j_bertolotti
The first time I ever heard the word "fortnight" was when somebody told me that one furlong per fortnight is almost exactly 1 cm per minute.
That was also the first time I was exposed to the word "furlong". You can imagine my confusion.
Jul 20, 2023 at 10:42amWeb
Show threadJohn ConwayJul 20, 2023
@j_bertolotti North American English speakers need to get on board with fortnight, because otherwise you’re stuck with the whole bi-monthly mess.
Show threadRahul NarainJul 20, 2023

@john @j_bertolotti Problem 1: It's unclear whether "biweekly" means "twice a week" or "once in two weeks".
Problem 2: It's unclear whether "bimonthly" means "twice a month" or "once in two months".

"Fortnight" swoops in to save the day! Once in two weeks = twice a month = "fortnightly". Now "biweekly" and "bimonthly" need to only mean one thing!

Problem 3: Now "bi-" means completely opposite things in "biweekly" and "bimonthly".

Show threadJohn ConwayJul 20, 2023
@narain @j_bertolotti I propose not holding things twice a week, it’s too often.
Show threadKnut MoråJul 20, 2023
@narain
My strong conviction is that parentheses can solve the day-- bi(weekly) vs (biweek)ly, which would also be equal to (demiweek)ly and demi(weekly) respectively
@john @j_bertolotti
Show threadMr. CompletelyJul 20, 2023
@narain @john @j_bertolotti we obviously need to get rid of the week
Show threadJohn ConwayJul 20, 2023
@mrcompletely @narain @j_bertolotti Yes! It’s just a bifortnight anyway!
Show threadLew RileyJul 20, 2023
Do we still do this in intro physics courses? I still remember this one from ~30 years ago. (Physicist hazing ritual?)
Show threadj_bertolottiJul 20, 2023
@lewriley Fortunately I managed to go through all of my undergraduate and PhD without ever touching the Imperial unit system.
Show threadLew RileyJul 20, 2023
@j_bertolotti Me, too. But then I encountered the barn. They were just trolling us at that point.
Show threadΣ(i³) = (Σi)²Jul 20, 2023
@j_bertolotti @lewriley Those games work outside the imperial system as well: a megameter per second is almost exactly a milliparsec per year, for example (perfectly normal astronomical units)
Show threadJohn Carlos BaezJul 20, 2023
@j_bertolotti - interestingly furlongs are only used for horizontal distances, and fathoms only for vertical, so the number of fathoms per furlong is like the speed of light in meters/second.
Show threadMatt McIrvinJul 20, 2023
@johncarlosbaez Reminds me of the Saturday Night Live sketch that is a "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" parody, in which Captain Nemo spends the whole thing unsuccessfully struggling to explain that 20,000 leagues is a distance and not how deep they are.
Show threadOscar CunninghamJul 20, 2023
@mattmcirvin @johncarlosbaez I just tried to watch this but apparently it's lost media. We only have the second half of it: https://www.reddit.com/r/lostmedia/comments/zkk2gt/partially_lost_snl_sketch_20000_leagues_under_the/.
[Partially lost] SNL Sketch “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea” - Episode S19E17

I’ve tried to find this complete sketch for years. Every version I find seems to come from the same VHS recording. It only ever has about half...

reddit
Show threadj_bertolottiJul 20, 2023
@johncarlosbaez Well, not that we have one unit for the x-axis and one (different) unit for the y-axis, I guess what we really need is a unit for the z-axis.
Show threadMatt McIrvinJul 20, 2023
@j_bertolotti Astronomers use different units for all the spherical coordinates!
Show threadj_bertolottiJul 20, 2023
@mattmcirvin Astronomers also plot the temperature from very hot near the origin to cold at the edge of the axis 😉
Show threadΣ(i³) = (Σi)²Jul 20, 2023
@j_bertolotti @mattmcirvin Astronomers also use the delightful units megameters (Mm) and kilo Kelvin (kK)...
(I've never seen either, but astronomy has arguably use for pico pascal (ppa ?) and also for peta pascal (ppa ?). How those two would be distinguished is unclear to me)
Show threadMatt McIrvinJul 20, 2023
@SvenGeier @j_bertolotti I think those would be pPa and PPa respectively, if I remember my SI.
Show threadJohn Carlos BaezJul 20, 2023
@j_bertolotti - fathoms is only used for the z axis, or maybe you would say the r axis in spherical coordinates: it's a measure of *depth*.
Show threadSteve DodgeJul 20, 2023
@j_bertolotti
Remember that when you teach introductory physics! 😂
Show threadJonathan LillyJul 20, 2023
@j_bertolotti nobody mention slugs, he’s not ready