Unit of Acceleration

Abstract

REFERRING to Mr. Keeping's letter on p. 478 of NATURE of Sept. 29, I agree that learners of the elements would be helped by a handier specification for acceleration; but a name for unit velocity would suffice. Speed is a primary apprehension, and it is rather odd that no unit name has been chosen for it; except ‘knot.’ Suppose for a moment that the velocity unit were called a ‘vel’; then acceleration would be in vels per second, and momentum in gram-vels or pound-vels. These are not hopelessly bad: context would show whether feet or centimetres were intended; in any serious non-teaching specification abbreviations are seldom permissible.