I don't know why you think that mol/L is SI while mg/dL is not, Paul.
The liter is outside the SI (but it is accepted for use with the SI) and
it appears in both expressions. The milligram is just as SI as is the
mole. And of course deci is a perfectly fine SI prefix.
The only basis I can see for your comment is that mg/dL uses prefixes in
both numerator and denominator. That does not make mg/dL non-SI; it
makes it a non-preferred construction of a derived unit.
By way of contrast, using dm3 in the numerator would be completely SI
constructions, though the denominators still suffer a prefix and values
previously given per deciliter would need to have their number values
rescaled.
I have no heartburn over either mg/dL or mol/L and I do not prefer one
over the other.
Jim
Paul Trusten wrote:
Even in the U.S., all medical laboratory work is done in metric units (I
wish I could say it was SI, but we in the U.S. corrupt SI in the medical
lab by using, for example, mg/dL instead of mol/L, and even in medical
laboratory education, there is a dichotomy described between U.S. and SI
measurements; ain't that awful? ) . The AP seems to leave alone the
metric units whose use has their origin in scientific work, hence the
liters of urine on their way to the lab. Betcha this is what the AP
style guide prescribes--don't f--k with science (grin) . Here, you see
that actual dividing line between "scientific" metric and everyday
metric. As supporters of U.S. metrication, we need to smash this
barrier, and make the metric system the genuinely preferred system of
run-of-the-mill U.S. measurement. Once more, 35 years after the fact, I
say, THANK YOU, SEVEN-UP! Still, I've got a lot of work to do (grin).
Paul
----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]>
Sent: 27 November, 2008 11:37
Subject: [USMA:42067] Water in Liters
I notice that the Associated Press reports that urine collected in the
Space Station is being purified and collected in one liter containers
for return to earth for testing. The AP did *no* conversion to older
units.
The Associated Press *can* retain original metric units in spite of
the AP Style Manual calling for adulteration.
Gene Mechtly
--
James R. Frysinger
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Doyle, TN 38559-3030
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