2003 October 28
In 27324 Rich Kim asks "why gas consumption in metric is liters
per 100 kilometers".
Answer: it is not. That is, any combination of units can be used.
There is no standard giving the units to use. In Europe
L/100 km is used. Some say this violates the SI principle that
there be no conversion factor other than one in an SI combined
unit. 100 just does not belong in the unit. Others would say,
if a number is in the unit, it belongs in the numerator (so it
can be replaced by an SI prefix).
I always use km/L. You can too.
Robert Bushnell PhD PE
