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14 changes: 14 additions & 0 deletions docs/appendix/glossary.md
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Expand Up @@ -333,6 +333,20 @@
associated with a specific quantity ([quantity specification](#quantity_spec) and
[unit](#unit)).

[`canonical representation of a unit, canonical unit`](#canonical-unit){ #canonical-unit }

: - A canonical representation of a unit consists of:
- a reference unit being the result of extraction of all the intermediate
[derived units](#derived-unit),
- a magnitude being a product of all the prefixes and magnitudes of extracted scaled units.
- All units having the same canonical unit are deemed equal.
- All units having the same reference unit are convertible
(their magnitude may differ and is used during conversion).

[`reference unit`](#reference-unit){ #reference-unit }

: See [canonical representation of a unit](#canonical-unit)

[`absolute quantity point origin`, `absolute point origin`](#absolute-point-origin){ #absolute-point-origin }

: - An explicit point on an axis of values of a specific [quantity](#quantity) type that serves
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2 changes: 1 addition & 1 deletion docs/users_guide/framework_basics/design_overview.md
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Expand Up @@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ flowchart TD
quantity_character["Quantity character"] --- QuantitySpec
QuantitySpec --- Reference["Quantity reference"]
Reference --- Quantity
quantity_character --- Representation
quantity_character -.- Representation
Representation --- Quantity
Quantity --- QuantityPoint["Quantity point"]
PointOrigin["Point origin"] --- QuantityPoint
Expand Down
38 changes: 21 additions & 17 deletions docs/users_guide/framework_basics/simple_and_typed_quantities.md
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@@ -1,16 +1,18 @@
# Simple and Typed Quantities

ISO specifies a quantity as:
ISO defines a quantity as:

!!! quote

property of a phenomenon, body, or substance, where the property has a magnitude that can be expressed as a number and a reference
property of a phenomenon, body, or substance, where the property has a magnitude
that can be expressed as a number and a reference

After that, it says:

!!! quote

A reference can be a measurement unit, a measurement procedure, a reference material, or a combination of such.
A reference can be a measurement unit, a measurement procedure, a reference material,
or a combination of such.

## `quantity` class template

Expand All @@ -22,9 +24,10 @@ template<Reference auto R,
class quantity;
```

The concept `Reference` is satisfied by either:
The concept `Reference` is satisfied by a type that provides all the domain-specific metadata describing
a quantity (besides the representation type and its value). Such a type can be either:

- a unit with an associated quantity type (e.g. `si::metre`)
- a unit with an associated quantity type (e.g., `si::metre`, `m / s`),
- a reference type explicitly specifying the quantity type and its unit.

!!! important
Expand All @@ -37,9 +40,10 @@ A reference type is implicitly created as a result of the following expression:
constexpr auto ref = isq::length[m];
```

The above example resulted in the following type `reference<isq::length(), si::metre()>` being instantiated.
The above example results in the following type `reference<isq::length(), si::metre()>` being instantiated.

Based on this property, the **mp-units** library provides two modes of dealing with quantities.
As we have two alternative options that satisfy the `Reference` concept in the **mp-units** library,
we also have two modes of dealing with quantities.


## Simple quantities
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -85,7 +89,7 @@ A car driving 110 km in 2 h has an average speed of 15.2778 m/s (55 km/h)
!!! example "[Try it on Compiler Explorer](https://godbolt.org/z/zWe8ecf93)"


### Easy to understand compilation error messages
### Easy-to-understand compilation error messages

In case a user makes an error in a quantity equation and the result of the calculation
will not match the function return type, the compiler will detect such an issue at
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -175,7 +179,7 @@ As we can see above, the compilation error is longer but still relatively easy t

Based on the previous example, it might seem that typed quantities are not that useful,
more to type and provide harder-to-understand error messages. It might be true in some cases,
but there are cases where they provide an additional level of safety.
but there are scenarios where they offer an additional level of safety.

Let's see another example:

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -292,7 +296,7 @@ Let's see another example:

In the above example, the highlighted call doesn't look that safe anymore in the case
of simple quantities, right? Suppose someone, either by mistake or due to some refactoring,
will call the function with invalid order of arguments. In that case, the program will compile
will call the function with an invalid order of arguments. In that case, the program will compile
fine but not work as expected.

