On 2010/06/22, at 08:44 , John M. Steele wrote:
Pat,
May I offer some disagreement with the point below. OIML
Recommendation 63 and ISO Stds. 91-1 and 91-2 explicitly endorse the
API Petroleum Measurement Tables 1-60. While this do include
metric, they also include API gravity, US gallons and barrels, long
and short tons. and even (oh the horror, the Fahrenheit temperature
scale and the reference temperature 60 °F).
It seems to me that all these terms used in the American petroleum
industry are adequately defined or accepted by International
standards.
The link to the OIML recommendation lists all the tables.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CBsQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquality-turkey.kalder.org%2Fexc%2Ffiles%2Flegal_met%2FR063-e94.pdf&rct=j&q=iso+petroleum+measurement+oiml+63&ei=2ugfTKPHI8bgnAezrJWADg&usg=AFQjCNGWYQaCRlvLLkXrhc9JG_QmzOzShg
(It is true that the various tables also result in a definition of
these terms in terms of metric, but to say they have only "national"
definition is factually incorrect. Not that the definition makes
them good, just defined.)
Dear John,
Thanks for your criticism, and especially thanks for the reference to
OIML. What a strange organisation it is!
They seem to be dedicated to the idea of protecting all old measuring
words from incursion by the International System of Units (SI) by
providing a home for all of the old pre-metric words to live in legally.
They seem to operate as though they are in direct competition with the
CGPM and the BIPM. Is the destruction of the metric system part of the
OIML Vision and/or their goals – I couldn't find any statement of why
they exist on their web site. What, if any, plans does the OIML have
to dissolve themselves?
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin
From: Pat Naughtin <[email protected]>
To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]>
Sent: Sun, June 20, 2010 3:45:25 AM
Subject: [USMA:47878] The metric system or what?
2 The word, unit, implies that there is a fixed definition of an
amount of a quantity that is being multiplied by a number. For
example, when we say, 'The window is two metres from the door' We
are specifying that the distance between the door and the window is
two times the internationally recognised length unit of one metre.
The unit, metre, is defined to a very high degree of precision and
this is then recognised by engineers and scientists and it is
legally specified by international treaty. Conversely, when you say
any of things like:
The price of oil is $77 per barrel.
I asked for a pint of beer.
I bought a gallon of oil.
We can never exactly know what you are saying unless you specify,
which barrel, which pint, or which gallon you are talking about.
Barrels, pints, and gallons are sometimes specified locally but
there is no international authority or agreement that makes them
legal in all nations. In many cases companies or even individuals
can specify any amount they like for more or less randomly generated
'measuring words' such as barrels, pints, and gallons. I prefer to
use the expression, pre-metric measuring word, unless I am convinced
that I am talking about a true measuring unit. For example if I
refer to the post 1959 measuring word, inch, and I quite clearly
specify that I am referring to its use in English speaking nations
only, then I might sometimes refer to a unit called an inch. However
to go to all this bother is almost always too much trouble so I
usually just refer to the word inch as an old pre-metric measuring
word. Expressions such as non-metric units, non-SI units, not-SI
units, or units outside SI, have no meaning to me because of the
misuse of the word, unit.
Here is a list of names for collections of old pre-metric measuring
words that I made in 2004. Recently I have used recent remarks
written on the United States Metric Association mail list and used
these to update my collection of names
Pat Naughtin
Author of the ebook, Metrication Leaders Guide, see
http://metricationmatters.com/MetricationLeadersGuideInfo.html
Hear Pat speak at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lshRAPvPZY
PO Box 305 Belmont 3216,
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