(Poll) Metric or Imperial

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Ahem, if you are a scientist you are required to use SI units and the equations are attuned to that.

A Newton (N) equates to kg, metres and seconds as you say - which conversely allows you to directly relate this to Newton's 2nd Law (F=ma). Putting in imperial equivalents might get you so far, but when other equations are then based upon these relationships (like, for example, the relationship between Voltage or Tesla and Force), you start to get problems. There is a whole web of interconnected physical equations that operate on standardised units. Moreover, the moment you deviate from SI measurements the more likely you are to make mistakes in interpretations. It also makes it increasingly difficult to use scientific notation for very large or small numbers respectively.

Oh, don't get me wrong -- I'm not arguing that it isn't both easier and more efficient to use SI than alternatives, and certainly I prefer SI units where possible. I've never had NIST or the OIML come down to some of the government programs I've worked on which used English units and insist we start measuring velocities in m/s instead of ft/s or pressures in kPa instead of lb/ft^2, though.

The point is that nature doesn't recognize units; equations are dimensionless, and you can run your calculations in whatever internally consistent measurement system you choose to use, particularly since the majority of SI units are derived units from a small number of base units (including Volts, Teslas, and Newtons that you reference). Whether you should is an exercise left to the reader.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Yes I have heard of them, and again the point is that scientists (as in they want to publish a scientific report) are required to use SI measurements.

That depends on the report they are publishing and for what audience. I have access to reams of recently published ballistics research done in English units, but it's not shared with the general public. "Scientist" is a pretty broadly generic term in this sense.

 

[Nikosandros]

Yes I have heard of them, and again the point is that scientists (as in they want to publish a scientific report) are required to use SI measurements.

Not true. GGS is now no longer used, but it was very common until a few decades ago. On the other hand, atomic units are widely used in scientific literature and papers.

 

[TrippyHippy]

Not true. GGS is now no longer used, but it was very common until a few decades ago. On the other hand, atomic units are widely used in scientific literature and papers.

You may have got away with Imperial measurements 50 years ago, but that was then and this is now. Resultant scientific conferences have standardised agreed S.I. measurements and other factors (like, for example the declassifying of Pluto as a planet or the scientific spelling of 'Sulfur' as opposed to the English spelling 'Sulphur").

You'll note that S.I. means 'Systeme International' which is not synonimous with 'Metric' per se (it uses specific metric units only, eg kg not g), but means the agreed international system of measurement. It also includes standardised notation of numbers, the use of significant figures, and terms like "Mega" and "Giga".

 

[TrippyHippy]

That depends on the report they are publishing and for what audience. I have access to reams of recently published ballistics research done in English units, but it's not shared with the general public. "Scientist" is a pretty broadly generic term in this sense.

If you are at an academic instititution and want to get a paper published, one of the first things you'll be asked to do in your draft is convert all measurements to S.I.. That is standardised for every academic institution in the world.

The only groups that may still use imperial is occasional private (usually American) businesses, which academic researchers may deal with to provide equipment, primarily. The academics would still have to convert Imperial measurement to S.I. when they publish their papers for peer review.

 

[TrippyHippy]

I've never had NIST or the OIML come down to some of the government programs I've worked on which used English units and insist we start measuring velocities in m/s instead of ft/s or pressures in kPa instead of lb/ft^2, though.

I'm referring to scientific academia, not governments. The USA is notable for being one of the only national governments in the world that still use Imperial measurements as standards (and pretty much the only industrialised nation). Their scientific academic institutions, on the other hand, would be working on an international basis.

The point is that nature doesn't recognize units; equations are dimensionless, and you can run your calculations in whatever internally consistent measurement system you choose to use, particularly since the majority of SI units are derived units from a small number of base units (including Volts, Teslas, and Newtons that you reference). Whether you should is an exercise left to the reader.

Obviously measurements are a human construct, but the universally accepted language of scientific institutions is S.I.

 

[Nikosandros]

You may have got away with Imperial measurements 50 years ago, but that was then and this is now. Resultant scientific conferences have standardised agreed S.I. measurements and other factors (like, for example the declassifying of Pluto as a planet or the scientific spelling of 'Sulfur' as opposed to the English spelling 'Sulphur").

You'll note that S.I. means 'Systeme International' which is not synonimous with 'Metric' per se (it uses specific metric units only, eg kg not g), but means the agreed international system of measurement. It also includes standardised notation of numbers, the use of significant figures, and terms like "Mega" and "Giga".

Atomic units are not Imperial units and neither are they SI. I can assure you that they are used in peer reviewed Physics papers and in modern scientific texts.

 

[TrippyHippy]

Atomic units are not Imperial units and neither are they SI. I can assure you that they are used in peer reviewed Physics papers and in modern scientific texts.

As I said before, I know what they are. They will still be required to use S.I. units in conjunction with them within those papers.

 

[Nikosandros]

As I said before, I know what they are. They will still be required to use S.I. units in conjunction with them within those papers.

Well, this is simply untrue. There are tons of papers in which they are just used on their own. I was just recently looking at a paper published in the Journal of Chemical Physics in which the energy levels are expressed in hartrees. eV and cm^(-1) are also widely used in literature as units of energy.

 

[Nikosandros]

Getting back to the OP, I choose metric, since that's what I'm used to. However, I realize that the main audience is in the US and most people there are far more used to the Imperial system, so it makes sense for gaming companies to cater to the preference of the majority of their customers.