Let's see what will happen if we reorder the arguments in the case of typed quantities:
Expand All @@ -303,7 +307,7 @@ auto tank = RectangularStorageTank(horizontal_length(1'000 * mm),
isq::width(500 * mm));
```
This time a compiler provides the following compilation error:
This time, a compiler provides the following compilation error:
```text
In function 'int main()':
Expand All @@ -319,7 +323,7 @@ note: no known conversion for argument 2 from 'mp_units::quantity<mp_units::re
```

What about derived quantities? In the above example, you probably noticed that we also defined
a custom `horizontal_area` quantity of kind `isq::area`. This quantity has the special property
a custom `horizontal_area` quantity of kind `isq::area`. This quantity has the unique property
of being implicitly constructible only from the result of the multiplication of quantities of
`horizontal_area` and `isq::width` or the ones that implicitly convert to them.

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -377,15 +381,15 @@ public:
};
```
As `isq::radius` is not convertible to either a `horizontal_length` or `isq::width`,
the derived quantity of `pow<2>(radius)` can't be converted to `horizontal_area` as well.
As `isq::radius` is not convertible to `horizontal_length`, the derived quantity of
`pow<2>(radius)` can't be converted to `horizontal_area` as well.
It would be unsafe to allow such a conversion as not all of the circles lie flat on the
ground, right?
In such a case, the user has to explicitly force such an unsafe conversion with the
help of a `quantity_cast()`. This function name is easy to spot in code reviews or while
searching the project for problems if something goes sideways. In case of unexpected issues
related to quantities, this should be the first function to look for.
searching the project for problems if something goes sideways. In case of unexpected
quantities-related issues, this should be the first function to look for.
!!! tip
Expand All @@ -397,7 +401,7 @@ related to quantities, this should be the first function to look for.
In case you wonder which mode you should choose for your project, we have good news for you.
Simple and typed quantity modes can be freely mixed with each other. When you use different
quantities of the same kind (e.g. radius, wavelength, altitude, ...), you should probably
quantities of the same kind (e.g., _radius_, _wavelength_, _altitude_, ...), you should probably
reach for typed quantities to bring additional safety for those cases. Otherwise, just use
simple mode for the remaining quantities. The **mp-units** library will do its best to protect
your project based on the information provided.
Expand Down
88 changes: 48 additions & 40 deletions docs/users_guide/framework_basics/systems_of_quantities.md
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Expand Up @@ -33,31 +33,38 @@ Box my_box(2 * m, 3 * m, 1 * m);
How do you like such an interface? It turns out that in most existing strongly-typed libraries
this is often the best we can do :woozy_face:
Another typical question many users ask is how to deal with energy and moment of force.
Another typical question many users ask is how to deal with _work_ and _torque_.
Both of those have the same dimension but are different quantities.
Another question is what should be the result of:
A similar issue is related to figuring out what should be the result of:
```cpp
auto res = 1 * Hz + 1 * Bq + 1 * Bd;
```

where:

- `Hz` (hertz) - unit of frequency
- `Bq` (becquerel) - unit of activity
- `Bd` (baud) - unit of modulation rate
- `Hz` (hertz) - unit of _frequency_
- `Bq` (becquerel) - unit of _activity_
- `Bd` (baud) - unit of _modulation rate_

All of those quantities have the same dimension, namely $\mathsf{T}^{-1}$, but probably it
is not wise to allow adding, subtracting, or comparing them, as they describe vastly different
physical properties.

If the above example seems too abstract, let's consider a _fuel consumption_ (fuel _volume_
divided by _distance_, e.g., `6.7 l/km`) and an _area_. Again, both have the same dimension
$\mathsf{L}^{2}$, but probably it wouldn't be wise to allow adding, subtracting, or comparing
a _fuel consumption_ of a car and the _area_ of a football field. Such an operation does not
have any physical sense and should fail to compile.

