Re: [boost] Interest in dimension/unit-checking library?

From: Deane Yang (deane_yang_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-10-20 12:58:50

Matt Calabrese wrote:
(discussion about implicit versus explicit conversion of units omitted)

It could be just me, but I'd like to be at least warned if I manage to 
write code that contained

quantity_in_inches + quantity_in_meters

or even

quantity_in_millimeters - quantity_in_kilometers

Both to me are signs that something went wrong.

And if I recall correctly that was the problem with some space mission 
that went wrong. I just don't think implicit conversion of units would 
have been the right fix for that problem.

Is it really sometimes necessary or desirable to write computation code 
that mixes different units for the same dimension? Is anyone patient and 
indulgent enough to explain to this naive mathematician why?