[numpad0]

INT_MAX is usually 2147483648, which means a "power" figure in Watt can handle anything from a laptop CPU to a Chernobyl power plant. FLT_MAX and _MIN are e+38 and e-38 so couple digits over and under(within 32bit precision).

Have you actually had that kind of unit confusion in metric, or inferring from your experience with Imperial system? It kind of just seems to reinforce suggestion that Imperial system having bunch of redundant or weird units IS the problem.

(for your defense: try [METRIC_UNIT]/h and /s. e.g. km/h often used for display in slow vehicles and m/s used for calculation motions of fast objects are kind of confusing.)

[sbradford26]

INT_MAX is assuming every variable is using a 32 bit integer which is not always the case. In my experience with flight control systems controls systems were focused on using the smallest variable necessary for a given variable. We had many variables that were only 8 or 16 bits. The processing overhead wasn't really the driving factor for smaller variables it was typically interface bandwidth which can be very limited while maintaining required safety margins on aircraft.

We had a pretty massive ICD that defined every message going in between sub systems down to the bit level which is what was necessary to avoid unit confusion when dealing with system creates by sub contractors and such. Your example of velocity is pretty common thing that you would have to reference the ICD for. Is this velocity signal in KM/h or m/s, as well as MPH, fps, and Mach number.

Sure you could say all velocities need to be in m/s, but then if all your control laws for higher speeds which have been fined tuned through 10s of years of work utilize Mach Number in the calculations is it safer to update all the controls laws or just do a conversion?

[chriswarbo]

> Sure you could say all velocities need to be in m/s, but if all your control laws for higher speeds which have been fined tuned through 10s of years of work utilize Mach Number in the calculations is it safer to update all the controls laws or just do a conversion?

Mach Number is a dimensionless ratio; I don't understand what that could have to do with velocity units? (Any units used in its calculation have cancelled-out by that point)

[numpad0]

So 32767 m/s is like not much short of twice the Solar system escape velocity…