!!! important

More than one quantity may be defined for the same dimension:

- quantities of _different kinds_ (e.g. frequency, modulation rate, activity, ...)
- quantities of _the same kind_ (e.g. length, width, altitude, distance, radius, wavelength, position vector, ...)
- quantities of **different kinds** (e.g. _frequency_, _modulation rate_, _activity_, ...)
- quantities of **the same kind** (e.g. _length_, _width_, _altitude_, _distance_, _radius_,
_wavelength_, _position vector_, ...)

It turns out that the above issues can't be solved correctly without proper modeling of
a [system of quantities](../../appendix/glossary.md#system-of-quantities).
Expand All @@ -76,7 +83,7 @@ a [system of quantities](../../appendix/glossary.md#system-of-quantities).
dimension**
- Quantities of the **same dimension are not necessarily of the same kind**

The above quotes from ISO 80000 answer to all the issues above. Two quantities can't be
The above quotes from ISO 80000 provide answers to all the issues above. Two quantities can't be
added, subtracted, or compared unless they belong to the same [kind](../../appendix/glossary.md#kind).
As frequency, activity, and modulation rate are different kinds, the expression provided above should
not compile.
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -106,11 +113,12 @@ flowchart TD
radius --- radius_of_curvature
```

Each of the above quantities expresses some kind of length, and each can be measured with `si::metre`.
However, each of them has different properties, usage, and sometimes even a different
Each of the above quantities expresses some kind of _length_, and each can be measured with `si::metre`.
However, each of them has different properties, usage, and sometimes even requires a different
representation type (notice that `position_vector` and `displacement` are vector quantities).

Analyzing such a hierarchy can help us in defining arithmetics and conversion rules.
Such a hierarchy helps us in defining arithmetics and conversion rules for various quantities of
the same kind.


## Defining quantities
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -206,14 +214,14 @@ For example, here is how the above quantity kind tree can be modeled in the libr

## Comparing, adding, and subtracting quantities

ISO 80000 explicitly states that `width` and `height` are quantities of the same kind, and as such they:
ISO 80000 explicitly states that _width_ and _height_ are quantities of the same kind, and as such they:

- are mutually comparable
- can be added and subtracted
- are mutually comparable,
- can be added and subtracted.

If we take the above for granted, the only reasonable result of `1 * width + 1 * height` is `2 * length`,
where the result of `length` is known as a common quantity type. A result of such an equation is always
the first common branch in a hierarchy tree of the same kind. For example:
where the result of `length` is known as a **common quantity** type. A result of such an equation is always
the first common node in a hierarchy tree of the same kind. For example:

