Re: [boost] Re: Re: Re: Dimensional Analysis

From: Phil Richards (news_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-01-30 09:22:06

On 2005-01-30, Andy Little <andy_at_[hidden]> wrote:
>  "Phil Richards" <news_at_[hidden]> wrote in message
>  news:20050129141037.DE6D0E305_at_derisoft.derived-software.demon.co.uk...
[wrt dimensional analysis being independent from units]
> > Indeed it does.  I use one every day... we don't care about unit
> > conversions because we don't do any.
>  I would hope that a general purpose physical quantities lib would deal with
>  units, even if you dont use anything but the base units. The Mars lander
>  crash and all that. IOW you need to be explicit about what units you are
>  using.

Yes, but I think what is being raised is that a "physical quantities
library" and a "dimensional analysis library" don't have to be the same
thing.  The latter is a much simpler proposition, and, for many people
is all that they want.

It's all we need because *all* our interfaces to the outside world are
defined entirely in terms of SI units.  We make unit conversion an SEP[*].

(Yes, there is an optional bolt-on that supports unit conversion,
but we don't need to use it so we don't.)

phil

[*] somebody else's problem
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