Unilateral Unit System
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The Unilateral Unit System (UUS) is a standardized set of units of measure utilized in T'vaqi and Hapšâw. The UUS was officially established shortly following the Second Unification of T'vaqi in 244 TT. Initially conceptualized by a group of mathematicians, the UUS was created to reduce confusion regarding exact distances and measurements, and was built to accommodate the existing T'vaqi numeral system. Its establishment was the last action of the Unification Committee before its dissolution. Since its official incorporation into T'vaqi society, the Bureau of Measurement, a government-funded organization ran by several Magisters, has overseen the implementation of UUS units wherever necessary. In 53 PC, conversion formulae for inter-island units of measure were developed by the Bureau of Measurement for trade purposes.
In 82 PC, the Kingdom of Hapšâw adopted the UUS as its sole official system of units. As such, the UUS may also be called the Bilateral Unit System (BUS).
Units
All recognized UUS units of measure and their metric conversions are listed below.
Mass
| Unit | Abbreviation | Relative to previous | Metric conversion (kilograms) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nison |   |
0.15 | Approx. mass of one spoonful of water. | |
| otam |   |
4 nisoni | 0.6 | The most commonly used unit of mass. |
| pa'otam |  |
8 otami | 4.8 | |
| shasa |   |
16 pa'otami | 76.8 | Name translates to "wave". Related to the T'vaqi adage "a wave is merely a million droplets." |
| otanyone |  |
10.125 shasi (1,296 otami) | 777.6 | Unofficial, only used on Hapšâw. Lit. yone (1,296) otami. |
| pashasa | |
32 shasi | 2,457.6 |
Force
Units of mass are also used to denote force. An otam q'viama (otam of force) is equal to the force exerted by an object with the mass of one otam onto a surface it is resting on, or 5.88N. The same applies to all other units of mass.
Distance
| Unit | Abbreviation | Relative to previous | Metric conversion (meters) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| qon |  |
0.0035 | ||
| paqon | |
4 qoni | 0.014 | |
| doqon |  |
8 paqoni | 0.112 | |
| dosha | |
16 doqoni | 1.792 | The most commonly used unit of distance. Based on the estimated average height of a person, measured in 244 TT. |
| konyone | |
10.125 doshi (1,296 qoni) | 4.536 | Unofficial, only used on Hapšâw. Lit. yone qoni. |
| padosha | |
32 doshi | 57.344 | Often used to measure the heights of buildings. Any structure measuring greater than 2 padoshi in height is classed as a tower. |
| došayone | |
40.5 padoshi (1,296 doshi) | 2,322.432 | Unofficial, only used on Hapšâw. Lit. yone doshi. |
| dodosha | |
64 padoshi | 3,670.016 | A popular track running distance. |
Time
- It should be noted that post-Calming, the Haracalnde has been adopted for most trade and inter-island communication.
Standard T'vaqi units of time are based on subdivisions of the average length of the day. The length of one day is referred to as a pav. Ten shavi (2h 24m) make up each day, and ten hoshavi (14m 24s) make up each shav. The length of a hoshav can be further broken down into ten sqovi (1m 26.4s), which are finally broken down into ten hosqovi (or breaths), the shortest common unit of time. The length of a hosqov is approximately 8.64 seconds.
One week in T'vaqi passes every ten days. Weeks are called a'opavi. Historically, the number of weeks since the Second Unification of T'vaqi was the most common way of expressing time over a long period (for example, the date 3-9 53 PC could be represented by the number 10677.3). However, the q'so'ho (meaning cycle), a length of time lasting 36 weeks, was also introduced to the UUS for the purposes of defining the term lengths of Grand Magisters. The length of 36 weeks (360 days) was chosen as 36 is the smallest product of two different perfect squares, and happened to align with yearly seasons. The first q'so'ho began on 1-2 244 TT, the date of the Second Unification. Conveniently, this made converting to the Haracalnde very easy, since the Haracalnde year is the exact same length as a q'so'ho.
| Unit | Relative to previous | Metric conversion |
|---|---|---|
| hosqov | 8.64s | |
| sqov | 10 hosqovi | 1m 26.4s |
| hoshav | 10 sqovi | 14m 24s |
| shav | 10 hoshavi | 2h 24m |
| pav | 10 shavi | 1d |
| a'opav | 10 pavi | 10d |
| q'so'ho | 36 a'opavi | 1y |
Temperature
Temperature is measured in Common Degrees on a linear scale from 0 to 1. 0 represents the coldest ambient temperature ever measured on the island (equivalent to -26 °C) and 1 represents the hottest (equivalent to 41 °C). Values lower than 0 and greater than 1 are used only for artificial temperatures (e.g. the heat from a fire) that would otherwise not be found in the general climate of T'vaqi.
Angle and Rotation
The unit of angle is the so'ho, or circle, one so'ho is equal to one full rotation, or 360°, angles are described as fractions of it. Angular speed is represented in circles per sqov or hosqov, as is frequency.
Miscellaneous and irregular units
| Unit | Metric conversion | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| hrso | N/A | Denotes one unit on the Cognitive Capacity Scale. Named after Hrso Vinshasi, the inventor of the scale. |
| ilor | ~1.5J | Largely antiquated, exact measurement uncertain; defined as "roughly the amount of energy required to lift 1 otam." |
| vri | 2,097,152m | Estimated diameter of the moon. |