```cpp
static_assert(common_quantity_spec(isq::width, isq::height) == isq::length);
Expand All @@ -228,33 +236,33 @@ Based on the same hierarchy of quantities of kind length, we can define quantity
1. **Implicit conversions**
- every `width` is a `length`
- every `radius` is a `width`
- every _width_ is a _length_
- every _radius_ is a _width_
```cpp
static_assert(implicitly_convertible(isq::width, isq::length));
static_assert(implicitly_convertible(isq::radius, isq::length));
static_assert(implicitly_convertible(isq::radius, isq::width));
static_assert(implicitly_convertible(isq::radius, isq::length));
```
2. **Explicit conversions**
- not every `length` is a `width`
- not every `width` is a `radius`
- not every _length_ is a _width_
- not every _width_ is a _radius_
```cpp
static_assert(!implicitly_convertible(isq::length, isq::width));
static_assert(!implicitly_convertible(isq::length, isq::radius));
static_assert(!implicitly_convertible(isq::width, isq::radius));
static_assert(!implicitly_convertible(isq::length, isq::radius));
static_assert(explicitly_convertible(isq::length, isq::width));
static_assert(explicitly_convertible(isq::length, isq::radius));
static_assert(explicitly_convertible(isq::width, isq::radius));
static_assert(explicitly_convertible(isq::length, isq::radius));
```
3. **Explicit casts**
- `height` is not a `width`
- both `height` and `width` are quantities of kind `length`
- _height_ is not a _width_
- both _height_ and _width_ are quantities of kind _length_
```cpp
static_assert(!implicitly_convertible(isq::height, isq::width));
Expand All @@ -264,7 +272,7 @@ Based on the same hierarchy of quantities of kind length, we can define quantity
4. **No conversion**
- `time` has nothing in common with `length`
- _time_ has nothing in common with _length_
```cpp
static_assert(!implicitly_convertible(isq::time, isq::length));
Expand All @@ -286,12 +294,12 @@ The below presents some arbitrary hierarchy of derived quantities of kind energy
```mermaid
flowchart TD
energy["energy\n(mass * length^2 / time^2)"]
energy["energy\n(mass * length<sup>2</sup> / time<sup>2</sup>)"]
energy --- mechanical_energy
mechanical_energy --- potential_energy
potential_energy --- gravitational_potential_energy["gravitational_potential_energy\n(mass * acceleration_of_free_fall * height)"]
potential_energy --- elastic_potential_energy["elastic_potential_energy\n(spring_constant * amount_of_compression^2)"]
mechanical_energy --- kinetic_energy["kinetic_energy\n(mass * speed^2)"]
potential_energy --- elastic_potential_energy["elastic_potential_energy\n(spring_constant * amount_of_compression<sup>2</sup>)"]
mechanical_energy --- kinetic_energy["kinetic_energy\n(mass * speed<sup>2</sup>)"]
energy --- enthalpy
enthalpy --- internal_energy[internal_energy, thermodynamic_energy]
internal_energy --- Helmholtz_energy[Helmholtz_energy, Helmholtz_function]
Expand All @@ -301,21 +309,21 @@ flowchart TD

Notice, that even though all of those quantities have the same dimension and can be expressed
in the same units, they have different [quantity equations](../../appendix/glossary.md#quantity-equation)
used to create them implicitly:
that can be used to create them implicitly:

- `energy` is the most generic one and thus can be created from base quantities of `mass`, `length`,
and `time`. As those are also the roots of quantities of their kinds and all other quantities are
implicitly convertible to them (we agreed on that "every `width` is a `length`" already), it means
that an `energy` can be implicitly constructed from any quantity of mass, length, and time.
- _energy_ is the most generic one and thus can be created from base quantities of _mass_, _length_,
and _time_. As those are also the roots of quantities of their kinds and all other quantities from their
trees are implicitly convertible to them (we agreed on that "every _width_ is a _length_" already),
it means that an _energy_ can be implicitly constructed from any quantity of _mass_, _length_, and _time_:

```cpp
static_assert(implicitly_convertible(isq::mass * pow<2>(isq::length) / pow<2>(isq::time), isq::energy));
static_assert(implicitly_convertible(isq::mass * pow<2>(isq::height) / pow<2>(isq::time), isq::energy));
```

- `mechanical_energy` is a more "specialized" quantity than `energy` (not every `energy` is
a `mechanical_energy`). It is why an explicit cast is needed to convert from either `energy` or
the results of its [quantity equation](../../appendix/glossary.md#quantity-equation).
- _mechanical energy_ is a more "specialized" quantity than _energy_ (not every _energy_ is
a _mechanical energy_). It is why an explicit cast is needed to convert from either _energy_ or
the results of its [quantity equation](../../appendix/glossary.md#quantity-equation):

```cpp
static_assert(!implicitly_convertible(isq::energy, isq::mechanical_energy));
Expand All @@ -326,10 +334,10 @@ used to create them implicitly:
isq::mechanical_energy));
```

- `gravitational_potential_energy` is not only even more specialized one but additionally,
- _gravitational potential energy_ is not only even more specialized one but additionally,
it is special in a way that it provides its own "constrained"
[quantity equation](../../appendix/glossary.md#quantity-equation). Maybe not every
`mass * pow<2>(length) / pow<2>(time)` is a `gravitational_potential_energy`, but every
`mass * pow<2>(length) / pow<2>(time)` is a _gravitational potential energy_, but every
`mass * acceleration_of_free_fall * height` is.

```cpp
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -372,7 +380,7 @@ Additionally, the result of operations on quantity kinds is also a quantity kind
static_assert(same_type<kind_of<isq::length> / kind_of<isq::time>, kind_of<isq::length / isq::time>>);
```

However, if at least one equation's operand is not a kind, the result becomes a "strong"
However, if at least one equation's operand is not a quantity kind, the result becomes a "strong"
quantity where all the kinds are converted to the hierarchy tree's root quantities:

```cpp
Expand Down
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