Re: Ada 9X Doc v5.99

[ncohen@watson.ibm.com (Norman H. Cohen)]

In article <3gk7tl$d7h@infomatch.com>, celier@infomatch.com (celier) writes: 

|> The grade (100 grade in one right angle instead of 90 degrees) was an
|> attempt to be more "decimal" in angles but it failed miserably. It had
|> the advantage that one centigrade of latitude was exactly oe kilometre
|> (well, on the average).
|>
|> Trying to get rid of the values of the degree, the hour or the minute
|> is as difficult as to get rid of the base 10, which in fact is not a
|> "rational" base.

Shortly after the French Revolution, France did try to decimalize time: 
20 "decimal hours" in a day (ten a.m. hours and ten p.m. hours, each
equal to 1.2 conventional hours), 100 "decimal minutes" (each equal to
0.72 conventional minutes, or 43.2 seconds) in a decimal hour, 100 parts
(each equal to 0.432 seconds) in a decimal minute.  There were even
clocks built for this system.

|> The "rational" base should be 11 or 12: 11 if you want to minimize the
|> divisors of the base, 12 if you want to maximize them. 8 is too small
|> and 16 is too high. Of course, we will never change the number base 10.

The English system of liquid measures is based on powers of two:  Eight
ounces in a cup, two cups in a pint, two pints in a quart, four quarts in
a gallon.

(I guess this was so that the Brewer Royal could implement conversion
between units as left and right shifts. :-) )

--
Norman H. Cohen    ncohen@watson.ibm.com