on 12/12/2001 8:05 AM, Wizard of OS at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > 4 km square and (4 km) square > 4 km^2 and (4 km)^2 = 16 km^2
The phrase "4 km square" is not proper SI usage to mean 4 km^2. Correct SI usage is "4 square kilometres". It is also proper, I think, to refer to it as "4 km squared" (note the "...ed" on the end) where the word "squared" means that the km has been squared. That is different from "a square". The word "square" here would be a noun referring to a geometric shape. The word "squared" would be an adjective descrining the "km". SI does not specify how we should describe a square 4 kilometres on a side. That is a matter for the English language. The English language permits the use of a phrase something like "(4 km) square", but it would usually be stated as "a 4 km square", with the addition of the word "a" indicating that it refers to a figure whose shape is a square and whose size is SOMEHOW indicated by the modifier "4 km". The English language does not specially say that it is the length of one sie that is 4 km; it could be the diagonal or the perimeter. Considder, for example, it I referred to a 4 km circle. What dimension of the circle would you think I meant? It could be the diameter, the circumference or the radius (or even area, if you thought I was just careless in not specifying SQUARE kilometres).
