Unit Conversion Template

When performing technical calculations you often face scenarios where available data is in various incompatible unit systems. Accurate conversion of these data to a compatible unit system is critical to obtaining correct results. This process is known as dimensional analysis.

F# provides a compile-time system for checking units of measure compatibility. This ensures that numbers with incompatible units are not combined in incorrect ways.

To demonstrate some of the capabilities of this feature we have made a template available for unit conversions of all sorts of common unit conversions. It combines neatly with Excel's recent capabilities of using dynamic arrays as dropdown list data validations to show the available units for conversion.

The F# scripts in the template show a general pattern that allows you to easily add more base units and their conversions. Units of measure are not limited to physical quantities in F#. They can also be used to represent currencies and exchange rates or tag integers to identify them as a table index.