2002-07-28 Proper SI is to use the space. Thus it should be 1200 mm x 2400 mm. Not using a space may look ok with not letter symbols, but with letters it looks sloppy. I think running it all together is a hold-over from FFU.
I'd bet if they were to changed all of the lumber sizes to SI tomorrow, Americans would still call them by their FFU names. A 1200 x 2400 will still be called a 4 x 8. We still call a 40 mm x 90 mm piece of lumber a 2 x 4, even though it hasn't been that dimension in decades. When you think you are better than everyone else, you are slow to adapt to change. Changing to another way is like saying the way you were doing it was wrong. An arrogant ego can't handle that type of feeling. So, you resist change as much as possible and curse everyone else for being different. John ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Joy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, 2002-07-28 21:00 Subject: [USMA:21407] Re: Millilitres vs centilitres > Hi all, > > I am not aware of anyone in the world using cm for anything except for body > height. > > Here in Australia, even the "mm" is assumed. If we want to by a sheet of > board for the wall for instance, we just say "twelve hundred by twenty-four > hundred please" and it's obvious what it is. It's hardly likely to be twelve > hundred cm wide, or even twelve hundred feet (god forbid). This is how > Americans will be talking soon (don't know when) and the sooner the better. > > On another point, I notice everyone is putting a space between the numeral > and the unit. There is no space (as in the ifp system) so it's 1200mm or 1 > 200mm, not 1200 mm. > > Regards > Mike Joy > Perth, Australia > > **************Marcus, in USMA 21377, wrote a strong rebuttal of USMA 21374 > in which I > presented the South African case for the use of the millimetre in > engineering and architectural drawings. Albert J. Mettler carried out an > internatioinal survey of metric practice in 1976. Albert, with a Swiss > background, farvored the centimetre but reported: > > Countries not using the centimetre > engineers architects > Europe > Austria 1) X > Czechoslovakia X > Denmark 1) X X > Germany X > Greece X > Hungary X > Italy X > Luxemburg X X > Norway 1) X X > Poland X > Sweden 1) X > Switzerland X > Yugoslavia X > Africa > Botswana 2) X X > Cameroon x X > Mauritius 2) X X > South Africa 2) X X > Sudan X X > Zimbabwe 2) X X > Asia > Cyprus X > India X > Iraq X > Philippines X > Central America > Cuba X X > El Salvador X > > 1) standards institutes with rather puristic approach > 2) recent converts to metric system with limited use of cm. > > > > Joseph B.Reid > 17 Glebe Road West > Toronto M5P 1C8 Tel. 416 486-6071 > >
