XPost: alt.usage.english   
   From: occam@nowhere.nix   
      
   On 20/09/2024 01:12, Christian Weisgerber wrote:   
   > I'm sorry, I don't know where to post this.  I'm crossposting to   
   > alt.usage.english, because statute miles as a unit mostly afflict   
   > the English-speaking world.   
   >   
   > So you want to convert between miles and kilometers.  The conversion   
   > factor is... uh...  A 40-year-old calculator book provides a useful   
   > tip:  Unless you're designing a space probe, you can use ln(5).   
   >   
   > WHAT?   
   >   
   > Yes, the natural logrithm of 5 approximates the conversion factor   
   > between miles and kilometers; specifically one mile is about ln(5)   
   > kilometers.  It's accurate to four digits.   
   >   
   > If nothing else, it's faster to type on a calculator.   
   >   
   > I think that's hysterical.   
   >   
      
   You do use Google search?  Try typing '1 mile = ? kilometers' in the   
   google search bar.  Answer = 1.60934.   
      
   P.S. The google search bar has come a long way. It can be the source of   
   a lot simple-ish maths solutions, thanks to rudimentary AI.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)