Subject:
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Re: [rtlToronto] rtlToronto21 Tentative Ruleset Published
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto
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Date:
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Wed, 29 Mar 2006 15:28:56 GMT
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Viewed:
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798 times
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In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Chris Magno wrote (a while back):
> but it can not be more then 1 lb. (.453KG)...
>
> ...Can you not SEE the DECIMAL POINT before
> the 453???(5)
Actually, this is exactly the reason I had it drilled into my head all
through undergrad that you never write a number like ".453"; instead, you always
include a leading zero, so that if the decimal point is missed (or misscopied)
the number is still distinguishable: "0.453". Hehe, I always wondered when that
gem would come in handy... it appears it only took about 18 years. I can hardly
wait for the rest of my education to become useful (1).
> Um, what kind of back street CRACK (1) are you on?
This is the USA - we don't have a drug problem, we just *like* all our
previously over-the-counter cold medications locked behind a counter. Heck, my
Zyrtec (2) is now a "controled substance".
> Iain, ~NOW~ do you see why we have to talk in imperial measurements???
Hey, no arguments from this American. I still can't understand why you guys
don't actually do it *right* and get rid of that stupid Celsius/Centigrade
system. Move to a much less confusing, rational system for once - Kelvin (3).
> clearly the metric system with all its division by 10's
> is confusing to Americans.
It certainly is for my students. Although hopefully they do not represent the
average. I took them through log-log graphs the other day, and only got some
glazed stares, so there's hope.
> 4. Wasn't there some big screw up about a satellite not launching,
> or some rocket ship being blown up cause of some Metric/Imperial
> screw up?
Mars Climate Orbiter. 125 million because a contractor engineer used english
units, while JPL was using metric (OK, let's *really* be retentive, SI, not
metric). Stupid stupid stupid... Although in many ways not as stupid as rocket
scientists still using impulse in seconds (4).
Gee, are we off-topic? Checking headers... no, I'm in Toronto, all is well.
(1) Remember kids, get an education that pays something in addition to being
something you love (5). "Mamas, don't let your babies grow up, to be
physicists..."
(2) It's an allergy medication. Really. Get your minds out of the gutter.
(3) And don't even get me started on Rankine. Ugh.
(4) Although it could be worse. Cosmologist use a unit system where h-bar = c =
1, which is even more painful, but at least logical.
(5) Although if I had to do it again, I would still get the physics degree.
(6) This footnote intentially left blank (7)
(7) Or not.
--
Brian Davis
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