Brij, I simply do not see where I ridiculed you. I have never personally attacked you (ad hominem). I just disagree with you as the changes you propose in SI go much too far to me. SI would probably collapse if we undertook such changes at present and ifp would emerge as the winner. The founders of the metric system deliberately abandoned the principle of divisibility as they wanted to build a coherent system of units, based on a number system, 10 in this case. It IS true that the opposition's main objection to the metric system is that is not based on divisibility. If you object to the terms of 'illiterary' or 'innumeracy' I used in that message, this was NOT targeted at you, but it was about the fact that most people in the 19th century and the era before that were innumerate and illiterate. They were not able to use a number system and therefore had to divide everything, in most cases by 2 and powers of 2 and also by 3 and 12 now and then.
Regards, Han ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brij Bhushan Vij" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, 2002-08-10 21:18 Subject: [USMA:21650] Re: Proposal For World Calendar > Is the proposal sent to USMA not good enough or my published documents in sufficient to display what I have been saying (or some may say HARPING) all these THIRTY years. Well, I may be considered NO BODY but I mean things and challenging too. Please examine: WHERE excatlt I have erred, so I can try and improvise. Just rediculing me does not make me deter or refrain from expressing *What I feel is right*! Regards, Brij Bhushan Vij <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > >From: "Han Maenen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Subject: [USMA:21646] Re: Proposal For World Calendar > >Date: Sat, 10 Aug 2002 11:14:17 +0200 > > > >This is the same accusation our ifp friends make time after time against the metric system. Just go to their websites and see. This concept of divisibility is outdated, it belongs to the Middle Ages and the Ancien Regime when most people were illiterate and innumerate and had to divide by two etc. But it is still possible to divide a meter, a kilogram and a liter by 2 and 4 and get rational numbers. > > > >Han > > > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: "Ma Be" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Sent: Friday, 2002-08-09 23:46 > >Subject: [USMA:21612] Re: Proposal For World Calendar > > > > > > > On Fri, 09 Aug 2002 16:27:48 > > > Brij Bhushan Vij wrote: > > > >Hi All: > > > > Unfortunately the metric system suffers from the disadvantage that it > >is not rationally divible by most numbers - a mandatory requirement of the > >human mind (for ease) in knowing the excat position of planetary bodies > >*for > >astronomy and mathematics*. > > > > > > ? First of all, why would this be such a strong requirement? I beg to > >disagree! The base system for counting is *the foundation* of our > >civilization! Changing that would require much more than a monumental > >task. > >It would mean changing the very fabric of our doing math itself. Please > >don't go there! > > > > > > > This is an area that most fortune tellers befool > > > >the common humans who are desire to know :What lies in store of their > >FUTURE! > > > > > > And to me these folks (astrologers, fortune-tellers) are just deceptive > >people who prey on people's naivete to make money on them! I don't want to > >offend anyone by my comment above, but I have absolutely no sympathy for > >these kinds of things. If people paid more attention to simple statistics > >(just to name one way of unveiling the truth on this!) they would find for > >themselves what these quacks really are! > > > > > > > This is where the NUMBER 60 prevailed all along (of being its > >divisibility > > > >by 2,3,4,5,6,10,12,15,20,and 30. This cannot be achieved by 10 or 100 > >or > > > >1000 etc. > > > > > > ? So what if 100 is not divisible by that many factors?!! The question > >is, is such "advantage" crucial/paramount? My answer would be no! This > >coupled with more important requirements would make me a strong defender of > >getting rid of it (24-60-60 model). > > > > > > > Will the deo-decimal proposal some parties advocate hold this? > > > >But, first the system has to be worked and proved *so the status quo or > >NO > > > >CHANGE* attitude! > > > > > > Change for change, with all due respect, is somewhat of an idiocy. I'm > >always ready to welcome change though, BUT when I can clearly see its > >benefits, that pros significantly outweighing the cons, for starters... > > > > > > > As far the 24-hour scheme, it has prevailed for ages (again because > >of > >its > > > >excat divisiblity by 2,3,4,6,8,12. > > > > > > Perhaps. However, I'd like to believe that it survived mostly due to > >the > >ill-advised desire of the proponents of decimal time at the time to change > >other factors, like the 7-day weekly cycle. I still sustain that had they > >NOT tried to change this specific aspect and their quest would have > >ultimately been successful. > > > > > > > Decimalisation of the HOUR *hereon* will > > > >not make much