[Amendment10]

"... about 10 feet [emphasis added] away."

I'm not a fan of still-used-in-USA medieval English measuring units. So it's “interesting” to see "feet" showing up in an article concerning cutting-edge scientific discovery.

[Notforprophet]

“With quibits separated by a distance of three meters, the researchers were able to observe and record the spin of one electron and see that reflected in the other qubit instantly.”

The distance was three meters (or “about 10 feet”). This article is written for an American audience, which is why the standard feet distance is given.

NFP

[FredZarguna]

Feet are no more or less natural than the meter in these experiments, and the experimenters and theorists don't use either of them. In natural units ħ = c = k_B = 1, and the natural units of length are 1/(eV), which would make no sense to most lay people.

[Dr. Sivana]

I'm not a fan of still-used-in-USA medieval English measuring units. So it's “interesting” to see "feet" showing up in an article concerning cutting-edge scientific discovery.

In English speaking countries where the metric system has been imposed by government fiat, real people still use those medieval measurements. For instance, the clearance for vehicles at the Edmonton mall parking lot is described in feet. Cookbooks almost NEVER use Celsius. And even the food measurements that are described in metric by law don't use the supposed strengths of the system. For instance, in Canada, fish is sold by the 100 gram. One-hundred gram? Doesn't anyone use centigram? No, they don't. So, they made this fictitious measurement because for buying fish a kilogram is too much, a gram is way to little, and if you held a gun to a Canadian or Aussie or British head and ask what a decagram is, you have five seconds, the gun would go off 90% of the time.

I am not suggesting that grains should be used instead of milligrams. I am suggesting that in an article about the real-life effects of cutting edge science, it is not bad to speak in the language of the people addressed. And yes, the readers know 10 feet as well as they know three meters. In Egland, they certain know 10 stone better than 65 kilos or whatever it would be. It will be a long time before joules replace calories on the Kellogg's cereal box.

There is no problem with using nautical miles, imperial gallons and pints, the American versions of same, or pounds and feet for baseline measurements. Heck, we live in a time when computers can make near instantaneous conversions for those who can't pick up two or three systems as needed.

[Olog-hai]

They’re not medieval.

I’m averse to a rewriting of measurements that came out of the French Revolution.