Re: [boost] [units] Crazy idea/question

From: Noah Roberts (roberts.noah_at_[hidden])
Date: 2007-02-19 11:40:30

Matthias Schabel wrote:

> The point is that the  
> calculation
> needs to be congruent with the unit system that the constant k is  
> defined in...

Thus my desire for the xxx * unit that would convert k from the units it 
is written in to the unit system being used.  There are times when you 
won't want to do this if precision is an issue but in the main, if 
there's a conversion somewhere to get into the units used by this EQ and 
out, you're loosing precision anyway.

I wonder, have you read "Object-oriented units of measurement" by Allen 
et al?

> 
>> I think in another post you yourself indicate how these
>> defined-by-convention "systems" of units used by physicists cause some
>> awkwardness, because a system might not define the units for  
>> momentum to
>> be equal to the units of mass times the units of distance divided  
>> by the
>> units of time, creating the need for extra conversions.
> 
> I don't understand what you're getting at here...

IE, gallons for volume.  There are different definitions of gallon, some 
  relate to L^3, some do not.  There are other units in some dimensions 
that are not derived from any component dimension's units.