No credit without units In 1999, NASA lost contact with their Mars Climate Orbiter while it was in proximity to the surface of Mars. In other words, it crashed! A detailed review revealed that a mistaken unit conversion between foot-pounds and Newton-meters caused the mission failure. Even today, scientific calculators and most mathematical software only allow you to use your computer as if it’s a fast slide rule – numbers only, no unit. Math Touch has an new, advanced automatic unit-conversion engine built into its core. It checks your entries to make sure they resolve to the dimension that’s required for the variable you enter. Results are automatically converted into the units you prefer, and can be converted into any combination of units that resolve to the correct dimension. |
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Pick a unit, any unit
Math Touch understands how units work together to represent physical quantities, so you can use any combination of units that resolves to the correct dimension, whether they are “consistent” or not.
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Abstract Vector Math
Just as units are automatically converted for you and you can convert them into other units on the fly, vector operations work regardless of the coordinate system you entered them in. Math Touch automatically converts the vectors into the coordinate system that’s best for the math operation at hand. If you prefer to see the result in a different coordinate system, tap the coordinate system button, then pick the coordinate system you want, voila.
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Helpful User Warnings
When you attempt to enter a unit from the wrong dimension, Math Touch will give you a warning (and it won’t let you set the wrong value). It will offer you a suggestion of the units you can use.
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NIST-Compatible Unit Database
Math Touch’s unit database is US’s National Institute of Science & Technology compatible, including both SI units, and many English Units in customary US definitions. The database is user extensible & modifiable, meaning you can add your own base & derived dimensions & units. Unit conversions can be set as “pure” when those conversions should be “exact.” Several common physical constants are also included, such as π, °, ℎ, ℏ, ℇ, ε₀, kB, σ, µ₀, and c. Instead of always resolving your entry into its internal base units, Math Touch keeps your physical quantities in terms of the units you specify – to preserve your intent, but you can always ask for a value to be converted into other units. Browse the list of default units here.
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