GNU bug report logs - #15859
24.3.50; Calc - dimensionless units again

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: "Roland Winkler" <winkler <at> gnu.org>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: 24.3.50; Calc - dimensionless units again
Date: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 17:35:21 -0600

I thought that the new (though undocumented) variable
calc-allow-units-as-numbers allowed to perform unit conversions
involving dimensionless units. Yet I am still having trouble with
this.  (For the following I have used the default
calc-allow-units-as-numbers bound to t, assuming that this is what I
need.)

Say, the old expression is "7 m / (c s)" and I want to convert this
into a physically equal expression.  So I run calc-convert-units,
which will ask

  (The expression is unitless when simplified) Old Units: 

With calc-allow-units-as-numbers non-nil, I think calc-convert-units
should not ask this question, or there should be some other way to
customize calc-convert-units to skip this question.  Anyway, I enter
an empty string, because I do not know what else would be meaningful
here. [m/(c s) is equal to 3.33e-9, this cannot be required if I
just want to convert "7 m / (c s)" into something equal to this
expression.]

Now for the new unit:

(1) If I want to convert "7 m / (c s)" to a plain number, I enter "1",
    but then Calc throws an error "No units specified".
    The correct result would be 2.33e-8.

(2) If one wants to convert to the new unit "in / (c hr)" the result
    returned by calc-convert-units is 2.33e-8, that is, the plain
    number which would have been the correct result for (1).
    The new unit "in / (c hr)" is ignored by calc-convert-units.
    The correct result would be "992125.98 in / (c hr)".

Both examples assume that it should be possible to make a unit
conversion where the old expression on the stack is physically equal
to the new expression.  I think this assumption is reasonable.




In GNU Emacs 24.3.50.1 (x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 3.4.2)
 of 2013-11-10 on regnitz
Bzr revision: 115054 jan.h.d <at> swipnet.se-20131110121803-bv908hul7t8ji6c8
Windowing system distributor `The X.Org Foundation', version 11.0.11103000
System Description:	Ubuntu 12.04.3 LTS

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