ROUND 2:Poll: Worst Unit of Measurement

[DoomYoshi]

Give me some candidates, I will put up a poll soon.

I nominate BTU.

[Woodruff]

Give me some candidates, I will put up a poll soon.

I nominate BTU.

I nominate the parsec - 3.26 light years? Why 3.26? Why not 3.25? Why not just 3?

[notyou2]

When driving distances are given in beers.

[AndyDufresne]

"Banana equivalent dose"

A banana equivalent dose (abbreviated BED) is a nonstandard unit of radiation exposure, defined as the additional dose a person will absorb from eating one banana.

The concept is based on the fact that bananas, like most organic material, naturally contain a certain amount of radioactive isotopes—even in the absence of any contamination due to human nuclear endeavors. The banana equivalent dose was meant to express the severity of exposure to radiation, such as resulting from nuclear power, nuclear weapons or medical procedures, in terms that would make sense to most people.

--Andy

[Metsfanmax]

Give me some candidates, I will put up a poll soon.

I nominate BTU.

I nominate the parsec - 3.26 light years? Why 3.26? Why not 3.25? Why not just 3?

The parsec is not defined as 3.26 light-years, it just happens to be equivalent to that. It comes from the fact that a parallax shift of one second of arc, using a baseline of the Earth's orbital separation from the Sun, corresponds to a physical linear distance equal to about 3.26 light years. In simpler terms, if an object appears to move 2/3600 degrees across the sky if you compare now and six months from now, it is at a distance of one parsec.

[Woodruff]

Give me some candidates, I will put up a poll soon.

I nominate BTU.

I nominate the parsec - 3.26 light years? Why 3.26? Why not 3.25? Why not just 3?

The parsec is not defined as 3.26 light-years, it just happens to be equivalent to that. It comes from the fact that a parallax shift of one second of arc, using a baseline of the Earth's orbital separation from the Sun, corresponds to a physical linear distance equal to about 3.26 light years. In simpler terms, if an object appears to move 2/3600 degrees across the sky if you compare now and six months from now, it is at a distance of one parsec.

True enough, yet I still find it frustratingly detailed. <grin>

(Also, I thought I was sort of making a joke.)

[Dukasaur]

Give me some candidates, I will put up a poll soon.

I nominate BTU.

I nominate the parsec - 3.26 light years? Why 3.26? Why not 3.25? Why not just 3?

The parsec is not defined as 3.26 light-years, it just happens to be equivalent to that. It comes from the fact that a parallax shift of one second of arc, using a baseline of the Earth's orbital separation from the Sun, corresponds to a physical linear distance equal to about 3.26 light years. In simpler terms, if an object appears to move 2/3600 degrees across the sky if you compare now and six months from now, it is at a distance of one parsec.

True enough, yet I still find it frustratingly detailed. <grin>

(Also, I thought I was sort of making a joke.)

I think you should be stripped of your Starfleet commission for not knowing that.

At the very least.

Maybe even imprisoned on Rura Penthe.

[Dukasaur]

In other news, I nominate the ounce. It's had a thousand years to decide if it wants to be a measure of weight or volume, and still hasn't managed to make up its mind. Furthermore, even on days that it wants to be a measure of weight, it can't decide if it wants to be 1/16th of a pound (avoirdupois oz.) or 1/12 of a pound (apothecary's oz.).

[Serbia]

Polls.

Bollocks.

[Lootifer]

The use of "Calorie" when in fact one should actually be using kilocalorie (seriously calorie actually refers to both 4.184 joules and 4184 joules!)

[BigBallinStalin]

Aggregate prices (GDP) and unemployment figures.

They're frequently used irresponsibly in order to promote poor policies which affect pretty much everyone on the planet.

[nietzsche]

Give me some candidates, I will put up a poll soon.

I nominate BTU.

I nominate the parsec - 3.26 light years? Why 3.26? Why not 3.25? Why not just 3?

The parsec is not defined as 3.26 light-years, it just happens to be equivalent to that. It comes from the fact that a parallax shift of one second of arc, using a baseline of the Earth's orbital separation from the Sun, corresponds to a physical linear distance equal to about 3.26 light years. In simpler terms, if an object appears to move 2/3600 degrees across the sky if you compare now and six months from now, it is at a distance of one parsec.

NERD ALERT!!

[MegaProphet]

I'll nominate the barleycorn, unless I can nominate the entire imperial system

[Woodruff]

Give me some candidates, I will put up a poll soon.

I nominate BTU.

I nominate the parsec - 3.26 light years? Why 3.26? Why not 3.25? Why not just 3?

The parsec is not defined as 3.26 light-years, it just happens to be equivalent to that. It comes from the fact that a parallax shift of one second of arc, using a baseline of the Earth's orbital separation from the Sun, corresponds to a physical linear distance equal to about 3.26 light years. In simpler terms, if an object appears to move 2/3600 degrees across the sky if you compare now and six months from now, it is at a distance of one parsec.

True enough, yet I still find it frustratingly detailed. <grin>

(Also, I thought I was sort of making a joke.)

I think you should be stripped of your Starfleet commission for not knowing that.
At the very least.
Maybe even imprisoned on Rura Penthe.

Indeed. Spock would be sorely disappointed.

Actually, I teach it. We're studying the exploration of space this semester.

[Woodruff]

I'll nominate the barleycorn, unless I can nominate the entire imperial system

I did not know that "barleycorn" was a measurement. Of crops, I presume?

[Woodruff]

NERD ALERT!!

In my house, the term "nerd" is a compliment, mister!

[Falkomagno]

In Colombia, we have the most stupid volume/weight unit: Yipao. 1 Yipao is the amount of load in a full jeep (in spanish, jeep can be said as "Yip"):

[saxitoxin]

poronkusema – (approximately 7.5 km) the distance a reindeer can travel before needing to stop to urinate

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_ ... easurement

[saxitoxin]

In Colombia, we have the most stupid volume/weight unit: Yipao. 1 Yipao is the amount of load in a full jeep (in spanish, jeep can be said as "Yip"):

between the sex with farm animals thing, and now this, I pretty much think Colombia is just the Arkansas of South America, except with hotter women

[Haggis_McMutton]

I'll nominate the barleycorn, unless I can nominate the entire imperial system

I did not know that "barleycorn" was a measurement. Of crops, I presume?

[Haggis_McMutton]

Also, I put forward the system of measurement proposed by the legendary Donald Knuth(also known in these forums for his appearance in the "Serial killer or computer programmer" thread) in his first published paper.

Knuth published his first "scientific" article in a school magazine in 1957 under the title "Potrzebie System of Weights and Measures." In it, he defined the fundamental unit of length as the thickness of Mad #26, and named the fundamental unit of force "whatmeworry." Mad published the article in issue #33 (June 1957).

[2dimes]

In Colombia, we have the most stupid volume/weight unit: Yipao. 1 Yipao is the amount of load in a full jeep (in spanish, jeep can be said as "Yip"):

between the sex with farm animals thing, and now this, I pretty much think Colombia is just the Arkansas of South America, except with hotter women

What do those huge sacks of coke weigh in pounds or kilograms?

[Metsfanmax]

I've never particularly liked the candela.

[notyou2]

Anthour

[Dukasaur]

Anthour

DId you just make that up? A search finds no matches.