09-15-2010, 06:59 PM
This issue was supposed to be addressed, but I knew I could count on you 
The quote you highlight shows a poor choice of words. If you read a bit further, you will find this:
Sure, as an electrical engineer in 1900, Giorgi undoubtly came into contact with the cgs system, and propably even worked with it. He realized however, that using meter and kilogram over centimeter and gram would be the better choice, so he introduced the socalled Giorgi units, also known as rationalized MKSA units (note the presence of M and K in MKSA, and the absence of C and G).
http://science.jrank.org/pages/17138/m-k-s-units.html
Btw, you seem rather obsessed with CGS. Did your old field of experience happen to be material science or theoretical physics, perhaps, where you were forced to work with this outdated system? If that's the case, I certainly don't envy you
The quote you highlight shows a poor choice of words. If you read a bit further, you will find this:
Quote:showing that the “absolute” system of practical units could be combined with the three mechanical units metre, kilogram and second to constitute a single coherent four-dimensional system of units. Four units – metre, kilogram, second and, for instance, ohm or ampere – could be chosen as base units from which all other practical electrical units could be derived.
Sure, as an electrical engineer in 1900, Giorgi undoubtly came into contact with the cgs system, and propably even worked with it. He realized however, that using meter and kilogram over centimeter and gram would be the better choice, so he introduced the socalled Giorgi units, also known as rationalized MKSA units (note the presence of M and K in MKSA, and the absence of C and G).
http://science.jrank.org/pages/17138/m-k-s-units.html
Quote:Giorgi units, rationalized MKSA
A metric system of units devised by A. Giorgi (and sometimes known as Giorgi units) in 1901. It is based on the metre, kilogram, and second and grew from the earlier c.g.s. units. The electrical unit chosen to augment these three basic units was the ampere and the permeability of space (magnetic constant) was taken as 10–7 H m–1. To simplify electromagnetic calculations the magnetic constant was later changed to 4π × 10–7 H m–1 to give the rationalized MKSA system. This system, with some modifications, formed the basis of SI units, now used in most scientific work.
Btw, you seem rather obsessed with CGS. Did your old field of experience happen to be material science or theoretical physics, perhaps, where you were forced to work with this outdated system? If that's the case, I certainly don't envy you