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Re: [uom-ontology-std] retitled: magnitude of a quantity

To: "'uom-ontology-std'" <uom-ontology-std@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
From: Chris Partridge <partridgec@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:34:30 +0100
Message-id: <01f101ca0971$1b1d7430$51585c90$@co.uk>
> >
> > I would say that it is logically impossible to have a unit without a
> > value.
> 
> Its clearly logically possible. Conceptually they seem distinct. The
> idea of the meter, for example, is not the individual measure 'one
> meter', though the two are obviously closely related. I would say that
> 'meter' denotes a function from lengths to numbers, and one meter is
> the length, such that the value of that function when applied to it,
> is the number 1:    (01)

It seems a little odd to think of the unit meter and not think of one metre
- especially when historically the unit were actual physical objects.    (02)

Isn't this the difference here between a unit and a scale - and PatH's
function a kind of scale.    (03)

Ingvar, doesn't Ellis argue that a unit is insufficient in some way, so one
needs to uses scales.    (04)

Chris    (05)

> -----Original Message-----
> From: uom-ontology-std-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:uom-ontology-
> std-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Pat Hayes
> Sent: 20 July 2009 20:10
> To: uom-ontology-std; ingvar_johansson
> Subject: Re: [uom-ontology-std] retitled: magnitude of a quantity
> 
> 
> On Jul 19, 2009, at 4:13 AM, ingvar_johansson wrote:
> 
> > John Graybeal wrote:
> >
> >> In fact, I'm not even sure how values got to join in with units.  I
> >> would have said
> >> 0) Units
> >> 1) Values with Units
> >> because just having units sorted out by themselves -- with URIs for
> >> each concept -- enables all sorts of effective tools and toys.
> >
> > Dave McComb wrote:
> >
> >> I could get started with level 0.  I must admit though every use
> >> case I can think of involves a unit and a value.
> 
> Dimensional analysis? Writing general code to convert between units?
> 
> >
> > I would say that it is logically impossible to have a unit without a
> > value.
> 
> Its clearly logically possible. Conceptually they seem distinct. The
> idea of the meter, for example, is not the individual measure 'one
> meter', though the two are obviously closely related. I would say that
> 'meter' denotes a function from lengths to numbers, and one meter is
> the length, such that the value of that function when applied to it,
> is the number 1:
> 
> (the (x) (= (meter x) 1) )
> 
> And by the way, (= meter metre)
> 
> Pat
> 
> > To have the value 1 is also to have a value. On the other hand, a
> > value without a unit is just a pure mathematical number. I think
> > Graybeal's distinction should be replaced by the following:
> > 0) Base units
> > 1) Values of base units.
> >
> > The value of the base unit is created by a pragmatic choice. It is
> > not to
> > be found in mind-independent nature, and it is not necessarily 1.
> >
> > Best, Ingvar J
> >
> > --
> > home page: http://hem.passagen.se/ijohansson/index.html
> >
> >
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> >
> >
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