The Brits also don't leave a space before am and pm -- 7:00pm, for example.
Of course, they're using ISO 8601 time much more these days. Bill Potts, CMS Roseville, CA http://metric1.org [SI Navigator] >-----Original Message----- >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >Behalf Of Pat Naughtin >Sent: Friday, June 13, 2003 23:23 >To: U.S. Metric Association >Subject: [USMA:26073] Space between number and unit > > >Dear Bill and All, > >on 2003-06-14 14.18, Bill Potts at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > >> The >> British (for example) always leave out the space. I don't like >it, but it's >> not absolutely wrong. > >I agree with Bill. There should be a space between the number and the unit >in any measurement. Let me choose the slightly more complex unit, >metres per >second, as an example to illustrate a few issues from the world of writing >and editing. > >If I wrote: > >6kilometrespersecond, >or 6kilometresper second, >or 6kilometres persecond, >or 6kilometres per second, > >there isn't an editor, anywhere in the English speaking world, who >would not >correct me to produce the correct form: >6 kilometres per second. > >However, they are much more forgiving when it comes to symbols. I have seen >the following: > >6metres/second, >6metres/s, >6m/sec, >6m/s, >and even 6mps > >replacing the correct: >6�m/s > >However, if I wrote these as: > >sixmetres/second, >sixmetres/s, >sixm/sec, >sixm/s, >and even sixmps, > >they would all be corrected to: > >six metres/second, >six metres/s, >six m/sec, >six m/s, >and even six mps, > >It's usual in Australia to join numbers and units together without a space. >I sometimes think that this may be due to a fear by editors of having the >number left on one line while the unit finds its wat to the >following line � >and they haven't yet found out where the non-breaking space function is >placed on their keyboards. > >It's an odd world, where you have to out-think your editor, and their >knowledge of units, at the same time as you are writing. > >Cheers, > >Pat Naughtin LCAMS >Geelong, Australia > >Pat Naughtin is the editor of the free online newsletter, 'Metrication >matters'. You can subscribe by sending an email containing the words >subscribe Metrication matters to [EMAIL PROTECTED] >-- >
