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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
Usage

Translation of approximate metric quantities

The following news story appeared today.
"Officials: World's Largest Snake Caught
D
"Dec 29, 6:28 AM (ET)
"JAKARTA, Indonesia Emotion: travel - Indonesian villagers claim to have captured a python that is almost 49.21 feet long and weighs nearly 992.07 pounds, a local official said Monday.
"If confirmed, it would be the largest snake ever kept in captivity.

"Hundreds of people have flocked to see the snake at a primitive zoo in Curugsewu village on the country's main island of Java, Republika daily reported. It splashed two large pictures of the reptile across its back page.
Local government official Rachmat said the reticulated python measured 14.85 meters (49 feet) and weighed in at 447 kilograms (985 pounds). ..."

Does anyone else feel that something is awry?
  

Top answer

[nq:1]The following news story appeared today. "Officials: World's Largest Snake Caught D "Dec 29, 6:28 AM (ET) "JAKARTA, Indonesia ... meters (49 feet) and weighed in at 447 kilograms (985 pounds).

  • [nq:1]The following news story appeared today.
  • "Officials: World's Largest Snake Caught D "Dec 29, 6:28 AM (ET) "JAKARTA, Indonesia ...
  • meters (49 feet) and weighed in at 447 kilograms (985 pounds).
  • 76 kg.
  • The newly captured python, my paper has weighing in at 4470 kg, so that's even more!
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10 Answers
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[nq:1]The following news story appeared today. "Officials: World's Largest Snake Caught D "Dec 29, 6:28 AM (ET) "JAKARTA, Indonesia
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[nq:2]The following news story appeared today. "Officials: World's Largest Snake ... pounds). ..." Does anyone else feel that something is awry?[/nq]
[nq:1]My paper obviously did not bother to translate into old fashioned measures, but they quote the Guinness Book of Records ... Illinois, at 182.76 kg. The newly captured python, my paper has weighing in at 4470 kg, so that's even more![/nq]
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[nq:1]The following news story appeared today. "Officials: World's Largest Snake Caught D "Dec 29, 6:28 AM (ET) "JAKARTA, Indonesia
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[nq:1]"JAKARTA, Indonesia Emotion: travel - Indonesian villagers claim to have captured a python that is almost 49.21 feet long and weighs nearl
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[nq:1]"JAKARTA, Indonesia Emotion: travel - Indonesian villagers claim to have captured a python that is almost 49.21 feet long and weighs nearl
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[nq:2]The following news story appeared today. "Officials: World's Largest Snake ... pounds). ..." Does anyone else feel that something is awry?[/nq]
[nq:1]Sure. Media people have a tendency to use dramatic terms such as "over", "nearly", "almost", etc, rather than more precise but blander terms such as "about", "approximately", etc. And they just can't get out of the habit, even when it makes
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Richard Chambers:
[nq:1]I used to occasionally travel to Ferrybridge C Power Station to work. The four large bay doors to the Turbine Hall, at that time, each had a notice "Speed limit 3 mph. = 4.828 km/h"[/nq]
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[nq:2]he used the precise conversion 1 mile = 1.6093 km...[/nq]
[nq:1]Whaddayamean precise? A mile is 1.609344 km[/nq]
Hey, if Google says it, it must be so.

Note the lack of squiggly lines.
Michael Hamm Since mid-September of 2003, AM, Math, Wash. U. St. Louis I've been erasing too much UBE. (Email Removed) Of a reply, then, if you have been cheated,
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[nq:2]Whaddayamean precise? A mile is 1.609344 km[/nq]
[nq:1]Hey, if Google says it, it must be so. Note the lack of squiggly lines.[/nq]
That's because it's precise. An inch is defined as 2.54 cm, and a mile is ***,280 = 63,360 inches, so a mile is 160,934.4 cm. Exactly.

Evan Kirshenbaum + HP Laboratories >ActiveX is pretty harmless anyway.
1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 11
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On 05 Jan 2004 11:34:55 -0800, Evan Kirshenbaum (Email Removed) wrote, in part:
[nq:2]Hey, if Google says it, it must be so. http://www.google.com/search?q=mi Note the lack of squiggly lines.[/nq]
[nq:1]That's because it's precise.[/nq]
No, it's not. Google uses '=' even when it approximates.

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