Sid Bennett asked in USMA 16139:

>     Why kg? I was taught that the upper case prefixes denoted
>     multiplication and the lower case prefixes denoted division. The
>     difference between MOhm and mOhm.


Quite right.  People, and that includes Gene Mechtly and the Canadian
Metric Asspciation, have been petitioning the GCPM for years to make that
change.  It also applies to deka- and hecto-.

A similar issue is to change the name of the kilogram.  A base unit should
not have a prefix.  The GCPM has received proposed names beginning with
about every letter in the alphabet.

I think the attitude of the CGPM is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", "let
sleeping dogs lie", "we've always done it that way", and "not now, later
perhaps".

Joseph B.Reid
17 Glebe Road West
Toronto  M5P 1C8             TEL. 416-486-6071

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