Re: [Phys-l] Why we stress units

["John Clement" <clement@hal-pc.org>]

For depressing units, the Integrated Physics and Chemistry book by Glencoe
has C as the abbreviation for calories rather than the standard cal.  There
are no physicists in the list of primary authors so apparently they don't
know that C officially stands for coulombs.  Then they mix weight and mass
units indiscriminately in the table under unit conversions without
identifying which is which.

C is in the SI list of derived units, but calorie is a pre SI unit which is
still in common usage.  So why can't they get it right.

Of course the hilarious error is where they point out that if the Sun didn't
shine, the Earth would be colder than the side of the moon that always faces
away from the Sun.  Are the authors illiterate in science?

John M. Clement
Houston, TX

> Hi guys,
> check out
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCJ3Oz5JVKs
> it's both funny and depressing
> cheers
> David