface (or hypercenter to hypersurface), all I can do
is quote Mr. Gumby (of Monty Python fame) and say that my brain hurts.
L
Bill
Bill Potts
WFP Consulting
Roseville, CA
http://metric1.org [SI Navigator]
Dear Bill,
Thanks for your thoughts. Perhaps it will help if I place it into
context for you. Let's say that I want to write these paragraphs:
The 'Big bang' theory of the Universe is based on the observation that
all the stars and galaxies in the Universe seem to be moving away from
each other. If you calculate their speeds of separation, you can
calculate that the Universe might have begun with a 'Big Bang' 15 000
000 000 000 years ago. As we observe the speeds using light, it
follows that the diameter of the Universe is twice the distance that
light can travel in 15 000 000 000 years or the diameter requires 30
000 000 000 years. As light travels nearly 9 500 000 000 000
kilometres in a year, this means that the Universe is approximately:
30 000 000 000 years multiplied by 9 500 000 000 000 kilometres per
year which equals 285 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 kilometres
This is a very large number and before the metric system was developed
people, even scientists and mathematicians, had difficulty saying or
writing such big numbers. These days we simply say that the diameter
of the Universe is about 285 yottametres. The metric system has given
us simple methods to handle very large numbers, very small numbers,
and all of the numbers in between.
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On
Behalf Of Pat Naughtin
Sent: Monday, March 23, 2009 22:16
To: U.S. Metric Association
Subject: [USMA:44089] 285 yottametres
Dear All,
I wonder if you would mind checking a calculation for me.
I want to write:
'The Universe is approximately 285 yottametres in diameter.'
Is this correct?
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin
PO Box 305 Belmont 3216,
Geelong, Australia
Phone: 61 3 5241 2008
Metric system consultant, writer, and speaker, Pat Naughtin, has
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