gistfile1.txt

IDK if you know anyone who can fix this, but...

I found a fun bug in the Google search calculator. The parsec is wrong, but only when you multiply with it.

Every direct conversion is fine: 1 parsec in au, in light years, in meters all return correct values. But put the parsec into a product and the result comes out exactly 180/π ≈ 57.296 times too small.

Cleanest repro:
1 newton * 1 parsec in joules
A newton-metre is just a joule, so this should equal the parsec in meters, 3.0857e16 J. Google returns about 5.39e14 J instead, low by that same 180/π.

The factor points at the parsec's definition. A parsec is 1 AU divided by one arcsecond of parallax. It looks like the product path treats that arcsecond as 1/3600 of a radian instead of 1/3600 of a degree, so it skips the degree-to-radian conversion and the angle ends up 180/π too big, making the distance (and the energy) 180/π too small. The stored parsec constant is fine, since the standalone conversions work, so it's something in how the unit gets expanded during multiplication.

Wolfram Alpha gets it correct, if you want a comparison.

Daniel