In a message dated 10/14/99 8:03:20 AM Central Daylight Time,
Joel_Rauber@SDSTATE.EDU writes:
<< And he makes an important point when he mentions that a
definition can't be wrong. It might be ill-advised, confusing, non-standard
etc., but it is the whole point of a definition that it is a quantity to be
defined.
Joel >>
Joel,
I hope you don't really mean it when you say a definition can't be wrong, and
that something already defined can be redefined at anyone's personal whim.
Not only can redefining something that is already defined be wrong, but it
may also be fraudulent and have criminial consequences. A gas station owner
knows it is illegal to redefine what a gallon is.
I do agree that PHYS-L is a place to talk about definitions and their
shortcomings. However, it is not the place to chuck them out or redefine
them.
Having said that, I've always thought the meter was too long.