Scientific Specific Units

[luisphysics]

(12-07-2015 03:05 PM)Tim Wessman Wrote:  Well, as a temporary improvement, I can very easily introduce the MeV/c^2 in a menu somewhere. For example, there is already "m/s^2" in the acceleration units. This isn't a "base" unit as it is made up of a unit from the length group, and a unit from the time group.

The problem is trying to keep it "grouped" as such without messing up lots of other things in different places. Most likely, it would only work automatically when using the "USIMPLIFY" command, and not perfectly even there.

So to the OP - where do you think that compound unit should reside inside the unit menu structure? MeV/c^2? Another one?


So please

Well I would not rush and put in anything until the it is sorted out.

Distinction between a Constant with or without units.
One issue I see is how the constants are structured. Because in reality they are not constants. They have units. There are only a few REAL Constants without units. One example is alpha = 1/137. That has no units and you portray it correctly in the Constants menu.

Here is another issue that as an implementer have to decide is fixable. When I click on say hbar. I get a number. Why can't it stay as a variable? And only when you evaluate by pressing enter does it do its parsing and spit out the answer. The end user doesn't need to see the number when doing the calculation, it can be previewed in the units menu.

One thing that might fix this is to call hbar a unit and name it _hbar where hbar is the character. Of course this means that it is a symbolic calculation. But canceling out units is symbolic. Sure it is nice to do units in the home menu, but it is a CAS feature.

So is it possible and logical to distinguish between unit-[/code]less constants like \pi and planks constant which has units?