Converting Units

Units is delivered with roughly 150 units. Most people will be content with this database. So, we will first describe how to use Units to convert a given unit into its SI equivalent, or into a different unit, and how to search for a unit in the database. The second part of this manual will explain how to extend and edit the databases.

Conversion Window

To open the conversion window, click on the

icon in the icon bar:

To perform a conversion, simply type in a unit and click on Convert (or press Return). For example, type in for inch and press Return. The unit: field changes to m for meter and the result area shows that

1 inch = 0.0254 m.

To convert a unit to a non-SI unit, click on the unit: radio button. The writable field next to the button becomes active and you can type in a second unit. For example, try ft for foot.

If you press return you'll be confronted with a question box. Units discovered that ft has several possible meanings: foot or femto-ton. You can browse through the possible interpretations using the Next and Previous buttons. Click OK for the right interpretation, in this case, foot.

The result area shows quite a complicated expression giving the exact conversion factor. To evaluate this expression, click on Compute (F5).

You can export the factor to other programs or save it to disk, by pressing the -Sign next to Export (F3).

To clear the window, click on Wipe (ESC).

Compound Units

You are not restricted to use simple units as source and target for a conversion. Instead, you can also type in an expression of units, which is built just like compound units in scientific notation: For kg m s^-2 you type in kg*m*s^-2 or kg*m/s^2. Note that no brackets are allowed.

Of course, you can use numbers within the expression. This can be used to perform monetary calculations. For example, if you want to convert the price for, say, cables that are Ł0.72 per foot into the "SI" price per meter, you would type 0.72*ft^-1 and let it convert into SI units.

Searching for a Unit or a Modifier Symbol

You can browse through the units database by clicking on the Browse button. The unit browser window appears:

The units appear in alphabetical order. Use the slider at the top left to select a unit: You can drag the white slider, click onto the arrows or type in the number of a unit.

You can restrict the display to units that belong to a certain system of measurement or describe a certain physical property (dimension). To do this, press menu anywhere over the window, and choose a dimension or system from the relevant submenu.

To remove such a restriction, click the same dimension or system again, which will be marked by a tick in this menu.

Similarly, you can browse through the list of modifier symbols after clicking on Modifiers in the Conversion window. You cannot restrict the display to any groups, as this is not sensible with modifier symbols.

Back to the contents page

Editing the Databases