From: gisle@lunde.ii.uib.no (Gisle S�lensminde)
Subject: Re: Loss of Mars Climate Orbiter due to units of measurment conf
Date: 1999/10/25
Date: 1999-10-25T00:00:00+00:00 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <slrn81908d.34m.gisle@lunde.ii.uib.no> (raw)
In-Reply-To: 38147DBD.8214F32C@ftw.rsc.raytheon.com
In article <38147DBD.8214F32C@ftw.rsc.raytheon.com>, Wes Groleau wrote:
>
>> > Actually, you can't "choose" what units the fundamental constants
>> > are in. They are decided on by an international body and the method
>> > of measurement, the units used, the accuracy, etc are all part of
>> > the published value.
>> ..
>>
>> I wouldn�t quite say that. Fundamental constants like the gravitational
>> constant or the speed of light cannot be decided on and no one may
>> decide, how they are to be measured.
>
>Oh, yeah? The Indiana legislature once "decided" that Pi equals 3.0...
>(Or is that "urban legend"?)
Even worse. In according to an old Norwegian translation of Guinness
book of records, they decided it to be exactly equal 4.0 The record was
"the most unprecise estimate of pi". I don't have the book at hand now,
so I can't give further details.
--
Gisle S�lensminde ( gisle@ii.uib.no )
next prev parent reply other threads:[~1999-10-25 0:00 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 16+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
[not found] <rv9e4sle3i557@corp.supernews.com>
[not found] ` <37F52CB4.E9FEBB8F@cybercable.fr>
[not found] ` <7tatgc$evr$1@nnrp1.deja.com>
[not found] ` <37FCFDE7.C567DCCA@cybercable.fr>
[not found] ` <37FFFB38.5B73E46A@callnetuk.com>
[not found] ` <380194B0.791D726E@frqnet.de>
[not found] ` <38025b52@pull.gecm.com>
1999-10-12 0:00 ` Loss of Mars Climate Orbiter due to units of measurment conflicts Richard D Riehle
1999-10-12 0:00 ` Larry Kilgallen
[not found] ` <7t9tvd$9h3$1@netserv.univ-lille1.fr>
[not found] ` <1999Oct4.072511.1@eisner>
[not found] ` <2A02C30D72C8E6B4.DFCF46BA85758C97.B51FFEB632AE496F@lp.airnews.net>
1999-10-14 0:00 ` Wes Groleau
1999-10-14 0:00 ` Fraser Wilson
1999-10-21 0:00 ` Ehud Lamm
1999-10-21 0:00 ` Wes Groleau
1999-10-21 0:00 ` Ehud Lamm
1999-10-21 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1999-10-22 0:00 ` Ehud Lamm
1999-10-24 0:00 ` Robert B. Love
1999-10-25 0:00 ` Loss of Mars Climate Orbiter due to units of measurment conf Wilhelm Spickermann
1999-10-25 0:00 ` Wes Groleau
1999-10-25 0:00 ` Gisle S�lensminde [this message]
1999-10-25 0:00 ` Keith Thompson
1999-10-25 0:00 ` Bryce Bardin
1999-10-25 0:00 ` Loss of Mars Climate Orbiter due to units of measurment conflicts Wes Groleau
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