Units (split from What is Time?)

[michel123456]

2 hours ago, StringJunky said:

Jeff Bezos is worth $168291.41²   

You are trying to be funny but the meaning was about $² 168291.41

 

[michel123456]

If you don't like $² 

because indeed dollars squared are a bit strange (like s²).

It is good to recall that the constant in E=mc² is not c, but c². What is the square of a velocity? a velocity multiplied by a velocity? isn't that the same bizarre as $ multiplied by $?

 

 

[swansont]

51 minutes ago, michel123456 said:

If you don't like $² 

because indeed dollars squared are a bit strange (like s²).

It is good to recall that the constant in E=mc² is not c, but c². What is the square of a velocity? a velocity multiplied by a velocity? isn't that the same bizarre as $ multiplied by $?

Just as bizarre, as it is not bizarre at all. The bizarre thing is trying to assign a physical meaning to the units of a proportionality constant.

On 4/19/2018 at 1:25 PM, michel123456 said:

Do accountants use dollars squared?

A brief Google shows that dollars squared will show up in some calculations. A variance squares the variable in question, and also a least-squares fit gives rise to a squared variable.