28 May
2010
28 May
'10
8:55 a.m.
Yet further OT, but still vintage computer-related.
Back in the mid-80's, some friends from Lockheed produced an orbital
mechanics modeling package (hope I've got that right) for the PC AT.
When I saw the demo, I was surprised that mass was quoted in slugs.
I was informed that Imperial units was how the defense industry
measured things.
I hadn't seen slugs quoted as a mass unit since high-school physics--
and even then, it was mostly to emphasize that "pound" was a unit of
weight, not mass, not for any practical use.
--Chuck