Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!ukc!icdoc!sot-ecs!spqr From: spqr@ecs.soton.ac.uk (Sebastian Rahtz) Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript Subject: Re: ruler.ps - an inch/point ruler of your very own Message-ID: Date: 22 Jan 90 08:12:57 GMT References: <21772@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU> <1990Jan14.180821.18711@trigraph.uucp> <17668@rpp386.cactus.org> <126@macuni.mqcc.mq.oz> Sender: spqr@ecs.soton.ac.uk Organization: Southampton University Computer Science Lines: 21 In-reply-to: ifarqhar@mqccsunc.mqcc.mq.OZ's message of 19 Jan 90 11:09:49 GMT >>>>> On 19 Jan 90 11:09:49 GMT, ifarqhar@mqccsunc.mqcc.mq.OZ (Ian Farquhar) said: >>I'm curious. What is the measurement name for the metric system, and what >>measure does it use. I stand corrected on the 72.3 vs 72.27 .. > It is called the millimetre, and is well defined in a totally > reproducable way (as a fraction of the distance light travels in one > second). is it merely my ignorance that makes me think the Napoleonic government invented the metre, and that it is a fraction of the circumference of the globe? did someone redefine it later in terms of the speed of light? > That is one of the many nice things about metric, it does not multiply > things unnecessarily. Okkam would have doubtless approved. Occam would not have approved of your spelling though. -- Sebastian Rahtz S.Rahtz@uk.ac.soton.ecs (JANET) Computer Science S.Rahtz@ecs.soton.ac.uk (Bitnet) Southampton S09 5NH, UK S.Rahtz@sot-ecs.uucp (uucp)