A crucial requirement for a scientific discussion is the idea of a Universal Language that can be used to describe a natural phenomena or to structure the reporting of an observations.

A first step towards reaching this universal language has to be the establishment of a consistent set of measurements. This is not a trivial problem.

The best systems of measurements are ones that are tied to some natural system. Calendars are good examples:

• the lunar cycle can define a unit of time (it turns out not to be very conventient)
• the earth's position with respect to the stars defines one year (very convenient).

Divisible units are also good.

Example: We define 360 degrees to be the circumference of a circle. So one day should be approximately 1 degree of movement of the earth with respect to the stars.

Basic units of physical measurement are mass ,length and time.

• Time coupled to natural orbits
• Length use radius or circumference of the earth; but in practice in the ancient world it was the distance between two landmarks.
  e.g. 1 urdat = distance between the lake over there and the rock formation over there

• Mass very difficult to standardize; could start out using a person to be a common unit of mass but this is not very accurate.

Related to the units problem is the need for a standard vocabulary to describe events.

Note this problem exists today if you don't grok text message lingo you probably can't translate this:

"Yo, the HPPO just did FDGB. Hilarious? YBYSA. CU @ *$ L8R.



GOK how to GSOAS and maintain a GSOH. (An Aristotelian TM)