[Info-vax] Why is starting epoch 17 Nov 1858?

[Dave Froble]

On 3/11/2021 11:45 AM, Phillip Helbig (undress to reply) wrote:
> In article <s2de9m$hrd$1 at dont-email.me>, Dave Froble
> <davef at tsoft-inc.com> writes:
>
>> There is a major difference..  The Gregorian calendar is somewhat more
>> accurate.  The metric measurement system is no more accurate.
>
> True.
>
>> Your argument is the same as "French is a better language than English,
>> stop using English".
>
> False.

How do you declare something "false" and expect to be the final 
authority on that?

>> It is an opinion.  I understand English, I do not
>> understand or speak French.  I understand the English measurement
>> system, I know how long an inch is without having to think about it.  If
>> someone tells me an object is 2 inches in length, I know about what that
>> is.  If someone tells me an object is 5 centimeters in length, I really
>> have to think about that for a while.
>>
>> Why am I irrational if I choose to use something I'm familiar with?
>
> It's not irrational, but consider other issues.
>
> First, without looking it up, explain the what a BTU is.

It's been a while, but I seem to recall it is the amount of heat 
required to raise an amount, I forget the amount, of water one degree 
Fahrenheit.  I could look it up, but why bother.

What I do seem to have some feeling for is sizing furnaces, and how many 
BTUs should be used for a specified area, say, 2000 sq ft.

Oh, darn, there I go again, using those damn imperial measurements.  The 
thing is, I can function with them.  I have no idea what 2000 sq ft 
comes out to in millimeters, centimeters, meters, or whatever.

I can function with what I know.  I cannot do so well with what I do not 
know.  Why can't I just use what works?  It's not broke, why fix it?

As a point of curiosity, what measurements does the rest of the planet 
use for sizing furnaces?

> Due to being based on factors of 10, various units have clearer
> relations to one another and are easier to calculate.

If using slide rules, yes, if using computers which can do whatever 
calculations are required, not so much.

> Most of the world uses it, so it facilitates trade.
>
> Science is based on it.

Some scientists may use it, but science is not based upon some numeric 
scheme.  That claim is beyond absurd.

Do you imagine the universe in general gives a damn about your base 10 
numeric system?  Not even the computer you're using does so.


-- 
David Froble                       Tel: 724-529-0450
Dave Froble Enterprises, Inc.      E-Mail: davef at tsoft-inc.com
DFE Ultralights, Inc.
170 Grimplin Road
Vanderbilt, PA  15486