Units of Weight, Mass, and Force

Abstract

WITH regard to Mr. Geoghegan's letter in your issue of April 7 (vol. xxxv. p. 534), my experience in teaching physics long ago led me to the same conclusions. For three years I have used in my classes in this the oldest existing University in Ontario, and with the greatest advantage, the terms tach, gramtach, prem, and dyntach for the units of velocity, momentum, pressure-intensity, and rate of working respectively, in the C.G.S. system of units. These may be found in my “Introduction to Dynamics,” which was printed last year for my junior class. Prem was chosen after failure to get a euphonious monosyllable from the Greek. A name for the unit of acceleration I have not found to be necessary. Vel seems to me to be a good word for the unit of velocity in the F.P.S. system of units, but, for fear of hanging on a sour apple-tree, I would shudder to mention pound-vel and poundal-vel. The term squeeze would be suitable in several respects for a poundal per square foot, but in mixed classes, such as we have here, it might lead to disorder.