Re: [boost] [review] pqs

From: Paul Giaccone (paulg_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-06-08 05:31:54

Andy Little wrote:
>> "Deane Yang" wrote
>> Carlo Wood wrote:
>>     
>>>  English: meter per second
>>> Dutch: meter per seconde
>>> French: mtres par seconde
>>> German: meter pro sekunde
>>> Spanish: metro por segundo
>>>
>>> I think that 'per' is as much english as 'divided by'.
>>> People who know english won't be confused by it.
>>>       
There's no question that it can only be "per". Using "div" suggests that 
a mathematical division is being done when it is not - it is no more 
possible to divide a metre by a second than it is to divide an apple by 
an orange. "Per", meaning "for each", is the term used in scientific 
terminology, and so that it the term that should be used, if any.

What other languages use is somewhat of a red herring. If you want to 
incorporate localisation, great, use the equivalent of "per" in your 
local language, but for the English version, don't worry about what the 
non-English-speaking world uses. "Per" is scientific and "div" is 
mathematical, so stick with the former only.

Paul