Re: Metric Time (was Re: Why not 13 months? (Was La Systeme Metrique))
Robert A. Uhl (ruhl@phoebe.cair.du.edu)
25 Oct 1995 20:34:30 GMT
In article <46ksi8$si6@news3.cts.com>, Will Rose <cwr@crash.cts.com> wrote:
>Robert A. Uhl (ruhl@phoebe.cair.du.edu) wrote:
>
>: Excellent book: Reading the Numebrs, by Mary Blocksma. She
>: advocates metric, but does list the old units as well. She regards
>: the system of doubling as ridiculous, althoug I can hardly see how it
>: is any worse than multiplying by ten (for which there is no word,
>: BTW).
>
>Use decimate, and stand on your head while you say it.
Nope, decimate means to reduce by one-tenth. When a conqueror
decimates a village he lines up all the men and kills every tenth one.
Yep, that's the origin of the word. It is sometimes used incorrectly
to mean division by ten, but never mutliplication thereby.
--
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| Bob Uhl | Spectre | `En touto nika' + |
| U of D | PGG FR No. 42 | http://mercury.cair.du.edu/~ruhl/ |
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