James Freysinger wrote in USMA:
Now that I have finished writing an interesting test for my students to
>enjoy taking tomorrow, I've spent a few minutes and have dug a little
>deeper. Here is what I have learned from "Le Syst�me M�trique" by Henri
>Noreau (Chiron, Paris, 1975). I'll put the French first then my rough
>translation. This is from Tableau 6, "Pr�fixes SI", footnote 2 and in
>case � does not reproduce on your browser, it is the lowercase Greek
>letter mu:
>
>[quote:]
>Les pr�fixes "m�ga" et "micro" �taient d�j� employ�s vers 1870 par les
>�lectriciens; ils furent officiellement adopt�s en France par le d�cret
>sur les unit�s de mesure du 26 juillet 1919.
>Les mot "micron" (symbole �), propos� en 1870-1872, fut adopt� par le
>C.I.P.M. en 1879 pour d�signer le milli�me de millim�tre. Dupuis 1967,
>l'unit� "micron" est supprim�e; le symbole � est r�serv� pour le pr�fixe
>"micro" et le milli�me de millim�tre est maintenant d�sign� par
>"microm�tre", symbole �m.
>[end quote]
I has just spent a few minutes searching Moreau's book for your quotation.
I found it in a footnote on page 89.
I came across another footnote on page 101 that I translate:
"Let us recall anecdotically that the gregorian calendar, instituted in
1582, was only adopted by England in 1752, that is 170 years later; it is
curious that it was after the smae lapse of time (1795-1965) that the
metric system has definitely been adopted in the United Kingdom."
I note from the cover of the book that Henri Moreau spent his entire life
in the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures, and the last some 20
years in the scientific secretariat of the BIPM.
Joseph B.Reid
17 Glebe Road West
Toronto M5P 1C8 TEL. 416-486-6071
