Comments on: On the Importance of Units http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/05/20/on-the-importance-of-units/ Random samplings from a universe of ideas. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:52:54 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Filbert http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/05/20/on-the-importance-of-units/comment-page-1/#comment-80987 Filbert Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:07:39 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/05/20/on-the-importance-of-units/#comment-80987 It pains me to say this, but you can write this same summation in your typical mainstream programming language -- without any compiler warnings, much less errors -- with frightful ease. This is upside down. What SHOULD be easy is programming the units consistently. What SHOULD be hard is programming them inconsistently. Know of any programming language that provides this beneficial characteristic? It pains me to say this, but you can write this same summation in your typical mainstream programming language — without any compiler warnings, much less errors — with frightful ease.

This is upside down. What SHOULD be easy is programming the units consistently. What SHOULD be hard is programming them inconsistently.

Know of any programming language that provides this beneficial characteristic?

]]> By: Martin E. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/05/20/on-the-importance-of-units/comment-page-1/#comment-77302 Martin E. Fri, 29 May 2009 22:54:47 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/05/20/on-the-importance-of-units/#comment-77302 Not so fast! There are well known indices that add together measure with different units. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misery_Index_(economic)" rel="nofollow"> misery index </a> is the sum of unemployment rate and inflation rate. OK, being percentages you can say they don't really have units, but still they conflate 'people out of a job' with 'value of a dollar', which clearly have different units, and get something meaningful. We physicists are such purists! Not so fast! There are well known indices that add together measure with different units. The misery index is the sum of unemployment rate and inflation rate. OK, being percentages you can say they don’t really have units, but still they conflate ‘people out of a job’ with ‘value of a dollar’, which clearly have different units, and get something meaningful. We physicists are such purists!

]]> By: Ross Presser http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/05/20/on-the-importance-of-units/comment-page-1/#comment-77298 Ross Presser Fri, 29 May 2009 21:17:21 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/05/20/on-the-importance-of-units/#comment-77298 @ Armadillo: Yes there is. Here's the <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Perkins+Road,+New+Cuyama,+CA&sll=34.973223,-119.723811&sspn=0.029258,0.049267&ie=UTF8&ll=34.948705,-119.691646&spn=0.003658,0.006158&z=18&layer=c&cbll=34.948757,-119.691795&panoid=5i7HXWDOg4CgyoVIDOrS3A&cbp=12,172.63,,2,5.31" rel="nofollow">link</a>. @ Armadillo: Yes there is. Here’s the link.

]]> By: Christina Viering http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/05/20/on-the-importance-of-units/comment-page-1/#comment-77141 Christina Viering Thu, 28 May 2009 12:55:58 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/05/20/on-the-importance-of-units/#comment-77141 I have never seen a sign like this. I have never seen a sign like this.

]]> By: Armadillo http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/05/20/on-the-importance-of-units/comment-page-1/#comment-77093 Armadillo Wed, 27 May 2009 19:32:10 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/05/20/on-the-importance-of-units/#comment-77093 Infoket: There is no street view for the intersection of Rt 166 and Perkins Road in New Cuyama, CA, unless my computer or internet or something is faulty and just doesn't show it for some reason. Infoket:
There is no street view for the intersection of Rt 166 and Perkins Road in New Cuyama, CA, unless my computer or internet or something is faulty and just doesn’t show it for some reason.

]]> By: Infoket http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/05/20/on-the-importance-of-units/comment-page-1/#comment-76756 Infoket Sun, 24 May 2009 00:29:16 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/05/20/on-the-importance-of-units/#comment-76756 I was curious about whether this was fake or not as well. Luckily, the all all-knowing Google has the answer. The Street-view with Google maps has at one awe-inspiring moment both been beneficial and a bit creepy. However, at the intersection of Rt. 166 and Perkins Road in New Cuyama, CA, you can use Streetview in Google maps to actually see the sign for yourself. Amazing, creepy and sad all at once. I was curious about whether this was fake or not as well. Luckily, the all all-knowing Google has the answer. The Street-view with Google maps has at one awe-inspiring moment both been beneficial and a bit creepy. However, at the intersection of Rt. 166 and Perkins Road in New Cuyama, CA, you can use Streetview in Google maps to actually see the sign for yourself. Amazing, creepy and sad all at once.

]]> By: Zeno http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/05/20/on-the-importance-of-units/comment-page-1/#comment-76536 Zeno Fri, 22 May 2009 01:50:30 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/05/20/on-the-importance-of-units/#comment-76536 I see it as both a clever joke and a kind of test. People who don't get the joke either (a) have no clue about units and must never be allowed to compute mission-critical numbers or (b) assume too quickly that the people responsible for the sign are just morons rather than entertaining pranksters. I see it as both a clever joke and a kind of test. People who don’t get the joke either (a) have no clue about units and must never be allowed to compute mission-critical numbers or (b) assume too quickly that the people responsible for the sign are just morons rather than entertaining pranksters.

]]> By: Count Iblis http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/05/20/on-the-importance-of-units/comment-page-1/#comment-76501 Count Iblis Thu, 21 May 2009 15:46:40 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/05/20/on-the-importance-of-units/#comment-76501 Many physics textbooks actually suffer from the opposite problem, <a href="http://insti.physics.sunysb.edu/~siegel/history.html" rel="nofollow">see here:</a> <blockquote>The introductory chapter of the book includes a discussion of units, but nowhere is mentioned the fact that the whole point of units is that you can choose whatever units are most convenient, such as using the (reduced) mass of the electron as a unit of mass in atomic physics. </blockquote> Many physics textbooks actually suffer from the opposite problem, see here:

The introductory chapter of the book includes a discussion of units, but nowhere is mentioned the fact that the whole point of units is that you can choose whatever units are most convenient, such as using the (reduced) mass of the electron as a unit of mass in atomic physics.

]]> By: Unidades « O Telhado de Vidro http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/05/20/on-the-importance-of-units/comment-page-1/#comment-76496 Unidades « O Telhado de Vidro Thu, 21 May 2009 14:28:12 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/05/20/on-the-importance-of-units/#comment-76496 [...] ao Cosmic Variance e ao Fail [...] [...] ao Cosmic Variance e ao Fail [...]

]]> By: Metre http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/05/20/on-the-importance-of-units/comment-page-1/#comment-76487 Metre Thu, 21 May 2009 12:30:33 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/05/20/on-the-importance-of-units/#comment-76487 @Sven Yes, Sven, I know ... @Sven

Yes, Sven, I know …

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