[meteorite-list] Fw: term definitions and usage

[Michael Bross]

Dear Doug and List

I guess you opened the Pandora box...
But, thanks, I would have never thought there were so many differences !

But, please, Doug, don't think and say "Europe" when you mean UK etc...
They drive on the "wrong side"... and for a French like me, they are the 
Perfid
Albion... the "weirdest human beings on Earth" ... just kidding of course !
(I say it with a more than a friendly tone ! )

On the other hand, I was surprised by the Spanish answer from Leo...
I naively thought that Billion/Milliard was of the same magnitude in the 
Iberic
Peninsula... well... I was wrong, I guess.

Glad to see the answer from Göran from Sweden: like in France ! Finally !

I guess this definitely shows that "Europe" is still only a patchwork of 
very
diverse cultures and meanings, which is more than ok, but with no main 
common
future in sight for a while... as it seems, looking at political turnouts.

Hope "we" don't need a "Secession War" to "accord" our views... well...
In the mean time, the emerging countries might solve that for all. So be it.

And sorry for the OT, but I am 50 years old, have seen many atrocities on 
our "terrestrial" world
but what just happened in Norway... is a Horror movie made Real !
Different then others, different from 9/11 and others... but of the same 
magnitude.

All the best to you and your loved ones...

MB




From: MexicoDoug
Sent: Monday, July 25, 2011 7:23 PM
To: korotev at wustl.edu ; meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com ; 
element33 at peconic.net ; supeindesu at hotmail.com ; aknoefel at minorplanets.de
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Fw: term definitions and usage


Michael, Andre, and Leo
A "billion" in Mexico is even scarier than the two versions in the USA and 
Europe. Like Leo says, from Spain, 10^9 is "a thousand million" is common, 
but the proximity to the US and overflow/translations of news have made it a 
big mess in meaning - at least in the northeast and "billion" for 10^9 is 
often used, erroneous or not, and I must admit to never hearing anyone use a 
billion for 10^12, but it must be.
That was a very complete website link on big numbers, Andre, thanks.
Randy,
Perfect follow-up - as corny as I may sound, may I add that your/his 
"nano-gigaannum" joke is "timeless" ;-) Must have been fun to watch as a 
young entrant (and think ... I'm never going to turn into that...)  I still 
use mya, habits are hard to break when they seem to flow so easily, like 
writing "I'm" instead of "I am".
Everyone/
I won't forget my extended trip to Pakistan some time ago. Over there and in 
India, when speaking of the value of a house, for example, the base big unit 
is a lakh (rupee). It is 100,000. Took a little adjustment since everything 
in Europe and the Americas is based on triplets of zeros. I was all giddy 
feeling like Johnny Quest as soon as I mastered the concept of lakh and used 
it every chance I got...
The trivial name differences between the long and short European/American 
system might be humorous to some of them, everyone is always finds some 
cultural thing to defend for the preservation of life and liberty (similar 
to Randy's account). Just three years ago at a major star party I was 
discussing my meteorites with someone in the chow line and one of the (few) 
women flipped out when she heard me speak of grams, "This is America, speak 
American - we use ounces here!" I was admonished very sharply. I was hungry 
so the answer was 'yes, ma'am', but dinner didn't taste so good as it should 
have for some sad reason ... something to do with being at a gathering of 
fellow astronomers...
Correct me if I'm wrong, but are big Chinese numbers are based on [10^4]^i.
Kindest wishes
Doug