On Mon, 29 Sep 2003 05:30:51 GMT, Richard Clark
wrote:

As for reputation.... You, admittedly, have absolutely no
experience in the matter, and this is not rec.sci.amateur.hour.

I live in one of the windiest parts of the country, and I am quite
capable of recognizing the sound of hot air rushing by.

If there is, in fact, an official definition of the pound as a unit of
force, it isn't going to be a closely guarded secret, even post-11 Sep
2001.

If you are a Metrologist, it should be a piece of cake to find it.

So for you, or anyone else who would like to help you out, here are a
few hints.

Some of you likely are or have been science teachers. Use the
resources you have at hand to find this elusive official definition of
the pound as a unit of force. Tell me exactly what the standard is,
who defined it, and when.

Or go to someone you had as a science teacher, and enlist their help.

Go to a science teacher who is teaching your kids or grandkids.

Look in the textbooks you used, and see if the authors have any
footnotes citing the authority for whatever definition they use.

Look for the official definition in the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and
Physics, or in the Engineer's Handbook.

Look for the official definition in Encyclopædia Britannica, or in
World Book Encyclopedia, or the World Almanac, and whatever source is
cited in any of these.

Write or email NIST, and be sure to ask them not only what the
official definition is, but what makes it official and how long it has
been in use.


Gene Nygaard
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Gene_Nygaard/