Re: Unit conversion (low Audi cont)

[Robert Myers <rmyers@wvit.wvnet.edu>]

At 07:37 AM 10/15/96, you wrote:

>The latin for Mercury is "Hydrargirum". Incidently, in Europe the periodic
chart 
>is known by the name of its discoverer, the great Russian chemist D.I.
Mendeleev,
>hence - "the Mendeleev chart", and because of multylingual nature of european 
>comunity the tradition calls for using the latin names for the elements.

Latin names for some of the elements are used primarily due to historical
reasons.  The Latin names were given to those elements known since
antiquity.  This was a LONG time before Mendeleev ever came up with his
periodic chart of the elements (based upon repeating properties as a
function of atomoic mass - since modified to relate properties to atomic
number.)

K (potassium) from Kalium
Na (sodium) from Natrium (rock salt)
Ag (silver) from Argentum
Cu (copper) from Cuprum
Hg (mercury) from hydrargentum (watery silver)

To name a few.

___
   Bob
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