impact on humans or astologers/astronomers or the > > > >mathematicians; especially when the tying is linked with the similar > > > >division of the DEGREE i.e. the HOUR-ANGLE. > > > > > > I honestly see no reason why mathematicians and astronomers could not > >embrace a decimal time construct. The resistance appears to come mostly > >from cartographers and navigators who apparently never showed any interest > >in cooperating with fixing the flaws of their own models. > > > > > > Now, there are effective proposals to address the specific issue of > >angle > >measurements. The question is whether there would be enough support to > >carry any of them through. > > > > > > > This is where the need to > > > >increase the length UNIT *metre* by the factor 1.11194886884 times the > >metre > > > >we use. > > > > > > I honestly couldn't see *anywhere* why there would be a *necessity* for > >this change, Brij! The "grid" in which the earth is "divided up" considers > >a specific *average* size for a spherical diameter for the earth. We can > >always adjust such to our convenience. > > > > > > > My paper The Metric Second (1973 April) amply demosntrated THIS. More > >so, > > > >I had tried to give (at page 157)worked results for using *velocity of > > > >light* as a measure for TIME. > > > > I wish some one took a serious note of what I had done or am trying > >to > > > >propose. > > > > > > Sigh... And I'll repeat here what I've been saying all along, Brij. > >Please, submit a proposal, a model, whatever that is **technically in > >line** > >with the SI framework and we'd gladly consider getting into the more > >technical stuff. But until such a proposal fulfills some simple > >requirements like being easy, practical, etc, such exercise would be moot. > > > > > > Marcus > > > > > > >Brij Bhushan Vij<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > > > > > > > > >>From: M R <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > >>Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > >>To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > >>Subject: [USMA:21602] Fwd: Re: Proposal For World Calendar > > > >>Date: Fri, 9 Aug 2002 05:48:28 -0700 (PDT) > > > >> > > > >>The reason for using decimal system is the simplicity > > > >>of + , - , * and /. > > > >> > > > >>30 + 10 = 40 (just add 1 # to the left digit) > > > >>50 - 10 = 40 (subtract 1 # from left digit) > > > >>40 * 10 = 400 (add another 0) > > > >>5000 / 10 = 500 (remove a 0) > > > >> > > > >>Its mostly a matter adding and removing 0. > > > >>This simplicity cannot be found in any other # system. > > > >> > > > >>Madan > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >>--- "Joseph B. Reid" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > >> > Date: Wed, 7 Aug 2002 20:57:35 -0400 > > > >> > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > >> > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Joseph B. Reid) > > > >> > Subject: [USMA:21568] Re: Proposal For World > > > >> > Calendar > > > >> > > > > >> > Brij Bhushan Vij and Marcus Berger have proposed > > > >> > several iconoclastic > > > >> > improvements to the metric system. They don't go far > > > >> > enough. First we > > > >> > should reform the number system, and then build a > > > >> > new metric system on that > > > >> > foundation. > > > >> > I have a set of tables, "Duodecimal Arithmetic" > > > >> > (radix twelve) by George S. > > > >> > Terry, published in 1938 by Longmans, Green. It > > > >> > contains 407 pages of > > > >> > mathematical tables of factors, fractions, > > > >> > factorials, reciprocal > > > >> > factorials, powers, reciprocal powers, squares, > > > >> > cubes, square roots, cube > > > >> > roots, reciprocals, trignometrical functions of > > > >> > common angles, conversion > > > >> > of angles, conversion of time, sin, cos, tan, n cot > > > >> > n, logarithms, log > > > >> > trignometric functions, napierian logarithms, log > > > >> > sin, log cos, log tan in > > > >> > radians, exponential, sine and cosine integrals, > > > >> > factorial function, > > > >> > digamma function, Bessel functions, interpolation > > > >> > coefficients. > > > >> > > > > >> > Truly a labor of love, It was achieved BC (before > > > >> > computers) using a > > > >> > modified Munroe calculator that used parts from > > > >> > Munroe sterling > > > >> > calculators. > > > >> > > > > >> > Joseph B.Reid > > > >> > 17 Glebe Road West > > > >> > Toronto M5P 1C8 Tel. 416 486-6071 > > > >> > > > > >> > > > >> > > > >>__________________________________________________ > > > >>Do You Yahoo!? > > > >>HotJobs - Search Thousands of New Jobs > > > >>http://www.hotjobs.com > > > >> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >_________________________________________________________________ > > > >Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Is your boss reading your email? ....Probably > > > Keep your messages private by using Lycos Mail. > > > Sign up today at http://mail.lycos.com > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Join the world's largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. > http://www.hotmail.com > > >
