Common units

[Metryq]

So... NASA has tracked an asteroid measuring "69 American alligators" in size. Is that major axis, or volume?

The least they could do is use common units of measure, like saying it is somewhere between 80 to 188 Smoots wide.

 

[fireproof78]

Eh, that's so passe. You really want units that stand out so that people don't confuse you for other article writers...


Spoiler alert: the next line below the title reveals the answer as "diameter":
The massive asteroid 2023 CM is estimated to be as much as 320 meters in diameter and is set to pass Earth. It won't hit, but if it did, it could devastate a continent.

 

[Magistos]

They didn't even use a banana for scale?

 

[fireproof78]

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Apologies, first thing that popped in to my mind. Though the banana question is appropriate.

 

[publiusr]

They didn't even use a banana for scale?

Yes, we have no bananas today

 

[danellis]

Yes, we have no bananas today

Something about motherhood, perhaps (the song already has a truck)?

dJE

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

When I was a physics student, we used to amuse ourselves by coming up with other systems of units besides SI, and working out the conversion factors. I recall one set of units of mass, length and time we used consisted of African swallow, furlong and fortnight. A variation used the European swallow, chain and leap year.

 

[scotpens]

The massive asteroid 2023 CM is estimated to be as much as 320 meters in diameter. . .

For us Americans, that's 3.5 football fields.

 

[fireproof78]

When I was a physics student, we used to amuse ourselves by coming up with other systems of units besides SI, and working out the conversion factors. I recall one set of units of mass, length and time we used consisted of African swallow, furlong and fortnight. A variation used the European swallow, chain and leap year.

What about coconuts?

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

They keep migrating south so they're hard to measure.