[time-nuts] Ultra low phase noise floor measurement system for RF devices.

[Rob Kimberley]

On the subject of measurement units, although in the UK we are officially
converted now, we like to keep our vehicle drivers on their toes, by having
road distances in miles and buying our fuel in litres! 

:-)

Rob Kimberley

-----Original Message-----
From: time-nuts-bounces at febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-bounces at febo.com] On
Behalf Of Magnus Danielson
Sent: 01 April 2007 03:26
To: time-nuts at febo.com; bruce.griffiths at xtra.co.nz
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Ultra low phase noise floor measurement system for
RF devices.

From: Dr Bruce Griffiths <bruce.griffiths at xtra.co.nz>
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Ultra low phase noise floor measurement system for
RF devices.
Date: Sun, 01 Apr 2007 12:24:39 +1200
Message-ID: <460EFBC7.6090409 at xtra.co.nz>

> SAIDJACK at aol.com wrote:
> > Hi Magnus,
> >  
> >  
> > BTW: here in the US they also like to measure things in fractions, 
> > and body part lengths for some unexplainable reason... Reasons I do 
> > hear are that SI is too "difficult" for the average Joe to 
> > comprehend, and replacing road signs costs too much.
> >  
> > Gotta get my 5/32 Fluid Ounce, 3-7/16 Inch Latte now :)

Say, that wouldn't be an ISO cup of coffie, now would it?
(yeah, they *DO* have a standard for that)

Oh, is that SI Inch or US Metric act Inch? There is about 2 ppm of
difference you know (we are time-nuts after all, right?). It was actually C
E Johansson that tricked the world into beleiving the Inch was 25.4 mm and
when they found out the US motor industry was running of Johanssons version
of the Inch and refused to change. A US survey feet runs of the US Metric
act Inch. And through which of the Inces do your 5/32 Fluid Ounces derive
from?
Interestingly enough, it was the british wine-salesmen that to the best of
our knowledge (or at least Don Knuths best knowledge) where the first to use
binary numbers.

> Said
> 
> Since the average person in the rest of the world copes with the 
> metric system without any difficulty, the first reason would appear to 
> be based on a tacit assumption that average US citizen is less 
> intelligent/less well educated than the average citizen of every other 
> country. This seems a somewhat arrogant/paternalistic assumption 
> unless the US in someway selects for low IQ and/or the US education 
> system is significantly less effective than the educaton systems of 
> every other country.

Interestingly enought, the US public understands metric a whole lot better
than the imperial units according to surveys. USMA has alot of info. NIST
too.

> The second reason is somewhat spurious, other countries have converted 
> from the imperial to the metric system without major difficulty or 
> expense. It wasn't even necessary to change all road signs overnight.

The EC countries are converging on this point, GB included!

I still wonder when Denmark will acknowledge UTC as their legal time. Their
current law (113 years of age and counting) indirectly (15 degrees longitude
and average sun time) says GMT + 1h. Not that it is part of SI, but a common
reference system of time should be.

Ah well.

Cheers,
Magnus

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