---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 01 Jun 2001 14:44:55 +0100
From: Ian Mills <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Gene Mechtly <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Martin, Peter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Symbols for SI Prefixes
Dear Gene,
I apologize for being slow to respond to your message. The official minutes
of the CCU meeting are not yet available, so far as I know (at least I
have not seen them).
However, I can tell you that we did discuss the prefix symbols for da, h, and k,
and considered allowing as an alternative D, H, and K. I was personally
sympathetic to this proposal (as I was when we discussed it previously).
However it was decided to make no changes to the present prefix symbols.
The reason is that the members of the CCU are chary of making any changes
to the SI that are not essential. The CCU sees many proposals for small
changes to the system, analogous to this one, which might be described as
"tinkering with the SI". It forsees confusion which might result if we
start tinkering, even though the case for any one of these changes may
seem good.
This particular proposal was discussed carefully, and we seemed to be
reaching no real conclusion, until someone proposed that we should make
no change. That proposal was at once given a warm reception, and we
decided with no dissenting voices to make no change.
Sorry about that!
On the other hand we did decide that something had to be done about the names
"SI units" and "Units of the SI", which up to now have been taken to mean
two different things - the former being taken to refer to the base and
coherent derived units only (i.e. no prefixes), and the latter to refer to
all units including prefixes (i.e. including the cm, mm, km, etc.).
We decided that both "SI units" and "Units of the SI" should be names that
covered the whole lot, and that when one wishes to
refer to only the base and derived units without prefixes one should use the
name "coherent SI units".
There were many other things discussed. I am sure you would get a copy of the
minutes (when they are available) by writing to Peter Martin at the BIPM and
asking for a copy; he is the Executive Secretary of the CCU.
Best wishes, Ian Mills
Gene Mechtly wrote:
> Dear Ian,
>
> Are the minutes of the CCU meetings on April 19 and 20 now
> availably? If so, how can they be accessed?
>
> If not, what was the decision on the proposal to add alternative
> upper case prefix symbols for multiples greater than one?
>
> Who supported the proposal, and who opposed the proposal
> (if anyone and for what reasons)?
>
> With hopes the result was positive,
> Gene Mechtly
> University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
---------------------------------------------------------
from: Ian Mills, President of the CCU of the BIPM
Department of Chemistry
University of Reading
Reading RG6 6AD U.K.
phone: +44 (0)118 931 8456
fax: +44 (0)118 931 1610
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
web: http://www.chem.rdg.ac.uk//dept/staff/phys/imm.html
